Krill’s Last Show @ Shea Stadium (pics, review)

Vocalist/Bassist Jonah Furman, along with guitarist Aaron Ratoff and drummer Ian Becker, were known as Krill. A band whose journey as a trio began back in 2010 with original drummer Luke Pyenson (who was in attendance that night) saw the band touring with Speedy Ortiz, Ava Luna, and Frankie Cosmos before the announcement of their split over Facebook. Announced as “Krill and Friends” the opening acts for the show were kept secret until the day of the show.

Opening the show was the bombastic and experimental New York act Guerilla Toss. Lead by vocalist Kassie Carlson whose deadpan, filtered vocals evoke a Kim Gordon or Kathleen Hanna-esque presence that complement her commanding stage presence. Creating more avant-garde electronica compositions and backed by projections of distorted VHS tapes made for a bit of a disorienting experience. Krill considers them an influence as their track “Torturer” was noted by Furman as “us trying to rip off Guerilla Toss.”

Following them was Ava Luna whose larger setup complemented their more grandiose compositions. With three vocalists, the rich harmonies created smoother moments and dynamic sensibilities made for orchestral climaxes. However, the band’s propensity for the avant-garde brought along some Talking Heads-esque songs with primary vocalist/guitarist Ethan Bassford channeling early David Byrne. Where the other two singers, Felicia Douglass and Rebecca Kaufmann get their chance to shine allowed for the band to show their full range as an ensemble. Even with the Mets game being projected near the bar, Kaufmann read off the screen during one of their more unorthodox tracks. Having previously toured with Krill, Furman came on stage in an Ava Luna shirt, before trying to put on more layers to try and break routine from his usual stage outfit.

Finally, Krill took the stage launching into “Oppressor” off of their second record, but their first with Ian Becker on drums. The bittersweet sentiment in the crowd was only exacerbated by Furman’s self-deprecating stage banter with lines like “Every song we’ve written was about ending the band so now it’s finally meta!” or “I’ve never broken up Krill before so I’m not sure how to do this”, but on-stage the band composed themselves as if they were still a young, fledgling band. Foregoing setlists for letting the flow of the evening dictate the songs through the trio going back and forth on what track to do next. Primarily playing material off their third and final album “A Distant Fist Unclenching”, the band ripped through tracks like “Tiger”, “Phantom”, and especially the (albeit more sped up) “Torturer.” “Krill, Krill, Krill until this Friday” sang vocalist/bassist Jonah Furman, sardonically on the refrain of “Krill Forever” during the closing track “Theme From Krill.” The band would open with this track at their final show at Silent Barn with Frankie Cosmos and Big Ups. While their choice of opening acts were primarily local bands, the trio invited Massachusetts quartet Speedy Ortiz to play this show, but due to Speedy’s intense touring schedule, the band had already been launched into a U.K. tour by the time the of the show.

Guerilla Toss