Wellwater Conspiracy

I

n 1993 Wellwater Conspiracy was formed by Matt Cameron (vocals/drums), John McBain (guitar) and Ben Shepherd (vocals). All three were also members of the band Hater. Wellwater Conspiracy's first recording sessions took place in the basement of Cameron's house. The band's music featured a psychedelic garage rock sound. The band often performed with other musicians; many friends of the band. Notable appearances included keyboardist Glenn Slater of folk rock group The Walkabouts, guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, vocalist Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, and vocalist/guitarist Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss.

Shortly after the release of the band's debut album, Declaration of Conformity (1997), Shepherd left the band, while Cameron was chosen to replace Jack Irons as the drummer for the rock group Pearl Jam. However, Cameron and McBain were intent on keeping the band going as a permanent side project, and with Cameron taking over lead vocal duties, the band released three more albums, Brotherhood of Electric: Operational Directives (1991), The Scroll and Its Combinations (2001) and Wellwater Conspiracy (2003). The project ended less than a year later.