After leaving the Surfers in 1994, Austin, Texas-based Pinkus busied himself with a number of projects, including a short-lived band called Skinny Lynerd. Skinny Lynerd's guitarist was a moonlighting tattoo artist named Carson Vester, and when Pinkus, Vester, and drummer Lance Farley jammed together one day, they decided the chemistry was right and a power trio was born. Honky was soon gigging regularly on Austin's lively club circuit, and in 1997 they made their recorded debut with an EP on Man's Ruin Records titled Ten Inches. Later the same year, Honky dropped their self-titled debut album on Pinkus' Honest Abe label. Honky hit the road to spread the word about the band, and earned a reputation as a hard-working and hard-living live act. The band's schedule eventually became more than Vester had bargained for, and he left the group, with Gable Barber recruited to take his place on guitar. A chaotic Chicago show Honky played opening for L7 became the group's second album, Attacked by Lesbians in a Chicago Bowling Alley. In 2001, Honky delivered their second studio album, House of Good Tires, which introduced another new guitarist, Bobby Ed Landgraf. From this point on, Pinkus and Landgraf were the team that defined Honky, though a number of drummers would pass through the lineup. Arriving in 2005, Balls Out Inn featured Kenny Wagner on drums, while Michael "Night Train" Brueggen provided the backbeat on 2012's 421, which was mixed by Pinkus' former Butthole Surfers bandmate Paul Leary. During touring in 2013 and 2014, Dale Crover of the Melvins was drumming with Honky (often doing double duty on shows where Honky opened for the Melvins). In 2016, Honky emerged from the studio with their fifth studio album, Corduroy, which featured yet another new drummer, Trinidad Leal, who had previously played with Dixie Witch. ~ Mark Deming