Goose (American band)

American jam band

Further information: Goose (disambiguation)

Not to be confused with Geese (band) or Goose (Belgian band).

Goose

Goose at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on March 10, 2023.

Background information
Origin| Wilton, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres|

* Rock
* progressive rock
* funk
* psychedelic rock
* jam band

Years active|

* 2014–present

Members|

* Rick Mitarotonda
* Trevor Weekz
* Jeff Arevalo
* Peter Anspach
* Cotter Ellis

Past members|

* Ben Atkind
* Chris (The Doc) Enright

Website| goosetheband.com

Goose is an American jam band from Wilton, Connecticut, formed in 2014. The band consists of Peter Anspach, Jeff Arevalo, Cotter Ellis, Rick Mitarotonda, and Trevor Weekz.[1][2][3]

Goose has gained popularity since early 2020, in large part due to live performances with larger acts like Dead & Company and Bob Weir.

## History

[edit]

Goose was formed in 2014 by singer and guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, drummer Ben Atkind, and bassist Trevor Weekz. Rick, Trevor, and Ben had previously played together in the band Vasudo.[4] Multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach joined the band in 2017, followed by percussionist Jeff Arevalo in 2020, with Cotter Ellis joining the band in 2024.[4]

The band garnered praise for their performance at the 2019 edition of The Peach Music Festival, which gained them popularity in the jam band scene and has been viewed over 420,000 times on YouTube/Facebook as of March 2023.[5][6] In January 2020 the band played two well received late night performances at Dead & Company's Playing in the Sand event in Mexico. The band's rise in popularity resulted in booking larger venues for their 2020 tour, such as the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, but they canceled the tour after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live music performances worldwide.[5] Instead, the band livestreamed eight concerts without an audience from a barn in Connecticut in June 2020, called the Bingo Tour.[5] The Bingo Tour grossed more than $100,000 for the band.[5]

Goose released a 20-minute jam version of the Vampire Weekend song "2021" in February 2021 at the request of Vampire Weekend singer Ezra Koenig, who is a fan of the group.[6][7]

Following the pandemic, Goose booked a series of performances at large venues in 2021 and 2022, such as Radio City Music Hall in New York, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado and their first-ever arena concerts at the Mohegan Sun Arena in their native Connecticut. On June 24 and 25, 2022, Goose played two shows at Radio City Music Hall.[6] The June 25 concert featured appearances by Father John Misty, and Phish guitarist and lead singer Trey Anastasio, the latter of whom played with Goose for their entire third set.[8] Goose and the Trey Anastasio Band performed together in an eight-date co-headlining tour in November 2022.[9][10]

In January 2023, Goose was the top billed special guest at Dead & Company's Playing in the Sand festival in Mexico, headlining on the main stage on the second night. During their January 15 performance, the band was joined by Bob Weir for three songs at the end of the first set. Atkind and Arevalo went on to play with the Rhythm Devils during "Drums" at Dead & Company's next shows.

In July 2023, at Resonance Festival in Ohio, Goose was joined on stage during the second set by Jake Cinninger and Joel Cummins of Umphrey's McGee to perform "Empress of Organos". That same month, at the Newport Folk Festival, the band were joined on-stage by Animal from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem for their performance of "Animal".[11]

Anspach personally mixes the band's live performances for release shortly after the band finishes their concerts.[6]

On December 22, 2023, the band released a statement that founding member and original drummer Ben Atkind would be departing the band.[12]

On February 5, 2024, the band announced that Cotter Ellis would be joining the band as the new drummer.[13]

### Musical style and influences

[edit]

Goose has been regularly compared to jam bands such as Phish and Umphrey's McGee, both of which the band's members count as influences.[6] Goose describes itself as an "indie groove" band, but does acknowledge its jam band influences; speaking to Uproxx music critic Steven Hyden, guitarist Rick Mitarotonda said "Frankly there are a lot of cheesy and not great jam bands that have existed over time. Obviously, we've strayed away from that for obvious reasons, or tried to at least. But, I mean, we are a jam band. We jam, and we improvise a lot."[6] Hyden wrote that Goose's indie rock and trance influences contrast the funk and progressive rock influences of Phish and the folk, jazz, and blues influences of the Grateful Dead.[6]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Band members

[edit]

Current members

* Peter Anspach – keyboards, guitar, vocals (2017–present)
* Jeff Arevalo – percussion, drums, vocals, guitar (2020–present)
* Cotter Ellis – drums, vocals (2024–present)
* Rick Mitarotonda – guitar, vocals (2014–present)
* Trevor Weekz – bass, vocals, poetry (2014–present)

Former members

* Peter Castaldi – guitar
* Chris "Doc" Enright – keyboards
* Kris Yunker – keyboards
* Aaron Hagele – percussion
* Ben Atkind – drums (2014–2023)

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

* Moon Cabin (2016)
* Shenanigans Nite Club (2021)
* Dripfield (2022)

### Extended plays

[edit]

* Night Lights (2020)
* Undecided (2022)
* Autumn Crossing (2023)

### Live albums

[edit]

* Alive and Well (2020)
* Bingo Tour (2020)
* 2019.11.16 Buffalo, NY (2021)
* 2020.10.03 Swanzey, NH (2021)
* Ted Tapes 2021 (2021)
* 2021.11.21 Denver, CO (2021)
* 2022.03.12 Philadelphia, PA (2022)
* 2022.12.16 Broomfield, CO (2023)
* 2022.12.31 Cincinnati, OH (2023)
* Live At The Salt Shed 2023.04.14–15 Chicago, IL (2023)
* Live at Radio City Music Hall (2023)
* Ted Tapes 2024 (2024)
* Live at the Capitol Theatre (2024)
* Live at the Fox Theatre (2024)

[14]

### Singles

[edit]

* "Sinnerman" (2021)
* "Hungersite" (2022) – No. 7 Adult Alternative Airplay[15]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ DaRosa, Andrew (25 May 2021). "Interview: Norwalk jam band Goose talks new album, life on the road and playing with best friends". Thehour.com. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
2. ^ "Goose Flaunts Its Shining Musical & Vocal Talents with Breakout LP 'Shenanigans Nite Club' (ALBUM REVIEW) – Glide Magazine". Archived from the original on 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
3. ^ Hamad, Michael (27 May 2021). "Peter Anspach of local jam band Goose discusses their new album and upcoming big break". Connecticut Magazine. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
4. ^ a b Renner Brown, Eric (23 August 2021). "Fowl Play: Goose Grows Its Flock And Takes Flight". Pollstar. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
5. ^ a b c d Hamad, Michael (11 July 2020). "A Connecticut rock band named Goose may have figured out how to 'tour' — and make money — during the coronavirus pandemic". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
6. ^ a b c d e f g Hyden, Steven (10 March 2022). "Goose Is The Next Great American Jam Band". UPROXX. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
7. ^ "Vampire Weekend Enlist Goose, Sam Gendel for New Takes on "2021"". Relix Media. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
8. ^ O'Brien, Andrew (26 June 2022). "Goose Gathers Trey Anastasio, Father John Misty, More For Milestone Weekend At Radio City [Photos/Videos/Audio]". L4LM. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
9. ^ "Trey Anastasio – Trey Anastasio Band & Goose". trey.com. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
10. ^ Woodward, Garret K. (22 November 2022). "Goose Cement Their Rep as the Hottest New Jam Band During an Epic Tour with Trey Anastasio". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
11. ^ Broerman, Michael (31 July 2023). "Goose Plays "Animal" With The Muppets' Animal At Newport Folk Festival [Watch]". Live For Live Music.
12. ^ "Goose Announces Departure Of Drummer Ben Atkind". JamBase. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
13. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
14. ^ "Discography".
15. ^ "Adult Alternative Airplay – Week of April 29, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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