Interview: Guster

Since 1991, Boston alternative band Guster have been rocking the globe with their often humorous live shows and close relationship with their fans. Following the release of last October's Easy Wonderful (Universal Republic), the band will release their new EP entitled On The Ocean this Tuesday and start their tour with Jack's Mannequin this week. Drummer Brian Rosenworchel discusses the new EP, tour and Guster's bond with fans.

1) What was the reason behind releasing the On The Ocean EP?  

They didn't exactly fit on Easy Wonderful, but two of our coolest recordings from those sessions will finally get released this way. I think there's still a few more that we're sitting on. It's hard to sit on things you're proud of, and kind of counter-intuitive these days, when it takes three seconds to put something online.


2) The band is releasing the EP on its own label, Ocho Mule. Will there be more releases on the label in the near future?

There might be.  We'll see how this goes.  In some ways, as major labels sink and the industry reinvents itself, it feels good to have an option for releasing stuff on your own.  And in other ways, it's like, well why the hell would you start a *record label* now!? It's like starting a print newspaper. Don't do it in 2011.


3) Guster have also kept a close relationship with their fans via road/studio updates on their site. How important is it for a band to maintain a strong bond with fans?

Well, it doesn't have to be important -- I never knew personal details about the artists I loved when I was growing up, and it kept them mysterious and idol-like to me -- but for a band like ours that started in a dorm room and grew up alongside the internet, we like breaking down the fourth wall. We like talking about the pickles at Chik-fil-a. We feel connected to our fans and so the road journal the the twitter and everything else helps our relationship stay strong.


4) What is Guster most looking forward to about the tour with Jack's Mannequin?

That dude Andrew just seems like a real nice fella. Maybe we'll play poker or something.


5) What music are you currently listening to right now?

I'm always listening to a little new and a little old -- check out this record by The Poison Tree that just came out, it's new but sounds old. The last Deerhunter record never left my queue either, and now that they're defunct, I've gotten really into LCD Soundsystem. Also, Bob Dylan is really good.


6) What advice would you give bands that want to tour for long periods of time?

Everything's changed since we started out. We spent our summers in the 90s building a mailing list while busking in front of a guitar case in Harvard Square. We sent people postcards and actual, physical newsletters for years.  Now you can be successful via the internet nearly overnight, but I'm grateful for those years that we built it up organically. If you have 4 years to drive around the country in circles in a van, do that.


7) What's next for Guster after the Jack's Mannequin tour?

We're brewing something real special for November. An acoustic tour, with strings, and possibly a funny celebrity. Stay tuned.

Catch Guster on tour with Jack's Mannequin at Central Park's Summerstage (August 8th), Stone Pony (August 9th) and Festival Pier at Penns Landing (August 11th). While the Central Park show is sold out, tickets for the Stone Pony and Festival Pier shows are still available via Ticketmaster.