Guster was formed in 1992 when freshmen pals Ryan Miller (vocals, guitars), Adam Gardner (vocals, guitars) and Brian Rosenworcel (percussion) joined forces at Tufts University and began playing live gigs around Boston. Their unusual line-up of two acoustic guitars and Rosenworcel's bongos won Guster a local following and a handful of Boston Music Awards. In '94, Guster released its debut album, Parachute, and the following year, the band appeared on the nationally distributed AWARE Compilation, Vol. 3. Guster self-released Goldfly in early '97, an album that earned the trio a Boston Music Award for "Independent Record of the Year." Named the Best Live Act at the Boston Music Awards in '97, Guster was hailed as one of the greatest independent successes of the '90s and achieved a reputation as one of the most reputable unpromoted bands of the decade. Guster signed with Sire/Hybrid Records, who re-released Goldfly to much success and produced the alt-radio track, "Airport Song." In '99, Guster entered the studio with producer extraordinaire Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel, Leonard Cohen, XTC) to produce Lost and Gone Forever.