Now for something completely different

Dunedin musician Tristan Dingemans.

Dunedin musician Tristan Dingemans is probably best known for his eardrum-blowing fiery, dense electric guitar playing sonic rock in High Dependency Unit, Mountaineater and solo project Kahu. But Dingemans might be about to slightly subvert what you’ve come to expect of him, with the musician showcasing a collection of intimate songs performed on acoustic guitar at Dog With Two Tails on Friday.

"The Kahu album I recorded with Forbes Williams about 11 years ago is all improvised," the quiet and thoughtful Dingemans told me over a beer.

"They’re incredibly long songs, really more guitar takes with improv over the top. This new one is proper songs and far more concise.

"I got an acoustic a few years ago, and stuff just started coming out, that more old school, narrative kind of thing. It’s all very autobiographical and the songs are about a particular period of time in my life. It’s a song-cycle kind of idea."

Having started to approach and appreciate the instrument differently, Dingemans began to listen to more acoustic music as a result, name-checking Bob Dylan’s 1961 home recording I Was Young When I Left Home, Swedish folk-singer the Tallest Man on Earth, and Dunedin’s Matt Langley across the course of our conversation.

"The level of intimacy and nakedness, I thought this is something I could try," he explained.

"With the electric guitar, each string is almost a different instrument. In order to get the loops to work you need a lot of contrast happening, one loop is in one tone and you shift it with distortion and try and get the contrast to work that way, just trying to get that enveloping thing.

"With the acoustic stuff, it’s more music and voice. There’s a lot of fingerpicking, not particularly complex, but it suits the space.

"You’ve got to rest and let those notes hang. There’s a delicacy and vulnerability that is really powerful. Thematically, there’s the boldness of being vulnerable. You’re putting yourself out there as a musician [and] as a person."

While next week’s show, Dingemans’ first headlining show in this context, will be your earliest chance to experience the project, there is an album coming.Dingemans has been chipping away at the album with Dunedin engineer Tim Greenslade for a couple of years, and while it’s not too far along in the production process, the songs sound honed and ready to go with Greenslade on drums, and Sam Hood on bass.

It also has a name: Whare Ra.

"The title is about awakening," Dingemans said.

"The songs are about the passage back into a different space. It’s a growing story, embracing the ability to change. The growth I’ve experienced even this year has been amazing.

"The period of time the songs are written about was something of a reawakening for me. In that reawakening, I came back to life ..."

RARE PERFORMANCE

Former Dunedin psych-pop band Alizarin Lizard almost never play down this way anymore, they’re something of an endangered species these days, but the band is making a rare appearance at the Crown Hotel tonight with support by Lachie Hayes and Space Bats, Attack!Great pop songs with buzzy psych touches.