Goose Debuts New Song ‘California Magic’ In Washington DC

Goose launched the second leg of their winter tour last night with a concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. The quintet presented the debut of “California Magic,” a new original penned by guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, during their first of two nights at the legendary venue.

“Happy Mardi Gras,” multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach exclaimed after the band took the stage. “This room is awesome. We were here a couple of years ago, opening up, it was fun. Now we’re back. You guys sold this room out in seconds. So, congratulations to us all because this moment is here and we’re very excited for it. Let’s have some fun!” Goose opened the evening with the traditional “Liza Jane” following Anspach’s greeting.

“Drive” filled the two-slot and spanned nearly 22 minutes, one of three songs played on Tuesday longer than 20 minutes. The band patiently explored an ambient jam space before Mitarotonda led a build to a strong peak to bring “Drive” to its conclusion. Staple “Travelers” came next and then Goose called upon “Doc Brown” from Peter’s Great Blue days. Opus “The Old Man’s Boat” followed. From there Goose unveiled “California Magic.” The band’s newest song mixed funk, blues and Americana themes. Last night’s first set ended with a version of the beloved “Madhuvan” featuring plenty of tension and release.

Goose kicked off last night’s second set with an “Into The Myst” they jammed into a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish.” The five-piece last played the Songs In The Key Of Life classic publicly back on December 7, 2019. Next up was a wild, 25-minute “Wysteria Lane” that saw the band work through both blissful and dark sections. “Wysteria Lane” was highlighted by a rocking pattern Goose connected on and rode to glory with angular lead guitar from Mitarotonda and sharp rhythm guitar from Anspach.

The five-song frame rolled on with the emotion-laden “Your Ocean.” Goose then fit “I Wish” teases within the set-closing “Pancakes.” Last night marked the fourth version of “Pancakes,” an original debuted in San Diego on January 27. Each take has been well-jammed and Tuesday’s “Pancakes” was no exception, as Goose joined forces for rollicking improvisation that would have made James Brown proud. The Connecticut-based band closed out the action with a “Doobie Song” encore.

Stream/purchase an official audio recording of last night’s show and watch fan-shot video footage featuring the “California Magic” debut below:

Setlist (via Jon “Coach” Lombardi)

Set One: Liza Jane {1}, Drive > Travelers, Doc Brown, The Old Man’s Boat, California Magic {2}, Madhuvan

Set Two: Into The Myst > I Wish {3} , Wysteria Lane {4} > Your Ocean, Pancakes {5}

Encore: Doobie Song

Coach’s Notes:

• {1} Traditional Tune
• {2} Original, FTP
• {3} Stevie Wonder, LTP 2019
• {4} Dripfield vibes
• {5} I Wish Teases