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Donald Knaack (aka The Junkman) is a classically trained percussionist and composer who has used recycled materials as his instruments of music since long before the eco-green movement was cool. He calls it Junk Music™ and it all began with his mentor and collaborator, John Cage. He’s performed at Lincoln Center, The Van’s Warped Tour, The United Nations, Sundance Film Festival, concerts with Phish, Seoul Drum Festival, Summer Series Dubai, many schools and colleges and a solo concert at the United Nation’s COP 16 Conference on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico, where he swiss replica watches was awarded the “Cantando por el Planeta” award by the Federal Government of Mexico for is HOP (Help Our Planet) environmental education program for schools. His HOP program was also a recipient of the Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

His music has been used in major television commercials for The NBA, ESPN and Electronic Arts. He and his music have been featured on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, imitation watches CBS Sunday Morning, CBS News, National Public Radio, BBC, Associated Press and a front page story in Billboard magazine.

He is currently developing a children’s television show about music and the environment called Junk Music with The Junkman and premiered his new one man musical/visual extravaganza entitled BEAT IT! with The Junkman during the summer of 2012 in Manchester, VT.

The Junkman™ travels to the beat of a different drummer. As a conservatory-trained percussionist and composer, he has been a member of the Louisville Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic, as well as a studio percussionist and drummer in the studios of Hollywood. He now exclusively composes-for and performs-on junk and recycled materials. It's called Junk Music™ and it's a unique collection of infectious grooves and musical styles that's gaining audiences from every spectrum of the music business- from rock to jazz to world music. Impossible to categorize, worldwide audiences are recognizing Junk Music as eye-opening, provocative and entirely new. Brat magazine called it "Hip, Click here unique and totally cool!"

It all began when Knaack studied with the reknown composer John Cage, who introduced him to using recycled materials as instruments of music. Knaack went on to record and tour with Cage and over the years, developed his own unique style of music: Junk Music. Recent performances have included The Van's Warped Tour (with Ice T, Eminem, Blink 182, and others), Lemonwheel and the Great went with Phish, World Environment Day at the United Nations, 2003 Sundance Film Festival, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Kansas City International Jazz Festival, Discover Jazz Festival, and numerous colleges, universities and public schools in the US and Europe. He has composed two major scores (Known by Heart and Surfer at the River Styx) for famed choreographer Twyla Tharp. Both received great critical acclaim worldwide. Surfer was a joint commission from The Kennedy Center and The American Dance Festival.

The Junkman has been featured on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, CBS Sunday Morning, Here and Now for National Public Radio, in an article for the Associated Press, and a front page story in Billboard.

A track off his new CD entitled Junk Music 2 appears on a new television commercial for ESPN entitled Makeshift, which was directed by award-winning director Mark Romanek (Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Beck and more...). A second track was used by ESPN for the promotional commercials for the 2005 NBA Playoffs. A third track is currently playing on a worldwide television commercial for EA Sports Games. His CD Junk Music was nominated for a Grammy in 1999.

In April, 2006, his full length opera ODIN, for spoken word artists and amplified percussion orchestra - all performing on recycled materials, was premiered at the Loewe Theatre in New York City. Highlights of this work were successfully presented at the Aspen Music Festival in August, 2005.

The Junkman has developed a new program for the schools of Vermont in which he teaches and involves students in the Three Rs and better environmental citizenry. The program is entitled HOP (Help Our Planet). This program was awarded the 2008 Vermont Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. The Junkman also constructs Junk Music Playstations, sound sculptures made exclusively from recycled materials in which large numbers of persons can simultaneously have a Junkjam. The Playstations are constructed for schools, festivals and museums.

The Junkman also performed at The Kennedy Center's Open House Arts Festival and will perform at the Seoul Drum Festival, seoul, Korea, October 2-4, 2008

He is currently developing a children’s television show about music and the environment called Junk Music with The Junkman and premiered his new one man musical/visual extravaganza entitled BEAT IT! with The Junkman during the summer of 2012 in Manchester, VT.