John McBain

John McBain entered the world on April 23, 1965, in New Jersey and helped establish the lineup that matured into stoner rock standard-bearers Monster Magnet, later sharing stages and sessions with Matt Cameron and Josh Homme. In 1989 he united with Tim Cronin and Tom Diello under the name Dog of Mystery; once Dave Wyndorf assumed the frontman role the ensemble adopted the Monster Magnet identity. McBain supplied guitar across the group’s opening three releases—the Monster Magnet EP in 1990, Spine of God in 1991, and the Tab...25 EP also issued in 1991—before internal friction led to his exit. He resurfaced in 1993 within the Pacific Northwest psych-rock outfit Hater, joined by Soundgarden’s Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron. After that ensemble disbanded, McBain contributed to the first two Desert Sessions volumes alongside Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme. Cameron, Shepherd, and McBain sustained their collaboration through Wellwater Conspiracy, a project that drew guest input from additional scene luminaries. McBain settled in San Francisco in 2004 and commenced work on a solo recording, The In-Flight Feature, which appeared in 2006.