We’re back for the EIGHTH edition of On the Ocean! We’re returning to Adam’s hometown in Maine for another year of incredible bands, fun activities, and some surprises along the way.
Join us in Portland, Maine for a special weekend with performances from @ironandwinetour , @watchhouseband , @thebarrbrothers , @nealfrancismusic , @eggymusic , @thedavebutler & Friends, @bebe.stockwell , @khatumu , and Portland’s own @cillabonniemusic . On Friday we’re switching it up at Merrill Auditorium for a symphony set with the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
We’ve got tons of activities too! We will add more activities to the docket, but here’s what we can tell you about right now… an easy wonderful 5k, TWO harbor cruises, kayaking trips, bike tours, documentary screenings, and much more. Learn about all of it at:
VIP tickets and tickets for Friday night with the symphony sold out during the early-bird presale, but single-day GA tickets for Saturday and Sunday, as well as discounted 2-Day GA tickets for Saturday and Sunday are on sale now.
See you in Portland this August!
#tinydesk • @guster always finds new ways to weave sonic landscapes, tell meaningful stories and deeply engage with its fan base. They do just that in this Tiny Desk concert ✨
Tap the link in our bio to watch Gusters full performance, premiering only on npr.org/tinydesk or @nprmusic ’s YouTube❗️
Photo: @joshualbryant | Joshua Bryant/NPR
We did it, Rhode Island. WE DID IT TOGETHER.
Some amazing photos here from @jhumphreymusic
I think our last proper show was in October, so three nights of Guster songs in one venue was a real challenge for our cobwebbed brains! We would need strings and we would need to SIT DOWN in chairs.
Thus with some 70s style hanging panel backdrops from Ryan’s friend in Providence (@popprov ) and with the help of Eva on violin and Sam on cello and three wonderful openers (@benthornewill@jocieadams@stevesalad ) and a special cameo on “Maybe We’re Alright” by the guy who PRODUCED the studio version of that song (@kaufyismynamo ) —- we pulled off three varied setlists, some deep cuts like “Window” and “Rainy Day” and some new ones like “All Day” and “Gauguin, Cezanne (Everlasting Love)”…
We found people in the audience who had been married THAT DAY and took a couple requests.
And above all else, we kicked the tires on the thing we do, and brought a little joy and music to Providence for a weekend.
Much gratitude to everyone that came to see us and we can’t wait for more.
Me and Adam are stacking boxes of raisins at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank here along with about twenty Guster fans who volunteered to spend their Saturday morning helping out.
Thanks to @reverb_org and @rifoodbank for arranging everything - it feels good to pitch in!
Also pictured, Saturday setlist from Night 2 of Guster Providence Acoustic Weekend!
📸 by @spicyv
New merch drop for this weekend in Providence. An Ocean State inspired screen printed poster and t-shirt, a new design by Ryan’s kid (proud dad moment) available in the Guster store, and a new @oxfordpennant . We’ll also have Big Friends, backpacks, and some classic merch.
The posters are printed on recycled paper and the t-shirts are printed on organic cotton t-shirts.
Ganging Up on the Sun was released in 2006, a few years after Keep It Together.
It was the first time we wrote an album with a 4th band member, Joe Pisapia, and you can hear him guiding us into territory that was poppy, sometimes a little country, sometimes ethereal and psychedelic. We hunkered down at Joe’s home studio in Nashville and spent months working on songs, allowing ourselves to experiment with production elements and sonic textures that we hadn’t delved into before.
There were days that we got nothing done, and days where we created real studio magic. It’s well documented by Dave Yonkman in the video web series “Joe’s Place” online.
Warner Brothers rejected the album when we delivered it. They did not hear a single (even though we delivered “Satellite” on that version of the album, which went on to be our biggest song to date).
To Guster’s credit, we didn’t wallow. We called back our old friend Ron Aniello and recorded a batch of six more tunes. They all ended up on Ganging Up on the Sun.
If you’re keeping score… first batch from Nashville:
Manifest Destiny
Satellite
Captain
Ruby Falls
Empire State
Dear Valentine
And the second batch, recorded with Ron Aniello in NY:
Lightning Rod
One Man Wrecking Machine
The New Underground
C’mon
Beginning of the End
Hang On
Somehow the two batches combined to make one very ambitious Guster album (and with plenty of b-sides from the Nashville sessions). Mixing with Ben Grosse with our record label breathing down our neck was both unnerving and gratifying. We got things where we wanted them and they were happy to promote “One Man Wrecking Machine” as the single. And while people liked it, it didn’t catch on with radio. “Satellite” never got a chance but would spend two decades trickling into the mainstream to become our most well known song.
GUOTS is our band feeling driven and emboldened and open minded.
It is Guster pushing the boundaries of what Guster could do.
All Music said it was “the work of a band that matters.”
It will be a real honor to perform Ganging Up on the Sun in its entirety just once in honor of its 20th trip around the sun on Sunday 8/9 at our On the Ocean Festival in Maine!
Heading to Providence for Guster’s acoustic weekend at @uptowntheaterprov ? Spend your Saturday giving back!
Join Guster and REVERB at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank on May 2 for a hands-on volunteer shift supporting the local community. Spots are limited and will fill quickly.
Sign up now through the link in bio to reserve your spot!
