Trey Anastasio Joins Guerilla Toss for Velvet Underground Cover at Brooklyn Bowl
Photo Credit: Ken Spielman
Guerilla Toss returned to New York last night for a hometown show at Brooklyn Bowl and earned a warm reception from fans and collaborators alike. For the latest tour stop celebrating their sixth studio album, You’re Weird Now, the avant-garde psych-punk ensemble tore through the project’s full tracklist, then closed with a surprise sit-in from Trey Anastasio.
Guerilla Toss took the stage on Thursday night with the propulsive, angular intro “Krystal Ball,” then dove into the deep end of their latest project’s brain-melting, pupil-dilating, big-dumb-grin-inducing trip. Highlights within the sequence included “Life’s a Zoo,” which stacks thrashing drums and frantic vocals over a jailbroken chiptune foundation; “CEO of Personal & Pleasure,” a reeling hybrid of chaotic post-rock and an ‘80s news intro; and the retro synth and heavy emo-esque chords of “When Dogs Bark.”
The band welcomed Anastasio to the stage for this latter track, and the Phish frontman transformed the track into a heavy-psych haze. After 10 minutes of strung-out guitar improvisation, Guerilla Toss vocalist Kassie Carlson erupted into the first verse of “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” seamlessly steering the band into a spin on The Velvet Underground and Nico’s 1967 classic. Visibly beaming after the song’s last notes, Anastasio led the ensemble into a set-closing rendition of ”Red Flag to Angry Bull,” a shimmering, sauntering anthem that took some very Phish-y twists and turns.
Anastasio’s connection with Guerilla Toss was solidified when the Phish frontman provided his Vermont recording facility, The Barn, for the You’re Weird Now recording sessions. The album was produced by Stephen Malkmus and engineered by longtime Phish and Pavement collaborators Ben Collette and Bryce Goggins, with mixing from fellow psych-punk pathbreaker Jorge Elbrecht. Anastasio’s vocals and shredding also appear on the studio version of “Red Flag to Angry Bull.”
For tickets and more information on Guerilla Toss’ ongoing tour, visit guerillatoss.com. Watch Anastasio’s sit-in in the fan-recorded videos below.
