Jim Pellinger

Singer-Songwriter

Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter Jim Pellinger’s music charts a course set by his influences, the Beatles, first and foremost. But as a reviewer of his “Knives & Bleeding” EP noted, “His sound and method are that of, say, Tom Petty or maybe Elvis Costello albeit he sounds like neither.” Another reviewer of Jim’s first release, the cassette-only “All Dressed Up And All Stressed Out” heard “strains of John Hiatt, Squeeze, R.E.M., and a little bit of Simon and Garfunkel within Jim’s songs”.

The jangly, pop-rock tune “Start All Over Again” is Jim’s eighth single, and first in 2023. “I was thinking about 2020 when I started writing “Start All Over Again”, I mean if we ever needed a do-over for a year it would be that one, with the pandemic and everything,” says Jim. “Then when the verses started coming to me it began to be a song about perseverance, taking chances, and being true to yourself.”

As a live performer, Jim Pellinger has played colleges, clubs, coffeehouses, and festivals in the US and Central America. Performing solo on guitar, vocals, and live loops, Jim creates layers of sounds and vocal harmonies, and has a unique ability to relate to a crowd, often drawing the whole audience into his live “band” for a communal sing-along (or shout-along as the case may be).

He’s been an annual performer at the Minnesota State Fair since 2006, and he’s played Twin Cities venues such as The Fine Line, The Caboose, The Amsterdam Bar and Hall, among many others. Jim has also bee featured on New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins pregame shows, and even got a song in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When the pandemic hit in spring of 2020 Jim launched his "Quarantine Cafe" live stream, bringing his music to the world when live music venues were shut down and people were shut in.

A fiercely dedicated do-it-yourselfer, Jim records and releases albums, EPs, and singles on his own label, Door To Door Music. He designs the cover art, shoots and edits the videos, builds the website, and books the shows. Said Bill Snyder of the music magazine The Squealer: "If you still believe that the virtues of hard work are more important than money (and even if you still need to be convinced) the proof is on the tape."