With the merging of the two brands, McGuinn had succeeded in finding a permanent home for the displaced expatriates of Y100, who had been broadcasting online out of various apartment complexes in Philadelphia since Radio One silenced WPLY in February 2005.
[2][3] Prior to and concurrent with a career in radio, McGuinn played in rock bands, starting in high school and college as guitarist and songwriter with Reaction Formation, an '80s era indie rock band that toured the Midwest extensively and released several 7" singles and cassettes, some for Go2 Records, a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Susstones Records.
McGuinn later played with short-lived acts 100 Faces, The Glitter Zombies (with Ric Menck and Paul Chastain of Velvet Crush), and Love Cactus.
Trashcan released a series of cassettes that documented the fertile Champaign, Illinois, music scene of the late '80s, including early work from Jay Bennett's pre-Wilco band Titanic Love Affair, Bad Flannel, and Poster Children's Toreador Squat, which McGuinn also co-produced.
After college, McGuinn appeared in more bands, most prominently as bassist with Philadelphia-based Cordalene, who released 3 EPs and a full-length album, The Star-Ledger, between 2000 and 2004.