PETER NEGROPONTE supplies warped, high-energy grooves from behind the drum kit in one of Boston’s most compelling and challenging groups, GUERILLA TOSS. He recently and graciously answered a few questions for us amidst preparations for what is sure to be a killer tour for Gtoss through the latter half of this month, discussing some of the group’s new material as well as their strong ties to the local music scene.
Come help them kick off their tour with a proper hometown barn-burner TONIGHT at Cuisine En Locale for Boston Hassle’s very own Scorched Ear, featuring 10 other truly gnarly acts from the Boston area and beyond!
BOSTON HASSLE: Your live show is insane and has obviously helped you gain a solid following in DIY communities throughout the country, judging by the success of Gay Disco and your recent tours. How would you describe the group’s approach to the live music context? Does it differ in any significant way from the way you approach the studio context?
PETER NEGROPONTE: I like to have fun in the studio – overdubs, re-arrangements, various filters, effects, tricks, magic, black magic, etc. When we play live, we just go for it. The fine intricacies of the studio recordings aren’t always represented in a live context, but I hope that the energy makes up for that.
BH: Speaking of the fantastic release that was Gay Disco, how did you end up with NNA Tapes for that record? They’ve been putting out a pretty wide range of strange and masterful weirdness from all around New England lately, so it is certainly a good fit.
PN: I’ve known Toby and Matt for years now. They are great dudes, great friends, and run one of the finest labels in the land. It was an honor and a pleasure to work with them on Gay Disco. In fact – I’m meeting with Toby this afternoon to brainstorm how I myself might work hand-in-hand with NNA… details are TBD, but we’ve been brainstorming and I’m very excited. There’s a good chance NNA will relocate to Boston, but I don’t want to speak too soon.
BH: Considering both the group’s tenure in the Boston music scene and your more recent experiences on tour, what do you think the Boston underground music community brings to the table that is unique? And what could be improved? Less zombie facebook cops destroying the vibes and venues?
PN: Boston is still very “underground” – It’s rare to see Boston bands get national coverage on popular websites, media outlets, etc. And this is both good and bad. Don’t get me wrong, most of that shit sucks, but unfortunately kids really do follow these websites. In fact, New England as a whole has been kept off the radar for a while now. It blows my mind to be hanging with a bunch of freaks in NYC who have never heard of Fat Worm of Error or Chris Weisman or even NNA. I suppose Lightning Bolt was able to “cross over” to a more mainstream audience, but other than that, people outside of New England don’t give shit about what’s going on here (maybe that’s starting to change but I’m not sure). The upside to this is that Boston/New England bands feel very real, genuine, and honest because they seem to truly not give a shit. The bands I adore are really going for its fucking FUN… they’re not doing it for the hype. Does that make any sense? And yes, this city fucking rules when the “DIY” spots are up and running. Most places don’t have long lasting show houses like the Whitehaus for instance. It’s a special thing. I could go on and on about what makes Boston and New England so damn rad but that’s enough for now.
BH: Do you have any favorite places to play outside of Boston?
PN: Chicago feels most like home outside of Boston. We’ve never had a bad show there and kids seem to really give a shit. The underground scene is fucking great there. It’s really a wonderful place. NYC is great too – people can talk all the shit they want about how it’s a hipster wasteland and it’s exclusive or whatever but the truth is that if your band is “good” (whatever the fuck that means) you can play some pretty sick shows in NYC. There are certainly some cornball bands that get a lot of media love and thus become the unfortunate face of NYC independent music or whatever, but underneath that shit there are some amazing bands like The Dreebs, Cloud Becomes Your Hand, PC Worship, just to name a few off the top of my head.
BH: Who are you looking forward to playing with on the group’s upcoming tour?
PN: Horse Lords. We are doing a handful of dates with them and fuck I’m so stoked. They are totally killing it right now.
BH: Gtoss recently dropped a new song, “367 Equalizer,” for Infinity Cat Recordings’ bi-monthly cassette series. How would you say this track compares to Gay Disco and the rest of the group’s material?
PN: Ah shit, I’m loosing focus… I could suck my own dick for hours and talk about my band and its direction and blah blah blah but I’ll keep it simple. Less is more with the new shit. “Songs” are cool again … more standard “forms”, rhythms and grooves, but the lack of traditional harmony and melody is still a focus. That’s important to what Gtoss does. I want to make fucked up dance music and I suppose that’s what we are doing and will continue to do.
Come get weird with Peter and the rest of Guerilla Toss for Scorched Ear TONIGHT, presented by Boston Hassle!
Guerilla Toss – “Drip Decay” Live Video from stereogum on Vimeo.
