Band’s tunes add up to psychedelic, intense rhythms

Goose perform their multifaceted instrumental music. PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOSE

Credit: Steve Schirra

Some musical acts can get people dancing without saying a word.

Instrumental band Goose does it while adding different flavors of rock into the mix.

“(The music is) intense, raging music,” Goose bassist Matt Brower said. “But it’s real pleasant to the ears. It’s psychedelic at times, and it’s extremely dancy. It’s like … a party in a box.”

The band consists of three Kent State seniors. Guitarist Jeff Host and drummer Dan “Goose” Corrigan are both music majors, and Brower is a communications major.

“Me and the drummer have pretty much known each other our whole lives,” Brower said. “I’ve never played an instrument, but he’s played drums since we were in the fourth grade. And I think my sophomore year in college we met Jeff, the guitar player, and he was just so amazing at guitar that I was just like ‘I have to learn an instrument; I have to be in a band with this kid.'”

The three booked a show at the Electric Caf‚ before the band officially formed. They improvised the whole time on stage.

“It just really worked, and ever since then, we started writing songs and playing shows, and it just kind of fell into place,” Brower said.

The band’s name comes from Corrigan, who was given the nickname “Goose” by his parents when he was 2 years old because he walked like a goose. The nickname has stayed with him since.

“He went to book the first gig with Joel at the ECC and Joel said, ‘What’s your name?’ and Goose thought ‘What’s your name?’ … so Goose put down ‘Goose,’ and we kept it,” Brower said.

Goose, which will celebrate its one-year anniversary as a band Nov. 22, is influenced by Sonic Youth, Nirvana, the James Gang, classic rock in general and Disco Biscuits’ music from around 1999.

“I mean we pretty much listen to it all … we’re very open,” Brower said.

When Goose is jamming together at a show, two things influence the band members.

“One, to look over and see your band mates going nuts and raging it, you think to yourself ‘Oh my God,’ … ‘Listen to how good he’s playing … Can you believe this?’ and it inspires you to do so as well,” Brower said.

“And then I think the main factor is the crowd,” he added. “If you look out and you see a crowd of people just dancing and going crazy … then, in return, you sort of get their energy back from them.”

The band members have a few different pre-gig rituals that help put them in the mood to perform.

“Usually we just hang out … we just don’t even really talk about the music; we just chill.” Brower said.

Contact ALL correspondent Gabe Gott at [email protected].