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Guster

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Guster at a concert in Boston, Massachusetts in 2004 (Listen)

Guster is an Alternative, Rock, Pop band, originally formed in Boston, Massachusetts by members Ryan Miller (guitar/vocals), Adam Gardner (guitar/vocals), and Brian Rosenworcel (drums/percussion).

The band members met during freshman orientation at Tufts University in 1991. A year later, after writing a few songs in their dorm rooms, the band named themselves "Gus" and booked their first gig. The band independently recorded their first album in 1994, entitled Parachute, while still in college. Shortly after the release of Parachute another artist calling himself Gus signed a deal with a major record company, forcing the band to rename themselves "Guster." In 1996, the band independently recorded their second album, Goldfly, releasing it early the next year. In 1998 the band signed to Sire Records and re-released Goldfly. A year later, the band released the album Lost and Gone Forever, produced by Steve Lillywhite. With the backing of a major label, the band appeared on late night shows like David Letterman. The band also released their first video, a song from Lost and Gone Forever entitled "Fa Fa". The band released their fourth album, Keep It Together in 2003, with the first single, "Amsterdam", getting significant play on the radio. A live album, Guster on Ice, compiled from two shows at Portland, Maine in December, 2003, was released in 2004.

Guster is often characterized by their choice of instruments during their earlier years: two members playing acoustic guitars and one member playing drums and various percussion. Brian Rosenworcel, the band's percussionist (affectionately dubbed "The Thundergod" by fans), added to Guster's unique sound with a combination of bongos, cymbals, and other drums, playing live shows using only his bare hands. Gardner would sometimes play a downtuned guitar as a bass instrument. Guster's sound is also defined by their vocal harmonies, with both Miller and Gardner singing lead vocals on different songs; in the songs "What You Wish For" and "Happier" the two members sing different lyrics simultaneously. While Guster's studio albums included more instrumental variety (e.g. violin, bass, drum kit), their live shows generally retained this lineup until tours supporting their album "Lost and Gone Forever" in which the band diversified by playing different instruments on some songs (e.g. Miller playing bass, Rosenworcel on a drum kit). Following the release of "Keep It Together", Joe Pisapia joined the band as a full-time member, playing bass, guitar, keyboard, banjo, harmonica, and backup vocals.

Guster is unique in their intimate connection with fans. The band regularly updates studio and road journals (written primarily by Rosenworcel) on their website and can often be found after shows for autographs. For fans wishing to spread awareness of the band's existence, Guster maintains a Rep program that allows members to sell the band's albums and hang posters detailing upcoming concerts. The band managed to sell more than 10,000 copies of Parachute and Goldfly through these word-of-mouth methods alone. In return for their support, reps are sent "rep packages" with a shirt, rep-only LP's ("The Pasty Tapes"), a rep badge, and "tons of other crap" in Brian's own words.

Guster's song "I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today" was included in the 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers, starring Vince Vaughn. Ben Kweller contributed to the song's writing.

The next full length studio album from Guster, entitled Ganging Up on the Sun, is set to be released on June 20th, 2006. The single "Manifest Destiny/Sorority Tears" was released in November 2005 through the digital medium (iTunes, MySpace etc.). More information regarding the upcoming album (including a potential tracklist) can be found here.

Being released alongside Ganging Up on the Sun is a new documentary comedy series Joe's Place.

Side projects and other bands

  • The three members of Guster opened a number of shows as "The Peace Soldiers," three redneck-looking musicians. They never released any material commercially.
  • Now Guster entertains its live audiences with "Trippin Balls," a hippie-style band used to open a select number of shows.
  • Gardner recently teamed up with Dave Schnieder of the Zambonis to record a holiday album called Hanukkah Rocks under the moniker "The LeeVees." The album consisted of nine songs with Hanukkah themes, and it was released by Reprise Records in 2005 before starting a tour with Barenaked Ladies.
  • In the movie Life as a House, the dog is named Guster and two of the main characters are named Ryan and Adam in the movie. The songs, "What You Wish For" and "Rainy Day" are also featured in the movie.

Discography

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