Asked how he's doing, AHoriBuzz frontman Aaron Tokona responds both succinctly and in a
manner befitting his latest act's tongue-in-cheek moniker: "Mean."
The brains behind the psychedelic rock, soul and funk project, Tokona is one of New Zealand's busier musicians.
In addition to singing and playing wild lead guitar with AHoriBuzz, he comprises half of Cairo Knife Fight (the other half being drummer-singer Nick Gaffaney).
Described by some as a "Maori Jimi Hendrix", both for his penchant for hippyish headbands as well as flailing, inventive guitar solos, Tokona says each act offers a different outlet through which he can channel his changing musical moods.
AHoriBuzz, which takes the stage tonight at Wanaka's Rippon Festival (playing from 7.25pm to 8.50pm), is a fun trip.
Initially devised as a means to escape the more serious side of the music business (album, tour, album ...), it wears its heart on the dance floor.
The band's first single Glitter In The Gutter was included on LOOP label's Select 009 compilation album.
More recently, follow-up single Turnaround, on which Tokona riffs over 1970s-style synth funk, was included in the live set of the Fly My Pretties ensemble.
"I thought a good way to keep amused was to start another project," Tokona explains via telephone from his Christchurch home, where he lives with his wife and young family.
"I booked a gig in a bar in Wellington and invited all my friends to come and have a play.
"I did that a few times, nothing serious, but I recorded a few gigs and songs started appearing.
"I bought a sampler, which started it all, really. I hadn't made beats before.
"It built from there, but really slowly.
"I think the first time we got together was about four years ago.
"It crept along and now it seems to be heading into what people would call ... a proper band."
At this, Tokona cracks up. It seems paradigm shifts can be amusing.
"Yeah, nah. I like to keep the line-up revolving.
"It's really a one-man project and I just invite friends who aren't busy at the time to collaborate.
"But it seems to be turning into a 'thing'. We even have an album planned; I'll record it with Mu [producer for Fat Freddy's Drop]."
Revolving-door policy aside, it should be noted the current line-up comprises old mate Riki Gooch (Trinity Roots and Eru Dangerspiel) on drums, LA Mitchell (Fly My Pretties, Dukes) on keyboards and Tokona's bass-playing cousin Hori Pirere. ("That's his real name," he laughs, again.)
"The premise with AHoriBuzz is not to lock anything down," Tokona says.
"You do run the risk of everything going haywire, becoming a cacophony of messy notes.
"I guess that's why I like to run that ship with really awesome players who can pick up on things straight away.
"We try not to play 'songs'.
"I don't know how long we'll last. When you start taking a project like this into a studio to record a record, things change. But I really enjoy it.
"We played the Kaikoura Roots Festival a couple of weeks ago and here we were about to go on stage and I'm writing the chord charts out on bits of paper for everyone.
"That's about as close as AHoriBuzz comes to practising.
"As a band, we're not trying to sell anything. I quite like not having all the pressures that go with being in a proper band.
"Hopefully, by trying to reach some sort of zenith when we perform, that will be transferred to the audience."
Yet it's not all a barrel of laughs. The band's latest single, Turnaround, might offer its share of Stevie Wonder-like stabs of funk - accompanied by a video brimful of martial arts spoofs - but its lyrics touch on darker themes.
"For sure", Tokona agrees.
"I've been quite lazy when it comes to the art of writing lyrics, but I have an amazing relationship with a friend, Ben Brown, who is a poet. There are people in this world who are good with words so I took the skeleton of the song to Ben and he wrote the lyrics for it.
"He has a propensity to write dark words.
"I quite like the fact the song has uplifting major chords and yet there is this dark undertone to it.
"Basically, the song is about this guy who can't forgive himself for all the bad things he's done - even though the people around him have forgiven him. It's about him trying to change back from this monster into someone who can accept he has just done some dumb things."
If AHoriBuzz offers Tokona a musical "holiday" then Cairo Knife Fight, his collaborative project with drummer-singer Nick Gaffaney, could be regarded as the equivalent of a day job.
"It requires everything from someone playing that kind of music. There is no hiding," Tokona says.
"It is challenging music to listen to and it's challenging to play. It's a no-holds-barred thing. I enjoy it for that aspect. It's full-on and there's a lot to do."
In another interview, Gaffaney had described the dynamic of the duo as "guerrilla warfare".
Asked to elaborate, Tokona says though he and Gaffaney have wildly different personalities, they still manage to get on well.
Even photos of the pair hint at an interesting chemistry: Tokona with his wild hair and paisley headband, a glint in his eye; Gaffaney in shades of black or grey, seemingly more serious.
"Nick is a really proficient musician. He is one of those guys who has worked really hard on his craft; he's done a lot of hours practising ... he's one of those guys, you know? I'm sort of the opposite."
Listen to II, Cairo Knife Fight's latest EP (actually, it's closer to a mini-album with its four tracks spanning 24 minutes) and it is clear much time has been spent honing compositions.
However, Tokona acknowledges there's a fine line between attending to the sonic details and overworking a song to the point it is in danger of becoming sterile.
"It might come across as being quite tricky but the bones of it are quite simple. We both have loop machines that run independently of each other. A lot of the looping is done on the fly.
"But we've managed to keep things in sync to a certain degree through simple musical communication. We both know how to count to four and press the button at the same time.
"It really isn't a science project. At various points - in fact, at any time - it seems as if it could fall apart. And when it does fall apart on stage, that's when we often have our best musical moments. We are proficient enough to save ourselves."
Although Cairo Knife Fight's last recording was captured at Neil Finn's Roundhead studio (utilising most of the many channels of a revered mixing desk once used by The Who), Tokona maintains there is little difference in the methodology he and Gaffaney employ when taking to the stage.
"We keep overdubs to a minimum. And if we do it's just to fatten things up."
Having trimmed its line-up (at one point Cairo Knife Fight's ranks had swelled to six) a couple of years back, the duo have since gone on to secure more than a few prized support slots, including playing for Them Crooked Vultures, Foo Fighters, Gomez and Queens Of The Stone Age.
Still, the pair have paid their dues: Gaffaney has drummed for Anika Moa, Fat Freddy's Drop, Dimmer and Goldenhorse at various times; Tokona used to front rock band Weta, until that group called it a day a decade ago.
That split was predicated, in part, by Tokona's mental health. He suffers from bipolar disorder, which he describes as the "biggest challenge of my life".
"I took a break from the music industry because I had to sort through that stuff. I don't see it as a handicap anymore; it's just a part of me and is something that has to be maintained. But it has taken a hell of a lot of work to get a handle on it.
"There are things that I can do and things I can't.
"One of the main things I've learnt is the importance of trying to keep regular sleep cycles on tour - which is one of the most challenging things you can do, because once you've played a gig you come off stage and are completely hyped up.
"I can deal with that for a couple of days, but after that I get into danger zone.
"We have a couple of long tours coming up this year, including to the States.
"There's only two of us so we are an easy band to get around. I think we've been really lucky, but we've both been around for a wee while.
"We're not young chaps. I guess it helped that we started this band having made a lot of relationships within the music industry in New Zealand."
The network includes Shihad drummer Tom Larkin, who now manages Cairo Knife Fight (among several other acts) and is on the same bill for the University of Otago Orientation (Shihad is one of the headline groups for February 24).
"He's been a friend for a long time," Tokona says.
"If you play rock music in this country, then I think it's fair to say we are all very grateful and lucky to have had a band like Shihad to set such a high standard for live performance. Tom brings all those ethics to the table."
Catch them
- AHoriBuzz performs at Rippon Festival,Wanaka, tonight (7.25pm-8.50pm) Cairo Knife Fight plays at Otago University Orientation, Forsyth Barr Stadium, on February 24.
- Also appearing at Orientation, February 20-25, are Shapeshifter, Shihad, David Dallas, Bulletproof & Jessie G, Home Brew, PNC & P-Money, Sunshine Sound System, Knives at Noon, Nightshade, Dudstown Sound System, Dai Henwood, Rhys Mathewson, Rose Matafeo. Tickets are available from Ticket Direct. More details in Play next week.
