The Artist’s Take: Next-gen Jam Band Goose Flies The Coop TO New Heights

Hatched in Norwalk, Connecticut, the Goose chase traverses genres and the globe.

Part of the new wave of jam bands, Goose blends elements of rock, funk, jazz, electronic and folk into exhilarating improvisational performances. They’ve been compared to Phish and the Grateful Dead but incorporate their own modern indie rock aesthetic.
“It’s something you never really get used to,” said Peter Anspach, who joined the band in 2017, of the comparisons. “I was a fan of those bands going back to when I was 14. When you look up to a band for this many years being mentioned in a similar way just doesn’t feel real.”

This article is part of Pollstar’s monthly Market Focus feature, which in July included New Haven / Hartford, Connecticut.

Goose debuted in 2014 and its origins are closely tied to the college music scene and earlier collaborations between founding members frontman/guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, bassist Trevor Weekz and drummer Ben Atkind, who was replaced in 2024 by Cotter Ellis.

“I had a lot of peers and friends that were interested in music and playing music,” said Weekz, who grew up in Wilton, CT. “With our proximity to New York City, there were a lot of shows going on and that was the thing to do on the weekends…Music was very much ingrained in the culture.”

The band built their popularity and passionate fanbase – dubbed Gooseheads – through their live shows and subsequent word-of-mouth. They played small venues and house shows recording and sharing performances via social media.

“It was definitely the days of playing a lot of bars and small venues – and not to a lot of people,” he said. “We booked our first Colorado tour and, on the way out there we played a free show at this venue called Octave in Covington (Kentucky). There was this group of friends there that reminded me of our group of friends in high school that listen to music together. We played another show on our way back from Colorado and they brought all their friends – that was the first pocket. We had to get popular elsewhere before Connecticut caught on.”

The live music scene in the Constitution State developed over time, according to Weekz.

“I feel like it’s like been building,” he said. “There’s always been a scene in the Fairfield / Bridgeport area, in Black Rock when we were coming up…Every weekend there were always people out – no matter who was playing – which was super beneficial, especially for us.”

Thanks to strong musicianship, sprawling improvisation, tight melodies and groove-driven rhythms, the music propelled them from performing in small-cap clubs to headlining some of the most respected stages in the country.

Their “Everything Must Go Summer Tour” is Goose’s most ambitious to date with a recent two-night stand at San Francisco’s The Masonic and other two-night engagements planned for The Factory in Chesterfield, Missouri, Jacobs Pavilion in Cleveland, The Louisville Palace and their New Haven homecoming at Westville Music Bowl on June 29.

Keith Mahler, President of New Haven-based Manic Presents / Premier Concerts, books or operates Connecticut venues including College Street Music Hall in New Haven, Space Ballroom in Hamden and the 10,000-cap Westville Music Bowl.

“I’m excited to have the hometown band, Goose, with us again,” enthused Mahler. “They’ve been with us since the beginning of the band.” While Goose exploded onto the wider jam scene just in recent years, Mahler says it was a gradual build. “Dont kid yourself, they worked very hard at blowing up.”

On June 28 Weekz and the band return to New York for a show, this time as a headliner when Goose plays its first sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden.

“We got to play a benefit there in November and it’s definitely the craziest feeling just walking on stage and feeling that energy directed back at you,” said Weekz. “I’m definitely looking forward to going back and playing our full show.”

In May, the band hosted their first-ever destination festival, Viva El Gonzo, in San José del Cabo, Mexico, which will be followed by a string of major festival appearances including Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee, All Good Now in Columbia, MD and the Newport Folk Festival.

“The big shows are super but it’s like you have to make the big shows as intimate as the small shows, if you can,” offered Anspach. “It’s just a matter of bringing that small room energy to the big stage.”