Bio

After being a part of the 1980 Georgia Boy’s State 100 meter freestyle record winning team,  held in Milledgeville, GA, the future was looking bright for JD Pinkus at 12 years old. 

‘Til the end of 1985 in Atlanta, where he dropped his swimsuit and Orange Sunshine and  traded it for a life on the road playing Bass with Butthole Surfers, spreading the Butthole word.  Later ‘Bassing’ for Melvins, Helios Creed, Honky, and many more..  

Upon this spiritual journey he bonded with his 5-string banjo, spreading it on different  recordings, including being backed by John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on Bass guitar in 1991  while he produced Butthole Surfers, as well as Flaming Lips and Melvins Recordings. 

Finally a Cassette label mogul and banjo player extraordinaire, Danny Barnes, enlisted Pinkus  to record his first solo Long Play recording for his cassette label Minner Bucket Records, which  was then later released on Heavy Feather Records in 2018, ‘Keep On The Grass’. 

Soon to follow was a relationship with Shimmy Disc / Joyful Noise Recordings and the  releasing of another solo psychedelic SpaceGrass Banjo album, 2021’s ‘Fungus Shui’, as well  as a collaboration with fellow Banjo Psychonaut, Tall Tall Trees, produced by Kramer called  ‘Ponder Machine’, 2023. 

The newest JD Pinkus album (release date June 7th 2024) on Shimmy Disc, is ‘Grow A Pear’.  An album 5 years in the making. Bridging old sounds from his past with the more recent sounds  of the fungal mountain he lives on now, with the assistance of a Blunderbuss of great musicians. 

Past SpaceGrass Banjo shows and tours with the likes of Sleep, Weedeater, Clutch, Helmet,  Quicksand, PW Long, Scott Biram,… Soon to be touring with King Buzzo and Trevor Dunn thru  the US. 2 months starting Aug 1st . Look out for JD Pinkus Fall solo tours for EU/UK and  Australia. 

Go to JDPinkus.Com for tour updates, news, merch, social media links, videos, glamour shots,  or just to hang out for a bit…