After parting ways with founding drummer Ben Atkind in December, Goose has named Cotter Ellis as Atkind’s replacement. The band also revealed that the Tuesday, February 6th release it has been teasing with cryptic clips on social media will be Ted Tapes 2024, a collection of nine improvisational “moments” from the band’s early sessions with Cotter on drums.
Cotter Ellis, a member of Burlington-based jam band Swimmer, has also performed with Hayley Jane, Marcus Rezak, Zach Nugent, and various other acts.
Related: Shares ‘Ted Tapes 2024’ Featuring New Drummer [Listen]
Alongside the announcements, Goose is premiering a 30-minute “audition video” featuring the band chatting with Cotter Ellis and playing live with him on drums. Read the full statement from the band and watch the video below.
We are stoked to introduce our new drummer, Cotter Ellis! We first saw Cotter play over five years ago and were immediately struck by his deep sense of pocket and feel. Ted Tapes 2024, coming tomorrow, is just a glimpse of the music we’ve experienced together so far.
Each of the nine tracks on Ted Tapes 2024 are different improvisational moments from early sessions with Cotter. They were recorded solely for the purpose of reference, not intended for any kind of release. The instruments and microphones were rigged up quickly, and the playing was raw and free from any expectations. The first track, Leo, is the opening pick up jam from the first session, the first notes ever played together. There were some consistent threads we all felt in the room throughout these early sessions; ease of communication, freely flowing ideas, and a feeling of effortlessness moving through different zones. We experienced a patience that allowed all our personalities to come out and energy to well up in new ways.
The video we’re sharing today is from the last session with Cotter before we asked him to join the band. We wanted him to meet our team and get a sense of what playing together on stage was like. We couldn’t be more stoked for what’s to come, stay tuned for more announcements tomorrow.
Goose – Cotter Ellis “Audition Video”
Both Atkind and the remaining members of Goose issued statements about the split back in December. According to a statement by Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach, Trevor Weekz, and Jeff Arevalo, “Over the last few months, we’ve had some really difficult internal conversations that have unfortunately resulted in Ben’s departure. As everyone knows, with any type of relationship, sometimes growing in different directions is beyond our control. After a great deal of time and effort working to bridge fundamental personal and creative differences, we’ve come to a place where we feel our current path to be unsustainable long-term.”
As Atkind noted in his statement, “Long-term creative camaraderie demands personal evolution. It demands consistent communication, mutual empathy, and a willingness to compromise. Even though this is something we tried, these elements fell out of sync, which is where we find ourselves today.”
The band’s note continued, “Looking at the larger scope of our lives, we feel in our hearts that making this change is ultimately in the best interest of everyone’s well-being. Change is often very painful and scary, but an unavoidable part of life. This band and everyone involved in it means the world to us, and there is no aspect of this decision we’ve taken lightly. We all love Ben very much and want nothing but the best for him. He is a world class drummer, and we can’t wait to watch and support his future endeavors.”
Goose’s current tour schedule for 2024 is conspicuously light, with only a pair of festival appearances confirmed (at Chillicothe, IL’s Solshine Reverie in May and Swanzey, NH’s Northlands in June, respectively), so fans can likely expect the band to announce new shows soon.
[UPDATE 2/6/24]: Goose has announced its 2024 summer tour, a lengthy June run featuring some of the band’s biggest headlining shows to date. For details, head here.
For more information on upcoming Goose tour dates, head here.
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