“We’re trying to be adventurous. I don’t want to write songs that are just excuses for me to play mindless solos”: Meet Tristan Auman, the wildly inventive guitarist who went from gospel to gonzo shred with Sometime In February

Growing up in Raleigh, South Carolina, Tristan Auman got his first chance to play guitar in public during church services. 

“We did a mix of contemporary Christian music and old-time gospel hymns,” he says. “Because we had choirs and vocalists, I didn’t get much of a chance to stretch out, but occasionally I’d get music directors who’d toss me a bone – ‘Here’s a section, kid. I trust you. Go crazy!’ It was great. I got over any kind of stage fright early.”

For the past few years, Auman has been stretching out with his own music, a wildly engaging spin on instrumental progressive metal (think mathy and post-rock, but with plenty of room for melodies) that he began releasing under the moniker Sometime in February. 

His first two efforts, an EP titled Here Goes and a full-length called There Goes, featured solo compositions, but a forthcoming sophomore album will be written in collaboration with his bandmates, drummer Scott Barber and bassist Morgan Johnson.

“I started this whole thing as a vehicle for my writing,” Auman says, “but now I’m really enjoying working with the other guys and hearing the kinds of parts they come up with. It’s a nice kick in the pants for me because if they come up with something cool, I have to match them.”

SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY - Hiding Place (VISUALIZER VIDEO) - YouTube

Watch On

Last year, Auman took a summer break and played guitar on tour with Between the Buried and Me (he filled in for guitarist Dustie Waring), but now he’s back with his own band, who just signed with InsideOutMusic. 

Ahead of the new album, they’ve issued a wicked and wondrous single, Hiding Place, that gives listeners a taste of what’s coming – clever hooks, plenty of gonzo shred and arresting moments of ambient beauty.

“We’re trying to be adventurous, but I don’t want to write songs that are just excuses for me to play mindless solos,” Auman says. “I want our melodies to be catchy and singable, as if we had a vocalist. At the same time, we can do whatever we want because it’s progressive rock.” He laughs. “Maybe the album will be called Anything Goes. No – how about Everything Goes?”

Axology

• GUITARS Ibanez AZ (six- and seven-string models), Ibanez RG J Custom, Ernie Ball Music Man Custom
• AMPS Neural DSP Quad Cortex (“I’m a full-on amp modeler, but I do like to use a Port City cab to move some air.”)

• There Goes is out now.