It can be argued that perhaps no other band has done a better job of making the best out of the COVID-based restrictions on live music that have seemingly become the new normal in 2020 than the Connecticut-based Indie-Groove outfit Goose. While other groups were, at best, spending their summers primarily booking sporadic single-night live-streaming appearances at empty stadiums or sparsely attended drive-in theatres, Goose was among the first national touring acts to schedule an extended run of live-streamed shows from a remote location. Dubbed the “Bingo Tour” – setlists for the string of June performances were curated in real-time by the selection of balls labeled with various song titles from a bingo roller operated by band “Coach” Jon Lombardi – the band ultimately hosted a virtual ten-day online event featuring eight sets of music over the course of four nights as well as six additional days of community and interactive fan events that garnered national headlines and nearly unanimous critical acclaim.
However, innovation & clever logistics will only get you so far in this industry, particularly if you don’t have the musical chops to back them up. Fortunately, this newly-formed quintet of improvisational virtuosos (this tour marked percussionist Jeff Arevalo’s first shows as a full-time member) is teeming with the kind of refreshing soul-searching talent & technical ability that has propelled their careers since their 2014 inception and cemented their status as one of the hottest and most intriguing acts in live music today.
