Matt Cameron (July 2005 Issue)
Drinking From The Well

"I can definitely claim this as my band," says Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron of his psychedelic revivalist project, Wellwater Conspiracy, the gig he shares with ex-Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain. Bonding over shared aesthetics and an engaging sense of the absurd, McBain and Cameron spawned Wellwater Conspiracy in the wake of Soundgarden's heavily mourned demise in 1997.

The Scroll And Its Combinations, an enigmatic title for an equally puzzling collection of tunes, is Wellwater Conspiracy's third album. Comparisons to 1960s psychedelic pop progenitors Vanilla Fudge and 13th Floor Elevators seem obvious. "I'd say that's pretty accurate," Cameron agrees. "What's obvious on the record is where our influences come from. Our musical tastes are pretty broad, but the '60s fuzz-tone thing is big, obviously. We're both really grooving on the freedom of this project, because there's no band, per se, which frees us up for being multi-instrumentalists." For the record, Cameron plays bass, guitar, and drums, while doing an impressive job handling lead vocals. "It's kind of goofy," Matt says, "but it was a fun challenge."

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