Performance

Life in Maine is “easy wonderful” for Guster guitarist and vocalist Adam Gardner.

How did you and the band feel when you found out you’ll be part of the reopening lineup for the State Theatre on October 27th?

It’s like there’s been a hole in the city for the last four years. The last time we played the State was in 2003, and it was the only live DVD we ever shot. I moved here in 2005, and I’ve walked past it for the last four years, feeling badly about it. It’s clear the town needed the State Theatre to re-open…I’m excited to be a part of it. There are a lot of people here who’ve been waiting for a venue like this.

You’re a Jersey boy. What about living in Portland drew you here?

I hadn’t been to Maine until I went to college at Tufts. I started dating my wife, Lauren, then and came up here to visit her. As I was falling in love with her, I was falling in love with Maine. We lived in New York for a while, which was great on the music side of things, but it just wasn’t my speed. It was too removed from nature, too stressful…I was really excited to move from Brooklyn to Portland. The energy of here is great. Everyone comes be-

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cause they want to live a certain lifestyle, and then they figure out how they’re going to support it. It’s a pretty big change, but I’m really glad I made it. I got into kayaking, and I try to get into the water every day.

You and Lauren founded Reverb, which encourages musicians and their fans to maintain environmentally friendly tours. How’s that going?

We started Reverb in 2004 on our kitchen table in Brooklyn to help bands get going green on tour. Now that we’re based in Portland, we have a full-time staff and another four to six folks who go out on the tours, dealing with the environmental elements and engaging the fans. We’ve worked on over 100 major tours. It’s a neat way to engage young people to take action in their own lives.

According to your standards, how green is Portland?

There are so many environmental groups here, and there’s a ton of folks who work for non-profits. The mentality is here. Because Portland is so connected to the water and to nature, there’s a lot of good work being done.

Any favorite restaurants in the city?

I just went to Grace recently…I like Emilitsa a lot and Street & Company. There’s also Market Street Eats–I eat there regularly for lunch–and I think Otto is one of the best pizza places. Sonyfield Café in Falmouth is organic and local.

If you could write a song about Maine, what would it be called?

That’s where I wish I were John Denver.

The band’s road journal talks about playing in many types of venues: balconies, restaurants, and even an armory. Which has been your favorite?

A recent favorite of mine is Maine State Pier in Portland. That was our first time playing a hometown show since this became my hometown. It was a beautiful night.

Any crazy fan stories?

No. We’re at that perfect level where we’re popular, but we’re not famous. We have dedicated fans, but they’re not crazy.

Back to 2003’s Guster On Ice–Live from Portland, Maine at the State Theatre. Why did you choose to record it here?

It just worked out timing-wise. We wanted a venue where we could…have an opportuni-

ty to shoot two shows.

It’s been over 16 years since Guster’s first album Parachute was released. Tell us about your changes.

We’ve changed a lot. We were still in college back then, and our music was percussion based, almost folk rock. Now, we try to involve as many colors in our palate as possible. Everyone is a multi-instrumentalist. We went from folk rock trio to alternative rock, full-on band. We still obviously keep the bongos as a big part of our songs.

Personally, a lot has happened. I have a two-year-old girl, Sloan. All three original members are dads…That’s part of the reason we named the new record Easy Wonderful. It took us a long time to make this record because…we’re trying to write songs while learning how to change diapers.

What can we expect from Easy Wonderful?

It’s the best, most consistent record we’ve made. It’s a little more upbeat and generally more of an energetic album. It has all the maturity and production complexities of our newer records with the energy and spirit of Lost and Gone Forever.

What songs sound like Guster could have written them?

When we write, we think about classic albums like Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks or the Beach Boys’s Pet Sounds. Current bands we get compared to are Wilco and the Shins.

What movie and television show sound tracks has your music been a part of?

They have ranged from comedies like Wedding Crashers [“I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today” plays during a montage in which Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson have just broken their friendship] to the cancer drama Life as a House [“Rainy Day” sets the mood during the somber scene where Hayden Christensen and Ian Somerhalder share a joint in a car; writer Mark Andrus loved Guster so much that he named the dog in the movie after the band].

Where do you live?

I live in the “Arts District.” I love being able to walk everywhere. n

Easy Wonderful is available for purchase on guster.com after October 5.>>For more images visit portlandmonthly.com.