Dear Bob Boilen and the NPR Music team,

The band Guster has been thrilling fans with tremendous albums, live shows, and community activism for almost 30 years. We fans feel it is time for the band to get to perform at a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR.

Why is this important? Looking at the extensive list of performers at the Tiny Desk over the years, several acts that have opened for Guster have been featured at the Tiny Desk (Saintseneca, Kishi Bashi, And The Kids, to name a few), and the openers have gotten time at the desk, why not Guster?

In 2020 Guster is embarking on an acoustic tour and will be performing some of their tunes off Look Alive that were originally recorded with electronic keyboards and electric guitars. Please look at “Terrified” in an acoustic format https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unTEyL16q4Q . It is a totally different feel from the original release. “Hard Times” is another great example of unplugging and presenting a totally different feeling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dylFrDFtio

Public Radio stations across the country have given Guster tons of love, from full length interviews at World Cafe and WXXI News, to in studio performances at member stations like WYEP in Pittsburgh and many others this year. They headlined the XPoNential Music festival in 2019 for WXPN in Philly.

Public radio stations seem to really love Guster. NPR music, can you please love Guster too?

Actually, we think you already do, Bob and NPR. You have recognized Guster's goodness in many articles over the years. At the end of 2019, they were featured on the Heavy Rotation list, https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/778227298/heavy-rotation-public-radios-most-popular-songs-of-2019 where WGBH's Stacy Buchanan writes that Guster's music will "...drum up a carefree vigor that will help keep your spirits high." Isn't that one of the joys of Tiny Desk Concerts? Don't you want to bring that to the people?

They are not just musicians. Lead vocalist and guitarist Ryan Miller works extensively with Vermont PBS, and has had two great programs there, "Bardo," and "Making Friends with Ryan Miller." He understands and embraces the ethos of Public Media. Guitarist and vocalist Adam Gardner is the co-founder of an environmental action group called Reverb which helps artists tour the globe in an environmentally responsible manner. One of the most recent sign-ons for Reverb is an NPR favorite, Billie Eilish.

Guster brings music to meet where the NPR demographics live.

Recent Tiny Desk concerts have been performed by incredibly famous and popular musicians from Dave Matthews, the Jonas Brothers, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Taylor Swift. We recognize that NPR wants to stay relevant and connected to younger audiences with acts like Taylor Swift. But also, hopefully you see that Guster is relevant to the current NPR listening audience.

It is time for Guster to come behind the desk of other stations, and share their amazing music at yours. Please hear our plea, and help make 2020 an even better year for this band, after what appears to be the best year they ever had in 2019.

Thank you in advance, the undersigned Guster fans of the world.