Jam band legends in the making, Goose celebrated the solar eclipse in style while also debuting their new drummer during a four-night, sold-out run at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre.
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Pre-eminent jam band Goose treated fans to a solar eclipse-themed show Monday evening with a play-through of their 2016 debut album Moon Cabin.
The performance was the second of four sold-out shows at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre and the second show with new drummer Cotter Ellis.
The band — comprised of Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, keys, guitar), Trevor Weekz (bass), Jeff Arevalo (vocals, percussion, drums) and Ellis — immediately laid the foundation for their eclipse show with a ripping rendition of the fan-favorite “Dr. Darkness.” Goose stayed true to the tune’s structure and didn’t jam it out, but it was a high-energy opener that set the tone for the rest of the set.
Next the band played the first four tracks from Moon Cabin. The run of the album’s first three tracks, “Turned Clouds,” “Into the Myst” and “Arcadia” was arguably the strongest stretch of music of the night. Especially during “Into the Myst,” the band was firing on all cylinders, reaching one mesmerizing climax after the other.
The second set was, at times, less attention-grabbing than the first, but a breezy rendition of “Indian River” and a high-octane “Jive II” bookended the set well. The audience danced and sang along to the pop-infused refrain — “la da da da da da!” — of the encore “Hot Tea” to close out the night on a high note.
After watching night one’s stream — during which the band debuted a phenomenal new tune “SALT” — and catching Monday’s performance, it’s clear Ellis will make a fine addition to the band.
On December 22 both Goose and original drummer Ben Atkind posted on Instagram announcing they’d be parting ways due to creative differences. On February 5, the band introduced Ellis as their new drummer and announced a new album, Ted Tapes 2024, which was released the next day.
Whereas Atkind played with an impressive yet reserved technical approach perfect for buoying the band while Mitarotonda soloed, Ellis appears to bring a more energetic and fierce drumming style to the table. Ellis was in the pocket all night long but the tempo felt faster and, perhaps this is just a side effect of not seeing the band since their previous run at The Cap last spring, the quintet’s improvisation felt more inspired than before.
As the band and Ellis continue to develop a repertoire, it’ll be interesting to see if their new timekeeper pushes the band to explore new sonic territories.
Goose have received criticism from some jam band fans because their songs sound fairly similar to one another. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s a good sound. But unlike jam godfathers including Phish —from whom it’s no secret the band takes inspiration — which approaches each jam as a blank page with no set destination, Goose seem to know exactly where a jam will end up.
Ellis might be the catalyst needed to push the band and their jams to the next level.
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© Geoff Tischman
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