Dripstone (EPK)
Release Date: September 25
Focus Track: "Dripstone" (Sept 4)
Audio
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: thomas@thomasnordlund.com
Release Date: September 25, 2026
EPK: thomasnordlund.com/dripstone-epk
Thomas Nordlund Strips Back to Bare Essentials on New Acoustic EP 'Dripstone'
Grounded by two decades on the Twin Cities circuit, the guitarist relocates to Mexico with a single instrument to compose a raw, through-composed dialogue for guitar and percussion.
(Mérida, MX) — After a trilogy of records defined by gritty electric guitar and twenty years spent as a sought-after sideman, guitarist Thomas Nordlund announces the release of Dripstone on September 25. The four-track EP marks a deliberate shift toward a deeply personal, solo-centric language, born from a period of intentional simplification and artistic realignment in Mérida, Mexico.
The catalyst for the project was a move that saw Nordlund leave behind the heavy gear and ensembles of his past, arriving in Mexico with only a single acoustic guitar. This physical constraint sparked an intensive year of composition, returning to the solo classical foundations of his youth and the acoustic discipline he first studied two decades ago under lifelong mentor Tim Sparks.
While the music on Dripstone is entirely through-composed, it carries the precise execution of a musician who spent two decades as a staple of the Minneapolis/St. Paul and greater Minnesota music scenes. Nordlund utilizes a unique hybrid technique—blending classical fingerstyle with a commanding plectrum mastery. The result is a "mellow, dark, and intimate" harmonic architecture, informed by ongoing, remote studies with New York jazz guitar master Peter Mazza and centered on complex, resonant open-string voicings.
“Moving to Mexico with just one guitar forced me to find everything I needed within six strings,” says Nordlund. “After years of working in the grit of regional electric ensembles, I wanted to strip things back to the bare essentials. It’s a homecoming to the acoustic intimacy Tim Sparks instilled in me decades ago, but executed with the harmonic depth I’m currently exploring with Peter Mazza.”
Accompanied by a single percussionist, the music functions as a dialogue between the subterranean and the light, following a four-week "waterfall" release strategy starting September 4.
The Emergence Sequence:
Sept 4 - "Dripstone": A subterranean dialogue between guitar and percussion, mimicking the slow, patient growth of cave formations.
Sept 11 - "Inner Fields": A movement toward internal reflection, showcasing the lush, resonant possibilities of open-string architecture.
Sept 18 - "Toh": Named after the Yucatán cenote bird, this track bridges classical technicality with melodic warmth.
Sept 25 - "Open Hills" (Full EP Release): The sequence concludes by breaking from the density of the "cave" into an expansive, airy landscape.
About Thomas Nordlund:
Thomas Nordlund is a Mérida-based guitarist and composer known for his highly lyrical, cinematic approach to instrumental music. After spending two decades as a trusted electric sideman and bandleader on the US Midwest music circuit, his electric era culminated in the May 2026 release of the gritty, five-track record Through The Clearing. Following this release, Nordlund underwent a period of drastic creative distillation, relocating to Mexico to strip his canvas down to a single acoustic guitar.
Bridging the foundational fingerstyle discipline of his early mentor Tim Sparks with the advanced jazz harmony of Peter Mazza, Nordlund's work explores the tension between rigorous composition and expansive atmospheric space. Skope Magazine has praised his ability to "flesh out entire landscapes with only a few notes." Serving as a stark, subterranean contrast to his previous electric work, Nordlund returns in September 2026 with Dripstone, a raw, minimalist acoustic EP born from his new geography.
Links:
Official Website: https://www.thomasnordlund.com
Listen (Private EP Stream): https://on.soundcloud.com/Yn9h2XJl1MfZj9iXq5
Bio
Thomas Nordlund is a guitarist, composer, and producer currently based in Mérida, Mexico. For two decades, he anchored the US Midwest music circuit as an in-demand electric sideman and bandleader, culminating in the May 2026 release of his gritty, electric-centric cinematic record, Through The Clearing. Following this intense, five-track release, Nordlund underwent a drastic creative distillation—leaving behind the complex gear and ensembles of his past to strip his musical canvas down to a singular steel-string acoustic guitar.
This intentional artistic pivot resulted in his upcoming acoustic EP, Dripstone (September 2026). Recorded as a raw dialogue between guitar and sparse hand percussion, the record explores how advanced modern jazz harmony and classical structures behave under severe acoustic constraints.
Though his geography and primary instrument have shifted, Nordlund’s playing retains the deep narrative quality that has long defined his career. Skope Magazine previously praised his ability to “flesh out entire landscapes with only a few notes,” noting his fluidity between intimate, poetic moments and expansive soundscapes—a skill that takes center stage on his new acoustic material. His unique hybrid-picking technique bridges the foundational fingerstyle discipline he built decades ago under the mentorship of veteran acoustic guitarist Tim Sparks with the complex, open-string chordal architecture developed through intensive study with New York jazz guitarist Peter Mazza.
Prior to his acoustic reinvention, Nordlund released a trilogy of acclaimed electric instrumental records, beginning with his baritone-centric debut Divide Avenue (2015) and Miles Left Behind (2018). A deeply trusted staple of the Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene, he has collaborated, performed, and recorded alongside a diverse roster of artists across genres, including Chris Bates, John Raymond, Dead Man Winter, Sarah Morris, Maryam Yusefzadeh, and the Adam Meckler Orchestra.
Today, Nordlund’s work operates at the intersection of rigorous classical structure, modern jazz, and cinematic storytelling—proving that whether he is wielding a gritty electric or the barest of acoustic essentials, the musical horizon remains vast.
Cover
Press Photos
Photographer: Ernesto Celis Canto
Videos
Note to Editors: Cinematic live performance videos shot on location in Yucatan, Mexico, are currently in post-production and will be available for exclusive premiere consideration in late July.