Sonoma musician profile: Bob McBain

There is a fellow who plays in bands around town whom we all recognize. But not everybody knows his name, as he is typically about “20 feet from stardom.” He is Bob McBain, and he is the go-to keyboard guy in the area.

Typically situated stage right, McBain plays in eight different bands and configurations at the moment. Not all are super busy, like Santa Rosa’s Poyntlyss Systars, but he does get out often to tinkle the ivories.

He has been enlisted to join so many bands because he is a solid player. He is also a committed musician, one of the very few local musicians who actually relies primarily on income from his skill and passion. Most others have other sources, not Beyonce level compensation, mind you… but they do not rely too heavily on playing out to keep the wolves at bay.

With the current COVID-19 crisis, McBain has seen his gig schedule absolutely collapse, along with his livelihood. He nevertheless remains upbeat and philosophical about his life and role in our musical enjoyment.

McBain lives in Novato, “in the house where I was raised,” but is an important member of four Sonoma bands; the Kerry Daly Band, Sonoma Sound Syndicate, the Starling House Band and the Henry Coopers. He does not sing but provides a much-needed chordal groove to the songs and is always up for a tasty solo or two.

His role with the Sonoma Sound Syndicate and the Starling House band is a similar one, as the band itself is the same, only the event is different. Sonoma Sound Syndicate includes vocalist Sharyn Paquette, and plays out in many venues in our area. The Starling House Band - Sound Syndicate minus Paquette - is the “live band” in the Live Band Karaoke at the Starling Bar.

The karaoke event is one where would-be and up-and-coming vocalists can get up on stage and get their ya-yas out, with a real band backing them. Live Band Karaoke has been going on for two and a half years, and the band is very solid. Michael Israel on drums, Dave Farrell on guitar, and John Arntz on bass make up the Starling House Band, as they refer to themselves. This band provides McBain a great chance to play once a month, and also challenges him occasionally.

When asked if the band has ever been concerned or anxious about the songs chosen by the singer, McBain said, “One month we had D’mitra Smith as a guest vocalist, and she wanted to play all this new wave and punk stuff. I thought, ‘This is going to be hard”, but it came out great!”

We asked Smith about that night at Starling when she was the featured vocalist. She acknowledged that the Live Band Karaoke format presents a “gargantuan task to take on the material different singers bring in.” She added, “it takes energy and grit to play punk rock. It’s a tall order. But they did a great job.”

McBain also plays with the fine local blues band, the Kerry Daly Band. “I love playing with them. There is just no drama. We play good, familiar songs. It’s like old-home week.”

He began his journey into keyboard mastery as a young kid when his parents - “who were older,” he stresses - prodded him into learning to play the accordion. When asked why the accordion, McBain replied, “Why accordion? Exactly. I switched to organ when I was in high school. I used to play along with records - remember records?”

When he made the swap to organ, he also became a musician in his church’s band. “I played out of a hymnbook.” McBain still plays regularly at church, as the contemporary pianist with the Presbyterian Church of Novato. Another part-time gig for McBain is as a delivery person for a local florist shop.

But it is playing the keyboard where McBain shines. In addition to his Sonoma gigs, he plays with a country band out of Santa Rosa called Third Rail, Swing Set, the up and coming local rock band Henry Cooper, and the blues band known as Levi Lloyd and Friends.

The Levi Lloyd group is the primary band at the El Verano Inn’s Sunday Night Blues Jam, which McBain organizes. “I took it over to keep it going… it is flourishing.” It was at a blues jam that McBain met musician Adrian Trevino, who used to live in Sonoma and has now relocated to Maui. Trevino said this about McBain: “He has become one of my best musician friends and has played with me in countless bands.”

When mentioning the gigs that have been canceled, McBain said, “They would have taken care of all my bills.” McBain is obviously not alone in experiencing the hurt from this crisis, and he does not expect any sympathy.

He does, however, appreciate a nice healthy round of applause after he takes a solo.