Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, Providence’s underground alternative artist mecca, will be the backdrop Thursday night for Guster, an indie band with a unique relationship to sound. Guster released its latest and most experimental album, “Evermotion,” in January, and Thursday’s show will kick off Guster’s Evermotion tour.
“Creating this album was a good experience, which is rare for us. We were not hung up on the minutiae. It’s a cool, raw, spacey album,” said drummer Brian Rosenworcel.
The band collaborated with Richard Swift, The Shins’ keyboardist and The Black Keys’ touring bassist, to produce its newest record. Working with Swift was a positive experience for each of the band members Rosenworcel said. All the band members got along well with Swift and were receptive to his feedback, he added.
In listening to Evermotion, Swift’s input is identifiable underneath the music. Rosenworcel said, “We focused on the keyboards to keep the groove. This album is … less of a pop record and has deeper dimensions.”
Since its release, the album has achieved great success: It debuted at number one on the Independent Record Label Current Albums chart, number two on the Current Alternative Albums chart and number three on the Top Rock Albums chart the first week of its release. Major media sources have also taken notice, as the band has been featured in the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Relix Magazine, CBS This Morning, VH1’s “Big Morning Buzz” and Family Guy, wrote Claire Julian, Guster’s junior publicist, in an email to The Herald. The band also had a front cover appearance on the February issue of Magnet Magazine.
Guster has relatively humble beginnings. In 1991, three Tufts University freshmen — Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller and Rosenworcel — were part of a Tufts Freshman Wilderness Orientation. The three immediately became friends and quickly learned of each other’s passion for music, according to Guster’s website. The band eventually emerged in 1992.
Guster released its first album, “Parachute,” in 1995 and has since released seven critically acclaimed albums over the last 20 years. Rosenworcel said, “every album is a whole new adventure. Every album has its own stamp in time.”
With its mounting success, the trio decided in 2010 to add Luke Reynolds to the band’s roster — he offered talent on many instruments and had experience with alternative music. The production of Evermotion was the first time Reynolds had participated in the preproduction and writing process of a Guster album, according to the band’s website.
“We are really pleased with (the song) ‘Long Night.’ It’s a whole new thing, really groovy,” Rosenworcel said of the writing process and production.
The musicians said they have no qualms about being on tour. “We haven’t played Providence in a while. This is the first performance of these songs in a few months, so it could be an excited version or a rusty version,” Rosenworcel said.
“Everyone has kids, so we don’t get to sleep at home. We’re looking forward to catching up on sleep. It’ll be the most fun we’ve had in a long time,” Rosenworcel said.
