Goose at Harrahs Cherokee Center Asheville

Goose is an American rock band known for its genre-blending sound, improvisational live performances, and dedicated fan base. The band is Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, keys, guitar), Trevor Weekz (bass) and Cotter Ellis (vocals, drums). Their music -- a deft union of indie-rock hooks, sprawling improvisation, and driving rhythm -- has propelled them from performing in Connecticut basements to headlining some of the most revered stages in the country. Known for their strong DIY ethos, Goose has grown organically through relentless touring and utilizing platforms like YouTube, Bandcamp, and nugs.net to share live performances and connect with fans.

Goose will release their fifth studio album, Chain Yer Dragon, on August 14. It arrives just four months after Everything Must Go, their first release since 2022's critically acclaimed Dripfield, which earned them #2 on Billboard's "Top New Artist Albums" chart as well as praise from Rolling Stone, who called it "both sweet headphone ear candy and the foundation for a perfect live peak."

In contrast to its predecessor, Everything Must Go drew from the feel of Goose's live performances and featured songs written throughout their recent years of growth, including re-imagined live staples and songs that captured their evolving, dynamic sound. The album's first single, "Give It Time," went to #6 on the AAA Radio charts. Goose is the only band to have two songs ("Give It Time" and "Your Direction) on these charts at the same time.

Now, Chain Yer Dragon welcomes listeners into a rich, fully-realized world of music and familiar characters, beckoning them to follow the lights and sounds through dingy barrooms and late nights on the road that dissolve into the clarity of a fresh dawn. The album showcases Goose's versatility, laying down 70s-infused rock songs that feel lived-in and come to life through improvisation. Playing with form, the album is buoyed by a natural production style that once again gives it the raw, freewheeling feel of the band's electric live shows.

Everything Must Go was met with a wide range of high-profile media excitement upon its spring release, with major features in the New York Times, Vulture, and more, as well as a memorable performance and interview with Anthony Mason on CBS Saturday Morning. Hailed by SPIN as "a wide-ranging demonstration of the creative gifts that have attracted such high-profile collaborators and a growing caravan of fans...90 minutes of music that combines organic grooves with an increasing skill for melodic hooks," Everything Must Go has drawn applause from a wide range of publications, including Uproxx, which praised it as "the band's heftiest and most satisfying studio effort yet," Guitar Player, who called it "tuneful yet adventurous, filled with righteous grooves, elaborate electric guitar solos and other assorted bits of musical hijinks," and PopMatters, which simply declared it "superb...one of the best studio albums by a jam band to date." The album marks both a statement of intent for Goose as well as an arrival of sorts -- a journey for fans and newcomers alike through the group's past, present, and infinite future.

Since their earliest days recording 2016's Moon Cabin in a barn in northern New Hampshire, Goose has been developing their unique approach to writing and improvising, achieving a rare balance between thoughtfully crafted songs, tight musicianship, and emotional honesty. Goose has sold out many venues across the United States, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Forest Hills Stadium, and performed on the likes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS Saturday Morning, and played their share of iconic music fests, including Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, ACL and many more. Through their commitment to forward momentum, Goose continues to remind us that music isn't simply played -- it's felt, lived, and shared.

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Host or Publisher RICHARD HAWKINS