Goose Is Cookin'

GOOSE HAS BEEN the fastest-rising act in the jam band universe over the past few years and is poised for blast-off with the release of their fourth studio album, Everything Must Go.

- ALAN PAUL

Their summer tour will include their first headlining show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where they performed last November for the Soulshine benefit concert for hurricane relief along with the Dave Matthews Band, the Warren Haynes Band and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nighsweats. Lead guitarist Rick Mitarotonda has emerged as a new guitar hero, his playing clean and concise while always seemingly ready to explode in fast-fingered flights of fancy.

Formed in Connecticut in 2014, Goose began to gain steam five years later when a performance on the smallest stage at the 2019 Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania, raised their profile as a video of their excellent set went viral. They were primed to take off when the pandemic shuttered the touring industry in early 2020. Instead, the group focused on streaming live shows and completing their second album, 2021's Shenanigans Nite Club.

After its release, the group started playing ever-larger venues, including Radio City Music Hall for two 2022 shows, during which they were first joined by auteur Father John Misty, then Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Later that year, they toured with Anastasio’s solo band, and in January 2023, they were a special guest at Dead & Company’s Playing in the Sand Festival, where Bob Weir joined them on stage. Their acceptance by their own heroes came fast and furiously.

“It’s totally surreal,” says guitarist/ keyboardist Peter Anspach. “Being a part of this scene is a dream come true, and having the guys we watched in high school ask if we want to play music with them still doesn’t feel real. We're just learning to enjoy a very interesting new reality while trying to stay focused on following our own direction and path.”