Mile High Music Festival 2009 Wrap-Up: Guster

I was initially turned onto Guster by my friend Laura. I went on a bit of a Guster kick there for a summer, and, since then, have actually rarely listened to them. I went back and listened to them again before I saw them and remembered why I was addicted for minute or two: they're just simple, fun, garagey college rock that is pretty hard to hate. My biggest problem with them was that, after a while, I found myself not really able to fully attach to the song because they weren't heavy enough or light enough to just let everything go and fall in love with the ridiculousness. Their live set was basically the same as their recorded stuff, which is always an impressive feat. They didn't miss a beat. But I wasn't glued to my seat. I mean, they were pretty neat, but I had my fill after a few songs, so I wrote down my thoughts and went to eat.

Guster - Jesus on the Radio (Meow Mix)

Mile High Music Festival 2009 Sampler, pt. 4

Guster - Jesus on the Radio (Meow Mix)
Mat Kearney - City of Black and White
Dead Confederate - The Rat
Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons - Ten Killer Fairies
Erin McCarley - Love, Save The Empty
Paper Bird - Pennies
honeyhoney - Little Toy Gun
Joe Pug - In The Meantime
Electric Touch - Love In Our Hearts

Again, I fully recognize that there are bands on this list that I will probably never actually like, but the two days do look hella promising.

"Leave All The Secrets Under the Bed"

Laura, a fellow blogger, recently been turned on to a little band that happens to have a cult following much like similar bands such as DMB, Ben Folds, and O.A.R.. That band is Guster.
Much like their genre compatriots, Guster has always had a lax taping policy, which has, in turn, has been a large part of their success as a band. That said, the largest part of their success is the fact that, on top of being genuinely good guys (an assumption drawn from interviews and live banter), they are great musicians.

This, in my opinion, is aided by their reluctance to "jam" out for 12 minutes at a time, something similar acts can't claim. That may sound like an odd statement, but if there's one thing you'll learn about me is, sometimes, I simply don't want to hear the same damn riffs for half an epoch. This is probably why I don't much like The Grateful Dead. Seriously guys, take a second, relax, and move on.

Sorry. Tangent. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Guster's fans have, because of their band's lax taping policy, become fairly good at bootlegging live sets. I mean, I'd go so far as to say some of the recordings I've run across of these guys are the best quality recordings I've ever heard. Listen for yourself, here are two great sets:

Band: Guster
Date: 2003-06-20 (first day of their tour after the release of Keep It Together)
Venue: Woodstock Playhouse, Woodstock, NY

Demons
What You Wish For
Two Points For Honesty
Careful
Amsterdam (hilarious banter after song)
Mona Lisa
Barrel Of A Gun
All The Way Up To Heaven
Ramona
(Nothing But) Flowers (Talking Heads Cover)
Keep It Together
Homecoming King
Either Way
Airport Song (This set was the first time I ever really gave Guster a shot. I listened to all the songs leading up to this one, and they were all good, but for some reason when this song came up, I instantly thought "WOw ... Guster is good.")
I Spy
Fa Fa
Diane
Happier
Jesus On The Radio (Completely Acoustic [no PA system used])

Band: Guster
Date: 2003-07-02
Venue: The Odeon, Cleveland, OH

Intro
Demons
Barrel Of A Gun
Ramon
Amsterdam
Diane
Two Points For Honesty
I Spy
Come Downstairs & Say Hello
What You Wish For
Airport Song
Happier
Red Oyster Cult
Keep It Together
"Cleveland story"
Center Of Attention
Fa Fa
Parachute
(Nothing But) Flowers (Talking Heads Cover)
Jesus On The Radio (Acoustic)