Drum kits and rock bands have a long history of sharing a stage
with one another, yet this typical instrument had been absent from
folk-pop band Guster's lineup for the first decade of their career.
However, that changed when the Boston trio hit the road this year
in support of their fourth studio album, Keep It
Together.

As percussionist Brian "Thunder God" Rosenworcel explained, the
band immediately knew it wanted to go through the process of
recording the new album "having abandoned all the rules." The main
guideline Guster had previously played by was to only use
hand-percussion both on record and on stage accompanied by the
acoustic guitars and vocals of Ryan Miller and Adam Gardner. This
arrangement served the band well in both settings.

On the road, Guster became one of the most popular college bands
in the country, touring relentlessly and selling out large clubs
time and time again. Their 1999 breakthrough record Lost And
Gone Forever succeeded in recreating Guster's live sound in the
studio with the help of famed producer Steve Lillywhite, who has
done the same for both U2 and the Dave Matthews Band.

The triumph of Keep It Together is that while Rosenworcel
has embraced more conventional methods of drumming, Guster has
taken the depth of their instrumentation and songwriting to the
next level. The result is a richly textured pop album that's more
rewarding with each listen.

Some tunes suggest urgency. The lead single, "Amsterdam," is a
pop gem that borders on emo (take the beat behind OutKast's "Hey
Ya!," speed it up and add some wailing slide guitar and layered
vocals). "Red Oyster Cult" uses a drum roll and a generally '80s
feel to create one fun song with an intriguing outro and a message
of resignation ("Call your mom on the telephone/ Tell her you're
coming home / Tell her there's not a chance you're ever going to
change the world").

Other songs invoke calm: The harmonica part over strings and
piano at the end of the reflective "Backyard" feels like bed at the
end of a long day. "Jesus on the Radio" is a back-porch jam with
banjo and organ pulses. "We have a soft spot for country,"
Rosenworcel explained.

Guster's current live show does the new record justice. New
touring additions that will take the stage with the band at the
State Theatre tonight in Detroit include Joe Pisapia on bass, a
number of keyboards and, of course, a drum kit. These tools help
Guster flesh out their old tunes and recreate the new ones.

"We're more like an indie rock band where we're swapping
instruments every song now," explained Rosenworcel
enthusiastically. "The live set is definitely more eclectic than
it's ever been."