THC: Do you feel playing in large arenas versus clubs that anything is lost? And do you prefer one or the other?

G: I suppose the people in the nosebleed seats must lose some nuances, some facial expressions and sonic things. I love [playing in arenas]. It’s amazing to see that many people in one space. There’s just a certain kind of energy that exists when you have that many people. How much more can you feel like a rockstar than playing in an arena packed with screaming people?

THC: How does Guster deal with the process of song-writing when songs are so personal?

G: It’s been evolving. It used to be that either Ryan or I would come in with a chord progression or melody, and then we would just flesh it out, changing it, adding new melodies. But now, for the next record, we have a regular rehearsal space we go to every day when we’re not on the road. We go there and just spontaneously play, and whatever happens happens. Ryan writes all the lyrics, and it’s something I really admire him for, because it’s tough to write lyrics that don’t end up sounding cheesy or trite yet aren’t so abstract and can still mean something to people.

THC: Your previous albums all have a distinct feel from one another, does this one have that yet?

G: Not really, we’re only about halfway through the writing process, but it will probably be further away from all the other records. Our approach is very different. Typically we’d just sit around with two guitars and bongos and come up with stuff. This time we’re picking up different instruments, using ProTools, a computer program that . . . allows us to put down tracks on the computer and play along with them so we’re not limited by what the three of us can play with two hands. We can think in terms of larger arrangements and deeper textures.

THC: Has the band changed with its growing popularity?

G: No, I don’t think so. Maybe it’s changed our thinking a little because people are paying more than $5; people are traveling. If anything, there’s a little more pressure for us to put on a show, to make it worthwhile for the people. Before, it was just like, “Hey, we’re having fun. People come to check us out.” There wasn’t as much pressure to be really professional. I think we’re becoming aware of that now that we’re playing in these big theaters and we look at the schedule of who’s playing that month, and it’s a list of people we really look up to and respect.