QUESTIONS NOBODY HAS EVER ASKED ME ABOUT GUSTER
Who is Guster?
GUSTER IS....
an acoustic "rock-and-roll"
band from Boston, Massachusetts (Somerville, to be exact, or as the locals
refer to it, Slummerville. But it's gotten nicer recently, so go visit
Guster!) Anyways, they're a bunch of swell guys and they're always fun
to watch on stage. Their lyrics are reminiscent of Live without the pretentiousness,
and their music is kind of Rusted Root-ish. For a really long time they
were releasing albums with the independent label Aware/Low Crawl, who distributed
their stuff. Now they are big ol' rock stars on a nationwide label and
probably know Madonna.
Adam Gardner-- guitar, vocals
Adam is a swell guy, though
he probably wishes I'd stop stalking the band. He's the one with the lower
voice and plays a mean gee-tar. His God-like features have pinned him with
the label, "the cute one" by people other than myself. He got himself educated
at Tufts, with the other Guster kids.
Ryan Miller-- also guitar, also vocals
Ryan is Guster's chief lyricist,
and also a swell guy. He's the higher of the two voices, and has been designated
"the funny one". He went to Tufts, with the other Guster kids. Currently,
he has a big fuzzy mane of hair.
Brian Rosenworcel-- bongos, percussion, self-abuse
Brian's name rhymes with
Ryan, and plays pretty much everything that counts as percussion, usually
with his hands which are dripping with blood and sweat by the end of each
performance. He tapes his hands up before he plays, and thank God for that,
or else his hands would probably fall off and that would be bad because
then he couldn't play the bongos. This dedication to his craft, and his
penchant for being very intense on stage has earned him the nickname "the
insane one". Tufts is, also, his alma mater.
Why did they change their
name?
According to the band, it
was because there were about 350 other bands named Gus. One gets the feeling
that they are really tired of being asked this question. I was lucky enough
to see what I believe to be their first show as "Guster", at Wellesley
College in the summer of 1995. So there.
What bands has Guster opened
for/toured with?
They opened for Barenaked
Ladies in Boston on August 26, which was a turning point in the life of
a young band because the guy who signed Barenaked Ladies (and who later
signed them) happened to be in attendance.
They also played with George
Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars in Philadelphia.
At various points on the
upcoming tour, they are opening for Leftover Salmon, Government Mule, and
Ekoostic Hookah. Oh, and (cough cough) ZIGGY MARLEY...
So, there's Guster music
in "Hurricaine Streets?"
Erm...sort of. "Great Escape"
found its way onto the soundtrack but was cut from the film. The movie's
been getting fairly good reviews, but I haven't seen it. If I did, I'd
probably just wind up being disappointed that "Great Escape" wasn't in
it..
I smell sex and candy.
That's your problem, isn't
it?
Is it true that Guster has
now been signed to an actual "label"?
Yes. Sire Records has signed
them. Apart from allowing them to act like high-fallutin' rock stars, this
allows for a brand new mix of "Goldfly" to be released in stores nationwide
on April 7th. According to the band, they've redone some vocals, remixed
some tracks, and added an xylophone to "Great Escape". Don't ask.
What Guster merchandise is
available?
Well, ya got your T-ShIRTS
($10), your long sleeved T-ShIRTS ($12), your CDs ($10), and your stickers
and posters, both of which are free with purchase, I think. Call them at
1-617-666-5510 between 11am-7pm on weekdays. Have your credit card and
soul waiting.
Does Guster have an announcement
list?
Ja. Write to [email protected].
You'll get all sorts of wonderful information that will render this page
useless! =)
IF anyone has any other questions about Guster, or whatever, please send them to [email protected].