Goose Talks Its New Direction as a Four-Piece Ahead of Fiddler's Run

Goose has had a whirlwind year. The popular jam band is now touring as a four-piece, after letting go of drummer Jeff Arevelo early in the year, and has just released its seventh studio album, which includes versions of favorites that most fans have only heard at shows or on live albums as well as brand-new songs. The band will be coming to Colorado for a two-night run starting Friday, June 6, at Fiddler's Green Amphitheater, where Peter Anspach (keys/guitar/vocals), Rick Mitarotonda (guitar/vocals), Cotter Ellis (drums) and Trevor Weekz (bass) will deliver multiple sets of heavy jams.

When we catch up with Anspach, he's raving about the band's latest tour, which just kicked off in May, following an appearance at Bottle Rock Music Festival in Napa. "Epic festival," he says. "Great location, lots of beautiful pine trees, big field, lovely designs and all the stages were really cool, so I'd love to go back!"

Anspach is known for his high-energy, positive vibes, which are on display at every Goose show, whether at Red Rocks Amphitheatre or Fiddler's Green, where the band performed for the first time last year. "It was kind of a cool change from our typical Colorado thing, but I really liked it," he says of Fiddler's. "You know, there's a lot of room to grow in that venue, which is kind of cool. Overall, though, lovely, lovely experience."
He says the band has a home away from home in Colorado; Anspach even stayed here for a stint to live out ski-bum fantasies. "I love going hiking out there," he adds. "I did the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop before, and I've always loved Colorado for the skiing. I bought a season pass to Copper Mountain back in 2017, and that was just the best winter ever."

Since Goose really took off during the pandemic, it's a bit harder to take the time off for such indulgences now. But Anspach is reveling in the band's success and living out the musicians living out their dreams. He joined Goose in 2017 after having known Mitarotonda and Weekz in high school; his own band, Great Blue, would also perform alongside Goose (Great Blue still gets together to play some rare shows) throughout the early years. "We were all part of the same scene and loved music," he says. "That's what it's all about." What's really mind-blowing is how Anspach and his Goose bandmates were fans in the jam scene for years before becoming a must-see group in the circuit, performing with their own heroes from Trey Anastasio to Bruce Hornsby. It's something that he still tries to wrap his head around. "I am so grateful that we're in this position, but like, at the same time, it's pretty wild," he says. "I was going to see Kung Fu, Dopapod, Papadosio and all those bands, and I was like, 'These bands are going to be the next big thing!' ... So it's kind of wild to be in a scenario where we're one of those bands. It's just really surreal and we're super grateful."

Of course, being in the jam scene also comes with a rabid, intense fan base. You could almost say it's akin to Nicki Minaj's Barbz (a little unhinged). But Goose tries not to pay much mind to any naysayers and netizens on the subreddits and Facebook groups. "I've heard there are positive and amazing things going on, as well as some people who are complainers," Anspach says. "And that's okay, they've gotta get their feelings out and that's fine. But at the end of the day, they're coming to the show, whether they're complaining online, it's all going to be fine. ... And then I'll see you later at the show to listen to music — that's what we're all here for anyway."
On Goose's current tour, Anspach says it's been exciting to perform new songs from the band's latest album, Everything Must Go. "It's always fun having fresh songs in the rotation," he says. With such a deep well of songs to choose from now, the band thinks ahead when it comes to planning sets for the tour, he adds: "We'll definitely plot out some ideas for the whole tour, but then we kind of take it week by week also. It kind of goes in cycles...and it's a pretty fluid process [that] starts out with broad strokes then becomes smaller and smaller."

In the making of the album, Goose turned to fan favorites from its live sets while also laying down new tunes, such as the groovy, funky "Dustin Hoffman." "We wanted to make sure we captured the best version on the tracks that we've been playing for a while, but they also didn't feel old to us by the time we got to the studio," Anspach says. "So it was like, these still feel fresh, and folks that haven't heard of us before, they're going to hear this album version as the first thing we produce. It doesn't matter how old the song is, it puts you in a certain focus and gives a new purpose and new life to the song. And then any new song that hasn't been heard live, it's kind of an exciting opportunity to just let the song be what it wants to be. That's kind of what we're doing, anyway. If you get out of the way and let the song do its thing, then usually good things happen."

Good things often happen when Goose lets go: The compositions of the members' jams are complex and life-affirming. This will also be Goose's first big tour in its four-piece setup, which will see the band performing with just one drummer for the first time. "We're down to a four-piece now, which I love," Anspach says. "It's easier to pick up on ideas and you hear each other a lot better. Overall, the vibe has been fantastic. I can't believe this is a tour where we have a bunch more shows because this is already feeling pretty great."

And Goose is bringing that energy to Fiddler's, Anspach promises. "We'll be doing two sets each night, God willing," he says. "We're going to do our best to make the shows as epic as possible. And you know, it's not lost on us that Colorado is just an amazing place and loves this type of music and has always loved us and been so supportive of us throughout the years, back to like, 2019, and earlier. So we're just so grateful for that. We always try and bring our best show."

Goose plays Fiddler's Green Amphitheater, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village, 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 6, and Saturday, June 7. Tickets are available via AXS.