Calling someone “weird” might sound like an insult, but for the members of Guerilla Toss, it’s something closer to a compliment.
The band’s latest album is called You’re Weird Now, a phrase vocalist Kassie Carlson says is less a jab than an affirmation.
“It’s like accepting that reality that you’re different,” she says.
The album leans fully into that idea. You’re Weird Now is playful, unpredictable and deliberately off-kilter. It was produced by Stephen Malkmus and recorded at Trey Anastasio‘s studio in Vermont.
Keyboardist Jake Lichter says the experience included some unexpected firsts, including bringing Malkmus to his first Phish show.
“I saw my first Phish show two years ago,” Lichter says. “There are things there that you couldn’t have guessed.”
Today, Carlson and Lichter join us to talk about making You’re Weird Now, working with Malkmus, and they explain what “punk lunch” is.
This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.