Today sees the release of the weird and wonderful debut album from JD Pinkus (The Butthole Surfers) and Mike Savino (Tall Tall Trees), whose combined psychedelic alt-banjo wizardry may prick the ears of even those not inclined toward anything to do with bluegrass. Ponder Machine is a journey, and it’s one which is perhaps best expressed by ‘Can’t C#’.
The six-and-a-half-minute piece sees Pinkus and Savino in fine form. Three movements, three stories, a shining example of the quality contained on their SpaceGrass/SlowGrass/psychedelic bluegrass album. Pinkus says of the song: “A tragic ballad with a happy ending… just kiddin’… it’s three different stories with a common outcome and it’s not played in C#. Give a listen and feel free to sing along with the whales and songbirds.“
We’re premiering the video below. If you needed reminding, Ponder Machine is out today via Shimmy-Disc.
