Four years sit between Stateless and we will be wherever the fires are lit, the latest full album expression from acclaimed guitarist Tashi Dorji arriving November 22 on Drag City. These ten songs, as ever, are all improvised, utilizing different guitar preparations — tape for muting, metal for buzz, alternate tunings, inspirations from all over — to form a “sort of a sequel” to his 2020 album, in Tashi’s words. Still, there are no rules. With today’s announcement, Tashi releases the first single “begin from here” with a music video by Roberto Lange (AKA Helado Negro).

“Making music in these dark times feels meaningless but it is what we do, small anthems to muddle  through.” Tashi states. “Finding some sort of solace in ringing clatters and broken harmonics through an old guitar, strumming in opposition to the towers.” Tashi’s sound is his own, but the sounds of many nations storm through the acoustic expressions on we will be wherever the fires are lit. Who else would it be for, if not for everyone? For Tashi, the playing of this music is always political, even in its most abstract iterations. As no moment of life is without its political context, consider the self-description “strumming in opposition to the towers” as a universal state: a freedom of expression made while doing all the other things involved with playing, maintaining a sense of lineage and documenting forward movement.

The first track on we will be wherever the fires are lit, “begin from here”, carries in the torch with a ferociously pounding opening riff. Tashi’s guitar — dampened, rattled, and tuned down decisively — projects a collective feel from the traditional “lone gunslinger” seat he positions himself in. It’s a masterclass in how improvisation works: when you find something resonant, lean into it, variate and build. Here and elsewhere, Tashi’s raw performances score sympathy and offer requiem with all the depth, spirituality and detailed recall that any speech of words could supply.

Tashi Dorji was raised in Bhutan and has lived in Asheville, North Carolina since 2000, but he’s rarely stood still. In the interim since 2020’s Stateless, he’s played and toured almost constantly, continuing to record both as a solo and in collaboration with artists including Susie Ibarra, Alex Zhang Hungtai, Bill Orcutt, Michael Zerang, Elliott Sharp, Audrey Chen, Sally Gates, Marshall Trammell, Efrim Manuel Menuck, Aaron Turner, Dave Rempis and Joe McPhee. This fall, heading wherever the fires are lit, Tashi will tour Europe with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and the U.S. with Six Organs of Admittance; tickets are on sale now.

To end, we begin again with the following words from Tashi:

begin from here
Begin from here...our world lives when their world ceases to exist
Begin from here...with hopes, between silent skies, while world breathes again and the fever subsides
Begin from here...and to those who strike blows
Begin from here...while we keep going
Begin from here...while we mourn, we also fight

We will be wherever the fires are lit!

– Tashi Dorji, 2024

Tashi Dorji 2024 Tour Dates
*w/ Six Organs of Admittance
^w/ Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Sep. 27 - Dublin, Ireland @ National Stadium ^
Sep. 29 - London, United Kingdom @ Troxy ^
Sep. 30 - Glasgow, United Kingdom @ Barrowlands ^
Oct. 1 - Manchester, United Kingdom @ The Ritz ^
Oct. 2 - Bristol, United Kingdom @ Marble Factory ^
Oct. 3 - Coventry, United Kingdom @ The Empire ^
Oct. 4 - Tourcoing/Lille, Belgium @ Le Grand Mix ^
Oct. 5 - Esch-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Kufa ^
Oct. 6 - Paris, France @ Le Trianon ^

Nov. 6 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy *
Nov. 7 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle *
Nov. 8 - Washington D.C. @ Pie Shop *
Nov. 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool *
Nov. 10 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom *
Nov. 12 - Portland, ME @ SPACE *
Nov. 13 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (upstairs) *
Nov. 14 - Kingston, NY @ Tubby's *
Nov. 15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's *
Nov. 16 - Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern *