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Archive for the ‘Guerrilla Toss’ Category

Built to Spill (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, June 3, 2026)

Posted in Built to Spill, Guerrilla Toss, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 3, 2026] Built to Spill

Built to Spill is a fascinating band.  I’ve seen them seven times.  They change their setlist nightly which is awesome, and even some of the bigger “hits” don’t get played every show.  They didn’t play Carry the Zero the last time I saw them and there’s no song that they’ve played at every show (I Would Hut a Fly is pretty close).

So they are an indie rock band who tour a lot but who don’t put out a ton of new music.  And yet their fan base is devoted (and pretty obnoxious).  The age range is pretty broad, but there are a mix of twenty-somethings scattered in there who are awful–drunken bros and chatty girls.  The girls next to me couldn’t stop talking and taking pictures of each other and the bros at the bar were audible during the quiter moments–one of them even said something about the bass player which was borderline salacious.

This is the third time I’ve seen the band with this lineup: Melanie Radford on bass and Teresa Esguerra on drums.  It’s the most times I’ve seen them with the same players.  And they have really been gelling.  Onec of the most fun parts of the shows is when Dug does a lengthy improvised solo and Melanie steps back and looks over at Teresa and they smile and get into a tight groove.  It’s great!

Teresa plays in Prism Bitch who opened for BtS back in 2019 and Melanie Radford plays in Blood Lemon who opened for BTS in 2022.  As a trio, they are fantastic.  A friend of mine says he misses the larger band, and yea, it is cool when there are two guitars playing off each other, but this format give Dug a lot of space to play around.

Every setlist is different, even from show to show.  I’m intrigued, though, that they never play songs from Ancient Melodies of the Future (I’ve only seen them play one song from that record).  But as for the other albums, he mixes it up.  And tonight’s show started with Some Other Song and Spiderweb.  The crowd was really loud after his solos–I’m fascinated that there’s so many people who enjoy jammy guitar solos.

I was psyched to hear The Plan, a personal favorite.  It was followed by The Wait which I haven’t seen them play since 2019.

By this time I was getting really annoyed by the girls near me.  They were talking so much.  And I wanted to let it not bother me but they were so annoying.  But they were also apparently really into the show.  They were excited by Center of the Universe, but I have to wonder what songs they really like.

They started Tomorrow, a song I had not heard them play before and a guy at the far left of the crowd shouted They’re Playing My Song!  And he bounced his way to the middle right in front of me, obnoxiously singing and facing everyone until he pushed his way to the barrier ans shouted along. Security came a few moments later and the loud girls next to me started shouting No No, He didn’t…  whatever.  At that point I had to leave the area because I hated everyone.  I was glad my wife hadn’t come because the crowd was awful. (more…)

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Guerilla Toss (Asbury Lanes, June 3, 2026) [BUILT TO SPILL]

Posted in Built to Spill, Guerrilla Toss, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 3, 2026] Guerilla Toss

Back in December, Built to Spill and Guerilla Toss played a show at Union Transfer.  I was really excited to go, but it was right after my surgery so I couldn’t make it.  I was especially bummed because I have wanted to see Guerilla Toss for a while.

So it’s awesome that they continued the tour together this summer.

I had heard a lot about Guerilla Toss’ live show and how wild it was.  Reviews I’ve read suggest that back in 2014, Guerilla Toss was a wild band with nudity and short sets.  They have now become far more traditional, but they are still plenty weird.  It’ sjut that now there are catchy, danceable moments within the noise.

So, this show wasn’t particularly wild, but the songs were great and weird and singer Kassie Carlson is a wonderful presence onstage (with great vocal dynamics).  She has a diverse delivery style, sounding at times like the B52s, but also making some fascinating squeaky sounds.

Their bassist Zach Lewelleyn has some fantastic bass lines in the songs.  He’s also either really tall or playing a fairly small bass guitar.  Guitarist Arian Shafiee (who founded the band) plays equally weird riffs and chords.

I couldn’t really see Peter Negroponte (another co-founder) on drums, but he did sing backing vocals a lot. (more…)

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Built to Spill / Guerilla Toss (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 18, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Built to Spill, Guerrilla Toss, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on December 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 18, 2025] Built to Spill / Guerilla Toss

I love Built to Spill.  I’ve seen them half a dozen times and they’re always fun.  Doug Martsch doesn’t really do anything in stage, except shred like a maniac, but somehow the shows are always fun. For the longest time I had seen Modest Mouse and Built to Spill the same number of times.  But the last two Built to Spill shows I’ve had to miss for one reason or another.   I was hoping to get BTS to catch up, but it didn’t happen.  Hope the come back next year.

I had missed Guerilla Toss back in October when they did their headline show.  So I was excited that they were opening on this Built to Spill tour.  Although I missed a bunch of shows because of the surgery, this was the only one I was really bummed about.

 

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Guerilla Toss / Godcaster / Special World (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 17, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Godcaster, Guerrilla Toss, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Special World, Speedy Ortiz on October 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 17, 2025] Guerilla Toss / Godcaster / Special World

I’ve been interested in Guerilla Toss for a few years now.  They seem to play a lot in the area, but something always comes up.

They opened for Karina Rykman but I had tickets to a different show that night and later this year they’ll open for Built to Spill but I have surgery scheduled(really bummed about missing that double bill).

I don’t even really know all that much about their music. It’s weird and sounds like if The B52s (without Fred Schneider since the singer of GT is a woman) were more of an underground indie band (so, yes, if The B52s were WEIRDER).  I’ve heard that their live show was a lot of fun–althouhg apparenty it used to be a lot more crazy since they have all matured.  But as one person said it, “Guerilla Toss is a chance for experimental, fans-of-the-fringe, noise heads to fuck with mainstream indie-pop, and for mainstream indie-pop heads to fuck with the noise.”

Sounds perfect.  I was all set to go, but we had a family situation and I stayed home.

I feel like I’ve heard people talk about Godcaster, or I just like the name.  Their recording for Audiotree says

Godcaster is an experimental heavy rock band founded by Judson Kolk and Bruce Ebersole who became close friends in Elementary School. The project is known for their ecstatic live shows and serendipitous, incendiary sound.

Listening to the Audiotree set, they are definitely out there.  I’m guessing “experimental” is the new buzzword for hard to describe.  Because they have a very Frank Zappa weirdo vibe.  With lots of complicated melodies and a singer who seems to just sing the weird melodies–there’s even a flute.

Wow, I really want to see them now.

Special World is Andy Molholt, a Philly based experimental musician and guitarist for Speedy Ortiz.   I knew he made cool sounds with Speedy, but this is some pretty trippy bedroom experimentation.  Voices are blurred, sounds echo.  There’s a melody, but it’s bathed in oddity.  Probably a fun war up for the weirdness to follow

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Karina Rykman / Guerrilla Toss (The Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ, September 21, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Guerrilla Toss, Karina Rykman, Wonder Bar on September 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 21, 2023] Karina Rykman / Guerrilla Toss

I’ve only been to The Wonder Bar once and I really liked it.  Strange how in all these years since there haven’t been any bands I’ve wanted to see there (not exactly true, but the few I’ve wanted to always conflicted).  Then Karina Rykman announced a surprise show there.

My wife and I saw her open for Guster and she was great live.  I’ve since listened to a bunch of her live shows online and she’s a great performer.

When I saw that this tour promised that Guerrilla Toss was opening, I needed to go.  So, even though I had a ticket to see Boris, a band I never want to miss when they come here (especially since they almost called it quits recently), I grabbed a cheap ticket to Karina just in case it sold out.

Then Melvins drummer, Dale Crover injured himself and was going to miss the tour.  I actually wondered if it might get postponed.  But no.  But Karina announced a show in Philly at Milkboy an I grabbed a ticket for that.  It doesn’t look like Guerrilla Toss is going to play that show which is a bummer.  But Karina is worth schlepping into center city Philly in December.

I don’t exactly remember what first attracted me to Guerrilla Toss.  I had heard very good things about them, although I don’t remember what.  I also don’t think I heard about them before 2014 when they were apparently really crazy as this clip from Impose notes:

What I loved about that band in 2014 is not what I love about them now. As long time fans of Toss know, the band is much different now. They’ve ditched the nudity, the three-song sets, the mindless and sometimes violent thrashing. Guerilla Toss brought this hurricane of inescapable absurdity and frantic release; there was always a feeling of, “I need to get this out of me, whatever it is, right fuckin’ now.” On the last three releases, they’ve synthesized the pop even further into a truly danceable and quite accessible experience, one that retains the absurdity and the anxiety that Toss fans have always really appreciated. The reason I love Guerilla Toss now is because not only can I continue to move to their music, but it’s entered a space that ultimately does not push out those who might be afraid to mix with the obscure, the scary, the sometimes absurdly violent environments that the old Guerilla Toss would bring with them everywhere they go. And yet they haven’t fully ditched that angle either. Guerilla Toss, the way I see it anyways, is a chance for experimental, fans-of-the-fringe, noise heads to fuck with mainstream indie-pop, and for mainstream indie-pop heads to fuck with the noise.

I have to say when I listened to them recently I thought they sounded really safe, so maybe they have matured really really far in ten years.  I wonder if their shows are still fun.  And I suppose there’s still a chance they’ll play in Philly.

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