So three of us had the privilege of attending a free Guster performance at the University of Arkansas last night, and I’m sure that the other guys won’t mind me speaking for them when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was my fifth time to see them, so most of it I had seen before, but even so, it made for a really fun evening. If you haven’t seen Guster live, you must put it on your to-do list. They are easily one of the best performing bands around. A big part of that is due to the fact that they just attract really great crowds. And last night was no exception. Even at a free show, the crowd was engaged and actually listening the entire time.
Throughout the night, they played three new songs off of their upcoming album. I’m not a huge fan of hearing bands play their new material live, but the songs were all really great and now I’m even more excited to hear the new album. They also played a lot of the classics, like “Demons”, “Fa Fa” and “Barrel of a Gun”. But the two highlights for me were “Red Oyster Cult” and “Come Downstairs and Say Hello.” “Red Oyster Cult” is one of the few songs where Brian leaves his bongo set, and I’m actually happy for him to do so. Joe and Adam just really let loose on the guitars for this one and it was pretty stinkin’ incredible. But what made it stand out was their decision to transition from this song straight into Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, which they were actually able to pull off really well. They didn’t really do anything special with “Come Downstairs and Say Hello.” That song just really gets to me. I get goosebumps every time I hear it live.
I also really enjoy the way they mock the whole encore tradition, by telling us exactly how many times they are going to leave the stage and then return. Their second and “real” encore (as opposed to the “fake” three song closing they did right before) was awesomely bad. Brian stepped out from behind his drums to sing a miserable rendition of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” Here is a wonderful example of the Thundergod’s amazing vocal abilities.
I was really hoping to get to another “Bloody Interview” last night, but unfortunately we were never able to get that set up. Although my good friend Will Skaggs was able to hook me up and get me backstage, where I was able to meet and talk with Brian for a little bit. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just asked the one question that had been burning in my brain for a couple of years now. “Why don’t you guys ever play ‘Two Points for Honesty’?” I just let him know how disappointed I was that despite my numerous requests, I have yet to hear them play the song that first got me hooked on Guster. And you know what he actually gave me an answer. “That is the one song that our sound guy has told us that he will quit if we play it live,” says Brian “Thundergod” Rosenworcel. He then went on to explain that apparently the first like thirty seconds of the song is a lot of studio trickery that is really hard to reproduce in a live format. He also said that the song is in an octave that is pretty difficult for Ryan to sing well night after night, which seems very legit. I could never sing it and make it sound well.
Brian then informed me that they will actually have to learn to play the song live soon, because they are embarking on a short tour in the fall to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Lost and Gone Forever. So that would be real exciting if they were to actually come anywhere near here. Maybe I’ll be able to fit in a road trip. You never know. I hope someone, somewhere is making your ears bleed.
Fun is the new brainchild of Nate Ruess (The Format) and Andrew Dost (Anathallo). News of this project has helped keep me from spiraling down into a deep dark depression over the loss of one of the greatest pop bands of all time. While I love the name, I am slightly annoyed that yet again I will have a hard time finding anything on them with just a google search. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to hear this album. Nate has written in a blog post that these are some of the best songs that he has ever written. Not to mention that he has been getting the help of Andrew Dost for the arrangements. And if for some reason you are unfamiliar with Dost or his former band Anathallo, the guy is a musical genius who can play pretty much any instrument, “switching from singing and playing the glockenspiel to playing the piano and flugelhorn” all mid-song. Not a joke, I’ve seen him do it. So far they are still unsigned, which I am assuming is by choice, cause I don’t know why all the labels wouldn’t be fighting over them. But as long as the new album gets finished and makes it to my ears, I don’t care how they do it. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more information to share with you all. But I will leave you with this great demo version of one of their new songs.
Unfortunately they have only updated their studio journal 3 times in the past three months, so I’ve learned a whole lot of nothing about this new record. Except that it is going to have a reggae song in it and that Ryan plays an omnichord on one of the tracks. But honestly all it takes for me to get excited about a new Guster album is to know that it is being made. These guys put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen (easily top 3) and their last few studio albums have just blown me away. There are tracks on Keep It Together that still give me chills. Like the track I sampled below for those poor unfortunate souls that have yet to discover the wonders of Guster.
Here is a video of some guy named Larry playing a fluglehorn on one of the new songs that is tentatively titled “Lost at Sea.”
Yeah I know, I am behind again. Another of my most anticipated albums got released before I could write about it. And unfortunately I have been too busy and too poor to listen to it. But I will tell you why they made it all the way into my top five. It is because somehow Bono and his crew have not only managed to have an incredibly successful and lucritive music career that has spanned over 3 full decades now. And all the while they have managed to attain the attention and the respect of both music critics and the mainstream media. So for as long as they are in the business I am sure that I will get excited about anything that they create. Not to mention, they were like my second music love as a child. Although I must say that I am slightly disappointed with “Get on your Boots.” It seems to be a less awesome “Vertigo” in my mind.
The creators of our favorite album of 2006 are finally back with their fifth studio album, The Hazards of Love. I absolutely cannot wait to hear what apparently started out as a musical, and has turned into yet another themed record from The Decemberists. According to frontman Colin Meloy, it is a “mossy and evil” record, that tells the story of a woman named Margaret. I absolutely adore how nearly every song they write tells a story, and I am excited to know that this new album has a cohesive story to tell. I am also glad to know that My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, has lent her gorgeous voice to a fair number of tracks.
other than the beach boys, at least for the past five years, ever since i saw them live @ cain’s ballroom, guster has been my favorite band. i have seen them live four times now and i don’t feel like it is even near enough. and one of my favorite tunes that they do live is a cover of a kooky talking heads song that talks about about how awful this fictional world where all the parking lots and discount stores are gone, and all they have are flowers and mountains and rivers. it is a very fun song and it really fits with guster’s live performance. i was really glad they decided to include on their live cd/dvd they came out with a couple years ago. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do.
also if you have never heard the original, you should definitely check it out. david byrne (the lead singer) is definitely a weirdy, but very entertaining and a great songwriter.
So three of us had the privilege of attending a free Guster performance at the University of Arkansas last night, and I’m sure that the other guys won’t mind me speaking for them when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was my fifth time to see them, so most of it I had seen before, but even so, it made for a really fun evening. If you haven’t seen Guster live, you must put it on your to-do list. They are easily one of the best performing bands around. A big part of that is due to the fact that they just attract really great crowds. And last night was no exception. Even at a free show, the crowd was engaged and actually listening the entire time.
