One of the founding members of what would eventually become stoner rock legends
Monster Magnet,
John McBain was a guitarist who worked with such players as
Matt Cameron and
Josh Homme. Born in New Jersey on April 23, 1965,
McBain and original
Monster Magnet members Tim Cronin and Tom Diello first came together as Dog of Mystery in 1989. Upon the inclusion of frontman
Dave Wyndorf, the band took on the moniker of
Monster Magnet, and
McBain played guitar on that band's first three releases (Monster Magnet EP [1990], Spine of God [1991], and Tab...25 EP [1991]) before being forced out due to inner-band tensions. He then reappeared in 1993 in a Pacific Northwest psych-rock side project called
Hater alongside
Ben Shepherd and
Matt Cameron (both of
Soundgarden). When that band had run its course,
McBain participated in the first two
Desert Sessions albums with
Queens of the Stone Age honcho
Josh Homme. In addition,
Cameron,
Shepherd, and
McBain continued to work together (with guest appearances from other prominent members of the scene) in the group
Wellwater Conspiracy. In 2004,
McBain relocated to San Francisco, and began work on a solo project. That record,
The In-Flight Feature, was released in 2006. ~ Chris True