Goose is a band from Wilton, Connecticut that have been around for 10 years. Rick Mitarotonda plays lead guitar and sings lead vocals, Peter Anspach plays keyboards, guitar, and does backing and lead vocals, Trevor Weekz is on bass and backing vocals, Jeff Arevalo is on drums and percussion instruments, and Cotter Ellis is their new drummer, replacing Ben Atkind after he left the band last year. Jambands can have a bad rap for their singers being below par in one way or another, but Goose is not one of those bands. Rick's voice is very sweet and full, and his vocals could easily fit into the indie rock genre. In a way, the music they play is indie rock in a jam band format. Because of this, they could be a good gateway into the jam scene for people who aren't as familiar with the genre.
They opened the set with "The Whales" from their 2022 album Dripfield. Peter took up rhythm guitar and lead vocals for this one. The song was vast, with tight two-part vocal harmonies and a strong, driving beat throughout. Between the songs, people cheer and clap, but to the unfamiliar ear, it also sounds like people are saying "booo". In reality, they're saying "gooooose" (their Instagram bio even specifies this). Then they played "Atlas Dogs" which can be found on multiple live albums, like this year's Live at The Capitol Theatre. This version ended up being 21 minutes long and included a "Tarantella Napoletana" tease from Rick. They played right into "Rockdale" which can be found on various live albums, like 2021.11.21 Denver, CO, or if you want an acoustic studio recording, go to the Goose side group Orebolo's new album The Chateau. "Rockdale" got jammed on quite a bit as well, getting funkier with their playing. The song was left unfinished as it glided into a cover of "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi", a song from Radiohead's well loved record In Rainbows from 2007. As a huge Radiohead fan myself, I was very happy to hear them cover this. They honored the song well while also playing it in their own way. Peter was back on guitar for this one as well. The band maintained the steady base of the song while Rick soloed, and then they brought it back home, Rick harmonizing his guitar arpeggios over the main notes played by Peter. Then they segued into "Indian River" from Goose's 2016 debut album Moon Cabin. This version contained many teases from Peter, like "Turn On Your Love Light" and "Bubblehouse", as well as a "Welcome to Delta" jam. It was high energy, and got the whole crowd dancing. They kept the energy up as they played into "Flodown", which can be found on their 2021 album Shenanigans Nite Club. This track would close out set 1 with a bang, while the sun was setting behind the trees.
Goose returned to the stage after their break and built the anticipation for the rest of the show with a cacophony of sounds as they warmed their instruments up. Then they jumped into "Animal" to start the set off. This track can be found on various live albums like 2022.12.31 Cincinnati, OH. If you're a fan of The Muppets, go check out their special version of "Animal" featuring a sit-in from Animal himself on drums from the Newport Folk Festival last year. But, back to Raleigh, Goose really pushed the limits on the song this time, getting a bit darker in their jams than usual. There was also a "Time to Flee" tease from Rick. Before starting "Pancakes", Peter dedicated the song to Karen. "Pancakes" can be found on live albums like Live at Radio City Music Hall. This song had the longest runtime of the night at 25 minutes long, and if you're hungry for breakfast, you can watch it here:
After being heavy on the funk for a while, the jam got more atmospheric and ethereal, and then they picked it back up. As it got darker, the light show was able to get better and better. During the peaks of certain jams, the lighting designers used lots of haze that sprayed out from above the band, adding to the explosion of both light and sound. They then played "Into the Myst" from their first album Moon Cabin, with Peter playing both keyboard and guitar parts while Rick used very subtle autotune for the choruses. The rhythm section took down the tempo a little and jammed out on that for a while before ramping things back up, leaving the song unfinished and getting a little weird before jumping into "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, off of their 1968 album The Second. Anyone who had taken a break from dancing was now on their feet, dancing hard. At this point I was at the bottom of the hill in GA, and in front of me the whole walkway was full of enthusiastic dancers. Rick also teased the "Secret Agent Man" from the CBS TV show. After a wild ride they slowed things down with "This Old Sea", another track that can be listened to on various official live recordings. Admittedly, when they first started the song, I thought they were covering "Easy" by the Commodores in a different key as the chord progression is very similar. Once they started singing, I realized it was not in fact a cover. The song that closed the set was "Hot Tea" from the album Dripfield, which got everyone up and dancing again. The song features some scatting as well.
The encore for the evening was the popular yacht-rock track "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes from the 1979 album Partners In Crime. With the summer solstice on the horizon, it was an appropriate note to end on.
Just before the encore, Peter noted how this was the first time that they'd played a sold out Red Hat Amphitheater. Two years ago they'd played there to a crowd half the size. And, it was a Tuesday night! Goose have certainly made big strides in the last couple of years. Whether you are new to the jam scene and looking for a band to get into, or looking to see more fun shows within the scene, now is a good time to see Goose. They just announced their full fall tour as well as Goosemas, so go look at the dates and see where they are coming near you.
https://archive.org/details/goose2024-06-18/07
Setlist:
Set 1:
The Whales
Atlas Dogs [1] >
Rockdale [2] >
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi [3] >
Indian River [4] >
Flodown
Set 2:
Animal [5]
Pancakes
Into the Myst [2] >
Magic Carpet Ride [6]
This Old Sea
Hot Tea
Encore: Escape (The Pina Colada Song) [7]
Coach's Notes: [1] With Tarantella Napoletana tease from Rick. [2] Unfinished. [3] Radiohead. [4] With Welcome to Delta jam and Turn On Your Love Light and Bubblehouse teases from Peter. [5] With Time to Flee tease from Rick. [6] Steppenwolf. With Secret Agent Man teases from Rick. [7] Rupert Holmes
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by Maya Crumpton
photos Jerry Friend
