Cheap Music Albums

How’d you like to get classic Guster albums (and many others) for a great price? I was skeptical about this at first, but eight months ago, I found a great deal that allowed me to do just that.

Yourmusic.com is a music club similar to BMG that has some Guster classics among their offerings, including Lost and Gone Forever and Keep it Together. You can get each one for $6.99, with free shipping. Other multi-disc albums, like Guster on Ice: Live from Portland, Maine are a good deal at $13.98 each. That’s cheaper than downloading them on iTunes! Plus, then you can rip them at higher bit rates AND have a tangible CD copy of your music.

Now, before you completely dismiss this, let me describe. There are so many things that kept me from joining other music clubs, and I found none of them on yourmusic.com

1. Most music clubs require that you buy a certain number of albums. Yourmusic.com does not. You can sign up, get one album, and then cancel online immediately afterward. With yourmusic.com, there is no minimum to buy.



2. Most music clubs send you stuff you don’t want—CDs you didn’t ask for, cards to fill out and return, etc. Yourmusic doesn’t do any of that stuff. All you have to do is choose what album you want from their large catalog and they’ll send it to you. It’s a monthly subscription, but you can cancel as soon as there’s nothing else you want (which will probably take a while).
   
   If you don’t believe in the whole ongoing subscription thing, they even have gift subscriptions you can sign up for or send to someone else. That way, you know you won’t be locked in for more than just the term you sign up for.



3. Most other clubs don’t have good music, or they don’t have new music. YourMusic.com has both. I paid full price for Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open the day it came out, then saw it on YourMusic.com for about half the price just a couple of weeks later. I’m sure Guster isn’t the only band you ever listen to, either. They have stuff from some of my other favorite musicians, like The Killers, Barenaked Ladies, U2, Coldplay, John Mayer, The Fray, Beyoncé, Lifehouse, Dave Matthews Band, Carrie Underwood, Yellowcard and tons of others.

If you’re not sure, just go to yourmusic.com, check it out, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. As a Guster fan, what do you have to lose? I’ve been a member of the club for a while, and I’ve been completely satisfied with my experience. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, too.

Satellite Music Video

Hey,
Sorry it's been a while since the last post...my Christmas has been just as busy as everyone else's, if not more so. Enough excuses though...back to Guster.

If you haven't seen this yet, you're in for a treat Guster's new Satellite music video is finally finished. I watched it tonight, and was blown away by some of the really cool things Guster's done in stop-motion animation for this album. The One Man Wrecking Machine Music Video featuring a pillow tearing his world apart was awesome. The Satellite video isn't quite as cute and funny, but it makes up for its lack ov humor with a dramatic increase in style. Adam Bizanski, an Israeli indie filmmaker, put the piece together for the band just recently. He's done stuff for Zero 7 and Wolf Parade, too, all in this really cool cinematic style, playing with different stop motion techniques.

Satellite has really worn on me as a song. I find that the layering is quite amazing, the lyrics are fantastic, and the melody is quite catchy. This video seems to capture the essence of what this song is all about, too, with its slightly melancholy tone and satellite-like movement in sound. The hint of regret in the idea that "maybe you will always be a little out of reach" tugged at my heartstrings just a little bit. I've known some girls like that.

Anyway, check out the new video. It's amazing. It has cutouts of the band. It SPINS! I've stuck a YouTube connection below for your convenience. Please comment--let everyone out there know what you think of thi latest music video effort. Enjoy!

Scooter for a Day Contest Results

New news from the Guster road journal at guster.com

It's been a pretty tight competition on You Tube to become Scooter for a day. Scooter now signs just as many autographs as Ryan, and he's adored by people of all ages all over the country. Amazing what happens when people have a chance to become you for a day while on a cruise with Guster. I was quite impressed by the quality of a couple of these videos.

I have to congratulate Denise Cook, who posted a comment on my blog's initial "Scooter for a Day" post to show us her video entry. I was impressed with the effort--I'm glad to see she won at least some backstage passes and show tickets. I'm happy for her and jealous at the same time. Too bad it wasn't the big prize. She deserved it with all of those cardboard signs. Here's a direct quote from Guster.com's announcement:

After a couple months of watching homemade videos ooze their way onto the internet, we can finally declare a winner for the "Scooter For A Day" contest we held on YouTube. In a nutshell, the winner gets an all-expense paid trip for two on our January cruise to Turks & Caicos with Barenaked Ladies under the guise of taking over for Scooter as drum tech for a day.

I want you to know that the decision was not easy, and that we didn't take it lightly. We watched every single video. We laughed, we cried, and we were forced to listen to songs that we wrote 15 years ago. For instance, Joe asked me "what's that one old song I heard that had a great riff and a cool verse and then suddenly took a terrible emo turn at the chorus?" That song is "Love For Me," Joe -- and you're right. It was sounding great until everything fell apart at the chorus.

I need to stay on track. We took the decision seriously, even calling in legends from the past like "Pasty" to weigh in. And it was a close vote. So we're adding some runner-up prizes into the mix.

The 1st place winner will go on the cruise with a friend. In the event that the 1st place winner cannot fulfill his/her duties as Scooter for a day, the runner-up will be expected to step in, just like when Vanessa Williams posed for Playboy and relinquished her Miss America crown to someone else.

So here are the top 8, in reverse order. Everyone below will get free tickets and backstage passes to a show of their choice this spring. Thanks for all the effort, everyone. How about a round of applause for all our contestants!!

8th Place: Rena
7th Place: Alf
6th Place: Top Down 5
5th Place: Jane
4th Place: Bunnie
3rd Place: Andrew Deaver
2nd Place: Denise Cook
1st Place: Jeremy P.

Congratulations to all you winners in the Scooter for a Day Contest!

Ganging Up on the Sun Review

I thought this blog post on the Mule News was quite interesting. It's good to hear that Guster gets some justly deserved attention from the critics for Ganging Up on the Sun. It really says something when a music critic chooses to put Guster in his CD on his own time--he hears it all.

Anyway, check it out, Gusterkids.

Guster Concert Photos

I found a pretty good set of band photos taken at a Guster concert you might want to check out. I've attached an example to this blog for your consideration. The photos are at Cynical Wordsmith, another blog out there in the blogosphere. Aren't you glad I sift through all the junk for you? This is a pretty good set of shots. Who knows, maybe one of them will decorate your desktop, or become a fitting compliment to your Guster-devoted décor.

Reverb, Adam Gardner, and Guster

Have you ever wondered what your favorite rock group does for the environment? Most don't do much at all, but Adam Gardner, his wife, and Guster are doing a lot to help out the environment--even though their tours use a lot of resources.

Reverb is a non-profit organization that helps bands to get involved in environmental causes, especially when they are on tour. They help bands to encourage recycling, counteract their fuel emissions by planting trees, and use renewable energy as a power source for concerts and venues--all in an effort to keep their tours clean.

Guster isn't the only band that participate with Reverb. Others involved in the cause are the Barenaked Ladies (participating in the Ships and Dip cruise show with Guster this month), Jack Johnson, Avril Lavigne, the Dave Matthews Band, Bonnie Raitt, and others.

Visit the Reverb site to find out how you can help your band be more economically sound, or how you can donate to such a worthy cause. Find out who's participating, and support artists that value our environment.

Guster's Backstage Food Demands

Ever wonder what Guster asks be available for their refreshment backstage? Evian water just won't do! We've all seen on TV the rockers requesting the oddest of things be available backstage in their contracts, but I'd never actually seen one of those lists, or imagined that people actually made special requests like this that actually got honored. These requests, called "contract riders," can include some pretty crazy stuff.

I feel bad blogging about something from the same source twice, especially in such quick succession, but I really had to share this article from the Signal with you, as it gave some really cool insights on what the band is really like. This is unique, interesting information that's usually not available to the public because of different confidentiality agreements, making this article a rare opportunity to learn about your favorite band.

Among my favorite of Guster's requests: fresh, healthy meals prepared by a chef (pizza and takeout don't count), a DVD movie (preferably an "indie film" or a "cult classic"), and a package of black athletic socks. Don't ask why...I don't know. Take a look at the lists, and you might be a bit surprised. It seems Ryan, Brian, and the guys might be a little bit on the finicky side about certain little things. Only has to make you like them just a little bit more--unless you're trying to fill those pesky little demands.

Guster is Non-Mainstream AND Good!

I had to laugh at this editorial that appeared today in the Chicago Maroon, the University of Chicago's student newspaper.

The author brings up some great points about people who like non-mainstream bands, most of them sounding almost exactly the same. Have you ever heard someone tell you, "I really like insert obscure band name here's music. You've probably never heard them, because they're not on the radio, but their songs just SPEAK to me. Blah, Blah Blah. "? I have a few times. What kind of joy do people get out of the fact that their bands are obscure? Most obscure bands are obscure for a reason: they're just NOT THAT GOOD!

I liked how this article used Guster as an example of an obscure band that actually has a good, unique, enjoyable sound. Certainly nothing else out there really compares, especially to some of the new ground the band has broken with Ganging Up on the Sun. I really don't think the band deserves its obscurity. I'm sure Guster would like to become a little more mainstream, earn a little bit more money, and sell out shows across the country. They certainly have the talent to do it, but I doubt they'll ever have the following of U2. Unfortunately, some things look like they'll never change.

It's a rare occasion, but I always smile when I hear Satellite or One Man Wrecking Machine on the radio. Maybe it's a good thing that the songs aren't killed by too much radio play, but I would like to hear a bit more Guster on my radio stations. What do you think about Guster's status as an obscure band? Please comment and let us all know.

Guster Satellite Lyrics

Guster
Satellite

Shining like a work of art
Hanging on a wall of stars
Are you what I think you are?

You’re my satellite
You’re riding with me tonight
Passenger side, lighting the sky
Always the first star that I find
You’re my satellite

Elevator to the moon
Whistling our favorite tune
Trying to get a closer view

You’re my satellite
You’re riding with me tonight
Passenger side, lighting the sky
Always the first star that I find
You’re my satellite

Maybe you will always be
Just a little out of reach

You’re my satellite
You’re riding with me tonight
Passenger side, lighting the sky
Always the first start that I find
You’re my satellite
You’re my satellite

Notes:
Satellite is one of my favorite new Guster tunes, one that's seen a lot of time on my iPod recently. It's got the perfect melody, beat, and layering of sound to really pull in your attention and elicit some emotion. What a great song. Thanks to Off Base, On Target, a fun blog that posted these lyrics a little before me, for putting them up.

New Jersey Concert Wrap-Up

Hey all,

In case you're interested in the Guster show that happened in New Jersey a little over a week ago, there's a pretty good article, called The Luster of Guster that appeared in the University of New Jersey's school newspaper and just appeared online. There's a concert wrapup, some cool pictures, and a few other interesting remarks. Read what they have to say, and enjoy. Hopefully a Guster show is coming to your town, too, in the very near future. Not a bad article, either.

Guster Street Team

Do you like Guster music? Free Guster concert tickets? How about talking it up with your friends about Guster? Well, now's your chance to do all three, plus get a free download of the song Empire State in the process. I just joined the Guster Street Team, an informal group of fan promoters. As a member of the team, you post Guster posters to help the band advertise the shows (and I'm sure you can keep one for yourself), you can sell copies of the albums to your friends cheap, and you can receive free concert tickets in return for your services. I'm really excited about that one. They're probably pretty good seats, too, since you're getting them from the band.

I think the team is a great email list to sign up for--who knows, maybe something really cool will come of it for me. At the very least, I got the opportunity to download Empire State. Already have the new album, so it's nothing too exciting for me, but who knows...maybe one of you would like a free mp3. It's time for you to make a purchase, though--Ganging Up on the Sun is a great album! Anyway, I thought I'd pass these comments along. Click to Join the Guster Street Team.

Guster Interview on Musical Style

I just found a great blog post--this interview on Bring Back Sincerity, with members of Guster, finds discusses the band's musical style, their roots as a small, college-frat type band with bongos (and sweet bongos, I might add) to their current position in the music market, where they're not exactly one of the "cool bands" but find themselves being passed around virally through their fans (like me and you!). Not bad ranks, though, hanging around the music scene with the likes of Dave Matthews and John Meyer. Give this blog post a read. It's a great interview with the band.

Free Guster Streams and Downloads

Did you know that there are literally hundreds of Guster recordings available for completely free streaming and download? It's 100% legal and 100% free. No credit card required, no nothing--just download and enjoy!

The way it works is this...
Guster is one of the few bands that actually allows people to record their live shows as long as the venue permits it. These live recordings are posted as open, public domain, free for everyone's listening pleasure on Guster's page at archive.org. You might expect lousy sound quality out of this (and rightfully so, in some cases), but many of these recordings are extremely good. Check out the page, and I think you'll be extremely pleasantly surprised.


I started streaming one concert and thought the audio quality was so good that I'd download a song or two. I now have a GREAT live recording of the Guster song Satellite live from the Austin City Limits Festival that I paid absolutely nothing for. The band is perfectly OK with it, too! I'm a huge fan of live recordings, especially Guster live recordings, so this made my day. Check out the site and see for yourself!

Ganging Up on the Sun Review

Hey folks,

I just found a great litte review of Guster's new CD from a fellow fan. I thought I'd point you the way to check it out. It's a nice litte community we belong to as Guster fans. Funny how that happens when your band unfairly receives very little radio air time. Check out BJ's music blog on MySpace to read.

Guster at Hill Auditorium, Michigan

Check out this article in the Michigan Daily, dealing with the band's show on Election Day (tonight!). The paper kept a very tongue-in-cheek approach to its interview with Ryan Miller. I got some great insights from the article, including:
1. Guster is not Rage Against the Machine, nor Barbara Streisand.
2. One of the most severe problems facing America today is overfishing.
3. The band lets others make political decisions for themselves. It's interesting how the political views of their fans are changing, though.
4. Guster understands that theis evolving sound may alienate some of their fans (have you listened to the difference between Parachutes and GUOTS?
5. It's more fun to get drunk with Bob Dole than Dan Quayle!

I thought this was a rather fun addition, even though there's no possible way I could make the show tonight. Good to see the band in papers.

Current listening selection on the iPod: Airport Song, Guster. (gotta love those ping pong balls)

C'mon Guster music video

So, I just checked out the new C'mon music video on YouTube. I gotta thank the folks at Music Ramen, another cool blog, for pointing it out for me. I'm still rather partial to the One Man Wrecking Machine video, and I've commented on it already, but this is a classic as well.

Who doesn't enjoy watching people on Segway scooters beat up those riding lesser-quality scooters? I mean, really--a gang of Segway thugs? C'mon! C'mon back! This is some pretty funny stuff. I wonder what kind of initiation rites you have to pass through for that gang...

Check out the video at YouTube by linking this post's title, and you'll know what I mean. Not bad on the timing, either--Music Ramen said it took Guster a mere 45 minutes to film the whole music video! Not a lot of retakes and studio production here.

Upcoming Guster Tour Dates

Is Guster coming soon to a theater (or other concert venue) near you? Here's a list of some upcoming shows!

Nov 3 2006 7:00A State Theatre, Minneapolis
Nov 4 2006 6:00P DePauw University, Greencastle
Nov 7 2006 7:00P University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Nov 8 2006 7:00P Lifestyle Communities Pavilion (PromoWest), Columbus
Nov 10 2006 7:00A The Eagles Club, Milwaukee
Nov 15 2006 6:30P Smith Opera House, Geneva
Nov 16 2006 7:00A Maine Center for the Arts, Orono
Dec 3 2006 6:30P Standford University - Memorial Auditorium, Stanford
Dec 5 2006 7:00P Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Dec 14 2006 8:00P Ogden Theatre, Denver, Colorado
Dec 16 2006 6:00P Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Jan 15 2007 12:00P Ships and Dip Cruise with BNL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Feb 16 2007 7:30P House of Blues - Orlando, Orlando, Delaware
Feb 17 2007 7:00P The Tabernacle, Atlanta, Georgia
Feb 20 2007 7:30p Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
Feb 21 2007 Champaign, IL
Feb 23 2007 Saint Louis, MO
Feb 24 2007 Indianapolis, IN
Feb 25 2007 Cleveland, OH
Feb 26 2007 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Feb 28 2007 Washington, DC
Mar 1 2007 Providence, RI
Mar 3 2007 Philadelphia, PA
Mar 31 2007 Crawfordsville, IN


To buy show tickets, visit:
Guster Ticketing: http://www.gustertickets.musictoday.com (password: guster) or
Guster on Ticketmaster: http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/781894/

Scooter for a Day Contest

Have you ever wanted to be Scooter? Guster has an exciting new contest on their website where you can play the role of "Scooter" (actually Andrew Laubacher), the band's drum technician, for a day--while on board a caribbean cruise! Make sure Brian's drums are working (I'm sure he'll test them for you), and faint in ecstasy as you enjoy being in the presence of the band, up close and personal. They'll probably even get to know your name! All you have to do is submit a video on YouTube.com that explains why you should become "Scooter for the day" and you and a guest could be onboard the "Ships and Dip" cruise in January, as well as appear ONSTAGE with Guster! If you thought it didn't get any better, Barenaked Ladies will be on the cruise as well! (No, not the naughty vixen kind, the Canadian rock kind). For all of the details, check out Guster.com. There's a link along the right side of the page with all of the official details. Make sure your video follows all the rules, or they may not even know it exists!

Guster at Vegoose--free Webcast

Yesterday, I mentioned in my post about the cancelled Salt Lake show that I wished I could get to Vegas. Well, I can't go that far, but I'm still going to see the show.

Thankfully for everyone who will not be in Vegas this weekend, Guster is making THE ENTIRE SET from Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas available online for a streaming broadcast! I'm so excited! The show starts at 6:10 pm PST (the switch to standard time is on Sunday morning, folks) and can be seen for free at www.blueroom.att.com. If you can't catch the broadcast, there will be an archive available after the show so you can still check out at least bits and pieces.

Check out the original Guster blog post on MySpace if I haven't answered all your questions already.

FREE SHOW! WAHOO!

Salt Lake Guster Show Cancelled (10/27)

I just discovered today that Guster's show this weekend in my neck of the woods (Salt Lake City) has been cancelled. Poor Adam--sick with pneumonia. Poor me--I can't see the band this weekend. If only I could get to Vegoose. The show would be sweet. Guster AND The Killers? They're both pretty high on my iPod playlists.

Lucky Guster fans in Orlando and Atlanta--at least there's some good news for you!

Quoted from guster.com's news section:

Good news and bad news, Gusterkids.

BAD NEWS: Tomorrow's show in Salt Lake City, UT is cancelled, as Adam Gardner is still recovering from a miserable three-week bout with pneumonia. Refunds will be given at the point of purchase.

GOOD NEWS: Those of you coming to the Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas NV this weekend will get a chance to see Adam sweat through three shirts in the course of a one hour set! What could be sexier than an emaciated, feverish man with a guitar having the schvitz of his life in the desert?

All kidding aside, we're upset to have to miss a show in Utah, which is consistently one of our favorite places to play, and we're all pulling for Adam's antibiotics to kick in soon. Fortunately tour dates are a part of a greater cycle of life, and the death of the Salt Lake City show falls on the same day that we can announce the birth of two new shows next year:

2/16/07 - Orlando, FL
House of Blues
Tickets $19... on sale 11/4

2/17/07 - Atlanta, GA
The Tabernacle
Tickets $20... on sale 11/11

This will kick off an exciting three weeks of rock concerts in places we've been avoiding, like St Louis, Cincinnati, and Providence. Stay tuned. For now, we're off to tour the world with a contagious man and his hot flashes.

So, like the release says...good and bad news. I'll go sob in a corner about the Salt Lake show later tonight.

One Man Wrecking Machine Video

Have you seen the new One Man Wrecking Machine video? It's amazing! If you haven't, take a few minutes out of your busy day and check it out. The video can be found on Guster.com and clicking Media, or by clicking on the link above. The video features a yellow pillow man wearing a tie who falls in love, gets high, tears apart his little plush world, then sews all the little bits back together with his giant sewing machine--which he then triumphantly rides into town. This is Guster originality at its finest. Who else would ever think to make a music video this cool and strange? I'd like to own that yellow pillow some day. He's pretty cool. I wish I could sew my world back together with a sewing machine.

This video fits so well with the lyrics of the song, and gives quite a bit of background to help interpret the song. I've been "inspired by true events on movie screens" here, or at least my computer screen. Check out this video and be prepared to be amazed.

Guster Podcast with Jeff Garlin

So, I've been listening to all the exciting (and not so exciting) news about Guster recently, and I discovered the Podcast available through iTunes featuring Guster with Jeff Garlin. This podcast has potential to be hilarious, but in the first episode is a little less than thrilling. Here's what happened, in case you missed it (it's still available for download through iTunes):

Ryan and Brian chat with Jeff about various subjects, while listening to music from Ryan's PowerBook computer. They play some pretty fine "elevator" music selections from Philistines Jr., a group headed by friends of Guster. There's not overlap between Guster and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Garlin's film, except for the fact that Ben Vareen was involved in producing work for both.

Some background information on the get-together: Jeff was at a Guster show in Central Park, when the band's tour manager, Rufus, spoke with Jeff and invited him backstage. The group was quite excited to meet him, and the feeling was mutual. In fact, Jeff really enjoys the band (he was at the show after all). He even used the song Ramona in his movie I Want Somebody to Eat Cheese With, in case you've ever heard of that. Doesn't everybody want a cheese-eating companion? I know I do, and I'm sure Wallace of Wallace and Gromit fame would like the same.

Finally the three discussed how some comedy stands the test of time...Sorry Chevy Chase. Fletch, you will be forgotten. Things are looking up for Woody Allen, though. Apparently he will be around for a long time.

That's it for this edition of the podcast...feel free to comment if I've missed something important.

Guster Love

So, I've been a Guster fan for quite some time now, since the first time I heard Fa Fa on the radio. That love was reinforced when I caught Guster as the opening act for a Barenaked Ladies concert in 2000. It's been six years, and my excitement has grown. I've collected their music, and I had to get Ganging Up on the Sun the day it was released. I've started this blog to become the ultimate source for Guster news besides the very Guster.com, the band's official site. I'm going to combine all the resources you need to learn about all of the band's comings and goings, their music, and their song lyrics. So, take a while, browse through the posts, bookmark the page, and come back often. I look forward to chatting with you, too. Feel free to comment on any post you find interesting--let's get some discussion going!