John MacDonald’s cousin gave him a cassette of Who’s Next when he was just six. From that moment he knew what he wanted to do: smash instruments. But in order to smash them he had to first learn to play one. Realizing he couldn’t sneak drums into the house without his mother noticing, John instead smuggled in a guitar, figuring it would be easier to get forgiveness than permission. In spite of being a wannabe-drum-smashing guitarist, he was always drawn to the bass parts in songs, so he eventually picked up his first bass. He hasn’t put it down since, not even to smash it….except to buy a new, more expensive one.
John got into the blues during his years in the army, when he met a blues enthusiast friend from Chicago's South Side. He started his first band, Stronger Than Dirt in 1997 and played "Songs That Don’t Suck" with them until their bloody demise 14 years later. John also helped form the Eryn Shewell Band in 2007 and has played with various others, including Under New Ownership (UNO), The Christine Martucci Band, Black Night and RB3: The Red Band Blues Band.
He mainly plays fretless bass, though you may see him beside an electric upright or even a bass ukulele (yes, they make those).
He mainly plays fretless bass, though you may see him beside an electric upright or even a bass ukulele (yes, they make those).