The heady duo made up of banjo virtuosos JD Pinkus of The Butthole Surfers and Tall Tall Trees (aka Mike Savino) announced today a new album titled Ponder Machine, out on June 30th via Shimmy-Disc Records. Containing the spirit of high mountain bluegrass and laden with profound and somewhat sinister depth, the first single from the album is also out today, titled “Fungal Mountain Breakdown” alongside a music video for the track, directed by Pinkus himself.
“Come take a rare peek at life up on Fungal Mountain, where music can literally take you away,” Pinkus said of the new single. “Only two Banjo pickers in the world know how to play this song and when played at the proper tempo and tuning, it can transport the players and the listeners to other dimensions. We were lucky enuff to capture it on tape one day…”
Ponder Machine proves in a thousand ways that the possibilities of two traveling one man psychedelic banjo bands living on the same hill in Asheville, North Carolina are limitless. There is a method to their madness, listen closely and you will hear it—think John Cage meets Bela Fleck meets Brian Eno. The banjo has never been chewed up and spit out so lovingly; JD Pinkus brought his mushrooms and effects pedals, Mike Savino brought his sourdough and his psychedelic street-smarts.
Check out the World Premiere of “Fungal Mountain Breakdown” exclusively at BRIDGE:
