I’ve been really into music most of my life. In high school, it was heavy metal and hard rock; bands like Rush, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and Judas Priest–bands that are still in my rotation. Early in college I got heavily into Jethro Tull, then my little brother took me to my first Dead show and from then on I was on the bus. Like many Vince-era Deadheads, I also became a fan in the early 1990s of other jamband pioneers like Widespread Panic and Phish. Fast forward to the pandemic and a new band out of Connecticut started making waves with fans of improvisational rock music. That band was Goose. In short, they took the Dead model and applied it to a new era. Their set lists were different every night, they sprinkled quirky and beloved covers into their shows, they shared their live music free (on YouTube and Bandcamp), and they delivered the goods live. A good friend saw them out in Colorado in 2022 and raved about them.

Fast forward to the summer of 2025 and it is fair to say I am listening to Goose more than any other band. I like their studio stuff, but I mostly listen to live stuff that I buy from Bandcamp or download from YouTube. I’ve been lucky enough to catch them live four times thus far (hopefully with many more to come). This morning, a Thursday in mid-August, they dropped another full length studio recording titled Chain Yer Dragon. This is their second album of the year, after Everything Must Go, which was released in the spring. Their summer tour starts today, so it makes sense. I love the timing of this for two reasons. For one, it has ‘indie marketing’ vibes, which I believe was integral to their meteoric rise after the pandemic. Secondly, they are prolific. Taking cues from Trey Anastasio, one of their heroes, they are musicians who are consistently making great new music and getting it out for their fans.

The tracklist contains mostly songs that have been staples of their shows for years, including Rockdale, The Empress of Organos, and Echo of A Rose. There are also some new tunes, including Madalena and Royal. I’m sure many Goose fans will dismiss these versions because they aren’t live, but I enjoy the contrast between the stretched out live performances and the tighter, more highly produced studio versions. (Although, to be fair, the Factory Fiction that closes the record is nearly 17 minutes long.) It is also great to hear a studio version of a song that has only ever been experienced live before, even if I’ll spend more time going forward with the live tracks.

A couple quick reactions. I get strong Jackson Browne vibes from some songs on this record, such as Madalena. Rick’s ethereal guitar is also ubiquitous and I continue to love his voice. That said, there are no Pete (Anspach) songs, which is a bummer. There are also no covers. Oh well, all the more reason to go see ‘em live!