Arrington de Dionyso

by David Jeffries
Founding member and driving force behind the experimental Old Time Relijun, multi-instrumentalist Arrington DeDionyso spent most of his childhood in churches due to his minister parents. While his parents were working, DeDionyso occupied himself by playing around with the church's piano and organ. His parents noticed his interest and started him on piano lessons. Unhappy with the lessons, DeDionyso quit and forgot about playing music but continued to listen to ragas, African music, and whatever else the local library had to loan. When the family moved to Spokane, WA, DeDionyso got his first exposure to live punk rock and decided to pick up playing again, this time on guitar. Now in high school, he formed a loose band, Ipsofoog, and started making tapes for his homegrown Pine Cone Alley label and playing downtown street corners. College brought the possibility of making four-track recordings for credit at one of Olympia, WA's liberal schools. During his second year away at school, DeDionyso formed Old Time Relijun, a jarring mix of the Birthday Party and free jazz. After a release on Pine Cone Alley in 1997, the band formed a relationship with K Records. The band went through a number of changes, including a series of drummers, but DeDionyso's vision and influences were always the center. Varieties of Religious Experience, the first recording credited to Arrington DeDionyso & the Old Time Relijun, was released in 2003.