Manor Ink March 2021

24 | MAR. 2021 | MANOR INK
FEATURES
‘I’m grateful every day
for the small success that
Guerilla Toss has had.’
Peter Negroponte
Drummer for Guerilla Toss
By Nadine Osborne | Manor Ink
The first ten seconds of Guerilla
Toss’s new single, “Human
Girl,” can only be described as a
sensory explosion. Synth tones,
rapid percussion and a smattering of
electric guitar riffs meld together into
an auditorily stunning experience that
grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.
At least, it grabbed mine. One click
after another, I found myself obsessively
listening to song after
song, including, but not limited
to, “Own Zone,” “Plants” and
“Magic Is Easy.” This unique and immersive
musical sensibility is reflected
throughout the band’s 12 albums, which
typically consist of no more than eight
songs and feature cover art that is psychedelic
in nature.
Their debut album, “Gay Disco,”
which was released in 2013, is quite
different from their most recent works,
with a rougher, more dissonant edge
and complex time signatures. It is loud,
bold and expressive. So loud, in fact,
that I had to lower the volume.
Their longest album, “Twisted Crystal,”
consists largely of gently distorted
ARTIST
PROFILE
Music inspired by dogs, ice cream, etc.
GT melds influences into immersive blend
vocals overlying strange electronic
noises. It is significantly calmer and
more palatable than “Gay Disco,” but
still quite strong rhythmically and occasionally
bold in its volume.
Each album has something new to
bring to the table, exploring a niche subgenre
of rock that isn’t easily described
with a simplistic term. Peter Negroponte,
the band’s drummer since its formation
in 2012, lives near Livingston Manor. He
describes Guerilla Toss as a psychedelicpunk-funk-noise-pop
band, an impressively
hyphenated term the likes of
which the music industry has never seen.
The band’s self-description isn’t the
only complex aspect of their brand.
GUERILLA TOSS
Selected discography | guerillatoss.com
CD releases
n Gay Disco, 2013
n Eraser Stargazer, 2016
n GT Ultra, 2017
n Twisted Crystal, 2018
n Live in Nashville, 2016
EP releases
n 367 Equalizer, 2014
n Smack the Brick, 2014
n Flood Dosed, 2015
n What Would the
Odd Do?, 2019
Each of their pieces is clearly the
product of an elaborate creative process
influenced by countless external factors.
As Negroponte puts it, “Our music is
inspired by a wide spectrum of musical
genres, movies, books, dogs, animals,
hiking, plants and ice cream flavors.”
For each four minute song, there is
a dedicated process to which every
band member contributes, with Kassie
Carlson providing lead vocals, Stephe
Cooper on bass, Sam Lisabeth on keyboards,
Arian Shafiee on guitar and, of
course, Negroponte himself on drums.
Unfortunately, this process often goes
unappreciated due to the way the music
industry functions nowadays. Instead of
HYPHENATED Guerilla Toss is,
from left, Kassie Carlson, Sam
Lisabeth, Stephe Cooper, Peter
Negroponte and Arian Shafiee.
Napping is Watley. Provided photo
paying for recorded music in the form
of a vinyl LP or a CD, listeners gravitate
toward streaming services, which Negroponte
describes as “a double edged
sword.”
The mass-distribution of music in a
compact, accessible format is obviously
a great technological advancement, but
it also greatly reduces artist remuneration
because their work is often freely
accessible to non-paying listeners. While
uploading music to YouTube or Spotify
promotes growth in popularity and,
consequently, improved name recognition
for musicians, there are also negative
consequences.
“The downside is that artists are paid
a fraction of a penny for every stream,”
Negroponte said.
There’s no shame in enjoying music
without the hassle of purchasing it, but
it’s important to remember the artists’
needs and offer them support if you
truly enjoy their work. Perhaps patronize
their official website by purchasing
merchandise or recommend them to a
friend. After all, Negroponte said, “I’m
grateful every day for the small success
that Guerilla Toss has had.” Why not
help promote that success?