When it comes to bands named after predatory fowl, there may be some confusion about Goose, GOOSE, and Geese. The two bands sharing the name GOOSE and Goose are an electronic rock band from Belgium and a jam band from Connecticut, respectively. Geese, on the other hand, is an indie rock band from Brooklyn, NY who sold out a pair of weekend shows at the Mercury Lounge in New York City on both Friday and Saturday nights this past weekend.
Well known as an important destination for rising musicians, the Mercury Lounge is a lower Manhattan rite of passage for bands from all over the world. It’s a dream come true for a group of friends who attended high school together only three years ago just over the Williamsburg Bridge a few miles away. Playing the Merc is a big deal; selling it out on consecutive nights and watching $20 tickets sell for triple-digit prices even more so.
Interestingly, I saw Goose (singular), the indie-groove act from CT, for the first time in the same room just over three years ago under similar conditions. A few years later and I’ve now seen them over 40 times, several of those shows in places like Red Rocks and sold out arenas. It’s a room I frequent to find the next best thing and the similarities in name and circumstance were just too much to ignore as I allowed intrigue to pull me in. Having never before seen Geese (plural), I showed up open-minded, open-eared, and excited to discover new (to me) music.
On the way up is an easy way to describe the indie rock/punk/funk sextet whose live show is characterized by both raw, youthful energy and a maturity that belies their age. With a modern vibe and a ’70s feel, or vice versa, the band as a whole is easy to look at and even easier to listen to. Vocalist and centerpiece Cameron Winter is the full package and there was a Jim Morrison-esque feel to his appearance and sound. From talk-poetry singing to screaming to hushed whispers and raised falsettos, Winter is a true modern frontman.
Engaging, honest banter and refreshing lead vocals paved the way for ambient and dreamy soundscapes that gave way in turn to big rolling bass lines, driving drums, and shredding dual guitars with earworm riffs. With just one album, Projector, and a few singles to their credit, Geese probably played all to most of their songs during a roughly 75-minute set that felt perfectly complete.
Unlike those who listen to a band or album exhaustively before forking over the time or effort to see them live, I often operate in reverse, demanding that the music win me over in person before deep-diving a catalog. As such I had little to no familiarity with what I was hearing save for a few singles with enough appeal to get me in the door in the first place. “Disco” was one of those and boy did it resonate live.
Geese – “Disco” – 2/25/23
Having now succumbed to their live energy, Projector is most certainly on the short list of albums awaiting a deeper listen just as Geese is officially on my short list of bands not to be missed live.
As far as what’s-in-a-name, and musically speaking as well, GOOSE from Belgium plus Goose from Connecticut most definitely does not equal Geese from Brooklyn, but the more geese the merrier. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this still-coming-of-age band out of Fort Greene.
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