Show Review - Goose 3/11/25 New York, NY
80 MINUTE JAM
Last night, Goose took over the Luna Luna exhibit at NYC’s The Shed for an incredibly special and intimate night both to preview their upcoming album Everything Must Go and to perform music in a way that has previously only been heard on Ted Tapes or Chateau Sessions.
Having just been announced last week along with a capacity of just around 800, tickets were in high demand and there were still some fans outside with fingers raised as we entered the building. With the promise of album previews – but more importantly (at least to me), an all-improv set from Goose.
As we entered the exhibit, actors dressed as characters from the EMG album art engaged with fans – I spotted Milo Believe from “Thatch,” the rollerskating leopard-skin lady from “California Magic,” monkeys from “Animal,” and more – all while samples from the album were played over the PA with remixes and effects by producer Abe Seiferth. I caught snippets of “Red Bird,” “Your Direction,” and more as we went and claimed a spot before the band took the stage.
The stage itself was an “in the round” setup in the centre of the room, in between a Basquiat Ferris Wheel and an amusement park swing ride. With a stripped-down setup, the four band members plus special guest Stuart Bogie on woodwinds had a small pedalboard, while keyboardist Peter Anspach had two synthesizers along with his staple Nord Stage.
Emerging into the crowd from different directions, the band was dressed in monkey suits – though bassist Trevor Weekz had what looked like a gerbil mask – as they made their way to the stage and launched into a singular 80-minute piece of improvised music.
Beginning from nothing, Anspach triggered his ocean wave sample we heard on winter tour to set the vibe as the band gradually built into a pretty typical rocking zone led by drummer Cotter Ellis’ snappy ride cymbal work.
Bogie made his presence known with some clarinet tones early on, staying largely on the fringes for the duration of the set but picking the right moments to dive in with some textural work or at times aggressive saxophone.
After the first peak, things quieted down as Mitarotonda began to loop some effected vocal lines – one of the characters had gone around asking fans for words or a line of poetry, which were then printed off on a list in front of the guitarist for him to work off of throughout the show. This first one saw some deep effect work, both autotune loops and even some reverse play as the band kept a spacey vibe going around before plunging into the first dark theme of the night.
Anspach utilized a punchy marimba sound as the carnival swing ride came to life and began spinning in an eerie way – lighting designer Andrew Goedde made very good use of the minimalist setup inside from his perch on the upper balcony (though I do wish there was some fog to make the overhead lights more impactful) through this segment as the band really took their time in the evil space.
Fully exploring this idea, the band opened up into an atmospheric zone from there as Mitarotonda threw in some more vocalization, this time over some gentle piano work from Anspach and heavy cymbal textures from Ellis, all while Weekz strung together some beautiful melodic bass work.
The band hopped into a disco-fied zone from there thanks to a motif introduced by Mitarotonda on vocals, and Anspach turned to his sequencer for the first of several arpeggiated sections. Bogie really let loose in this section on saxophone, adding a jazzy element not usually heard in Goose music as he ripped overtop of the tight rhythm section – Anspach sported an especially huge grin during this part.
With Bogie still going nuts, the band charged through a minor-key peak with some grimy tones from Mitarotonda, Anspach taking more of a back seat to the improv than normal which really let the rhythm section shine.
After another peak with some INCREDIBLE driving work from Weekz, the band quieted to near-silence at just short of an hour into the set before crafting a motif that was one of the most spellbindingly gorgeous pieces of music I’ve heard from this band.
Ellis sampled a thump that took on a quality of a pulsating heartbeat as synth washes and major-key guitar chords coloured the space. Bogie infused some gentle sax melodies as the intensity grew a little bit.
With Ellis keeping the heartbeat going underneath his tom hits, Mitarotonda quoted “I’m just here for the zipline,” a fan-submitted quote from the popular sketch comedy show I Think You Should Leave, which got some laughs from those in the crowd who knew.
The drums turned tribal from there (monkey suits!) as Bogie re-entered the fray with jazzy clarinet work before engaging in some amazing riff trading with Mitarotonda as things hit a peak and seemed to be reaching the conclusion of the set, but the band wasn’t done and used the false ending as a way to transition into an incredible Pink Floyd-like psychedelic space.
In improvisational music, there are certain things that happen when you are on minute 20, 30, or in this case 70 of a jam that can’t happen without everything that came before – an idea or motif that needs time to germinate before the inspiration strikes.
This final segment of last night’s show was dark, heavy, and absolutely BURSTING with the energy they had restrained for so long as Mitarotonda let loose run after run of shreddy guitar almost like a minor-key “Morning Dew” in its progression and tone.
Whoops and cheers rose from the crowd as the band hit their final peak, absolute awe and glee for the 80 incredible minutes of music we had just witnessed in such a cool setting.
Anspach thanked the crowd before the band exited the stage, leaving the 800 or so attendees with jaws agape as we tried to process the incredible set that had just taken place. It was truly special to get to be in the room for what has honestly been a longtime dream of mine as a jam-obsessed Goose fan. Pushing the band outside their comfort zone with a tight stage, stripped-down rigs, and no songs or segues to fall back on resulted in some incredible music that will hopefully have lasting effects into summer tour and beyond.
Everything Must Go is due out April 25th via No Coincidence Records, and the band has a stacked few months on the horizon with Viva El Gonzo in early May and an extensive June tour. 2025 is already off to an incredible start for Goose and there’s only more greatness on the horizon!