Diwas Gurung, best known as the guitarist/vocalist of the band Ayurveda, is revered among fans for innovating a unique brand of music—with its blend of Nepali folk tunes and western-influenced rock sensibilities. Gurung, with Ayurveda—a NY-based rock ensemble he co-founded in 2003—helped take Nepali music to the global audience, especially by reinterpreting Nepali pop numbers. Of late, Gurung has been involved in a new music project, Photoreal, and is currently touring across Nepal. With him performing at 25 Hours in Tangal, Kathmandu, today in the latest leg of his tour, he spoke to the Post about his past influences, the current tour and future plans. Excerpts:

You started your musical career reinterpreting classic Nepali songs. What was your motivation?

It was more of a happy accident. At the time I recorded Rato Mato my main focus was my band Ayurveda which played progressive rock music with English lyrics. We started messing around with some old popular Nepali songs at some of our shows, which was kind of funny because our audience (predominantly, American) did not understand the lyrics! Nevertheless, they were very into the music. Not long after, we decided to record and release Rato Mato. The main motivation at the time was the urge to experiment and evolve my understanding of music and to further explore and enrich my connection with my homeland.

Since the disbanding of Ayurveda in 2011, you have been playing with new band Photoreal. In what ways does it differ from Ayurveda?

I would say it is pretty much the polar opposite. Ayurveda made hard riff-heavy prog rockish pieces, with Photoreal I try to write succinct songs that rely less on riffs but more on mood, texture and lyrics. In its inception, Photoreal was very much an ‘electronic’, ‘laptop’ band but it has always been used as a tool to present the song in the most appropriate light.

Another major difference is that in Ayurveda, contrary to popular belief, Tom Burchinal was the lead singer and lyricist, not me. I can see how the popular Ayurveda videos on Youtube could make it seem that I was the lead singer but that was never true. In Photoreal, I am the primary vocalist and lyricist.

What are its influences? What are its target audiences?

As of now, our big influences are bands like Tame Impala, Fleetwood Mac, Holy Ghost!, Oasis, Mac DeMarco, Wet, and Chairlift. I don’t have a specific target audience in mind, but it is for people who appreciate well crafted ‘under 4 minute’ pop rock songs. 

Currently you are on a nationwide tour in Nepal. You have already performed in various venues in cities like Chitwan, Dharan, Pokhara and Kathmandu. Can you please share your experiences in performing for your native audience?

I could not make it to Dharan but I did play two shows in Chitwan. So far my experience has been amazing; I am constantly surprised and humbled by how much people appreciate my music.

Did you find any shift in the audiences’ taste from the last time you performed in Nepal? 

Nothing major that I can think of. The audience was very responsive, enthusiastic and were with me all the way from beginning till end, just like how I remembered it from three years ago. 

What is your take on the current Nepali rock scene?

I can definitely see that it has grown a lot in the past few years but the speed of progress could be faster. I am always happy to hear Nepali bands pushing the comfort zones of themselves and their audiences, the band Chappal immediately comes to mind. I have also always been fascinated with the DIY punk scene in Nepal. Insular as it may seem sometimes, I think its existence is vital to balance a lot of the fluff that one can find floating around any music scene.

Any new project in the pipeline?

I just released an EP Jharana Sahar and now I am concentrating on recording a full length Nepali album and another Nepal tour by the end of 2016. v