Hinds was born in Alabama but relocated to Atlanta in the ’90s, per Pitchfork. It was here that he met bassist Troy Sanders, whose band, Four Hour Fogger, he initially joined. When that band fell apart, the two linked up with drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher to form Mastodon in 2000. The band would go on to release eight studio albums including their critically acclaimed second record, Leviathan, a concept album based on Moby Dick that The A.V. Club once hailed as helping to “usher in a golden age of heavy metal.” The band has been lauded over the years for their inventive compositions and progressive sound. They’ve earned six Grammy nominations to date, with a Best Metal Performance win for “Sultan’s Curse,” a single off their Grammy nominated album Emperor Of Sand, in 2018.
The band kept its original lineup until this past March, when the other three members posted on Instagram that they and Hinds had “mutually decided to part ways.” “We’re deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we’ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors,” the band’s post continued. Earlier this month, however, Hinds claimed that the group “kicked me out… for embarrassing them for being who I am,” along with a slew of harsh words for his former bandmates, per Billboard.
Hinds participated in a number of side projects throughout his career as well, including bands like Fiend Without A Face, West End Motel, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, and Legend of the Seagullmen. He also made a handful of brief acting appearances, including in the movie Jonah Hex, for which Mastodon composed the soundtrack, an episode of Game Of Thrones, and a satirical ad for local Atlanta restaurant Elmyr.
In a 2013 conversation with The A.V. Club that mostly centered on how much he hated Santana’s “Smooth,” Hinds also reflected on meeting his heroes. “I don’t like to talk to my idols,” he said. “When I meet kids and they’re goo-goo for meeting me, I try to be as cool as I can, because I remember. I haven’t won every battle of meeting strangers every day of my life, but I just think that any person that plays music for their profession and gets popular from it should really mind the fact that they have people that look up to them, and just try—no matter how bad of a mood you’re in—to be cordial.”
