Ska-rock, reggae, jazz, alt-rock…whatever your poison, the DC area’s Goose Club has something that’ll get your ass out of your seat. The band is back with its second EP titled The Flock Is Forming and it’s chock full of danceable jams, skankin’ guitars, and sweet, glorious horns.
The band consists of Garrett Shaw (sax/keys/vocals), Dylan Nowak (vocals/guitar/trumpet), Kyle Shaw (bass) and Stan Chong (drums). If you’re a fan of Sublime, King Crimson, Dave Matthews, or The Dear Hunter, you’d dig Goose Club and should check them out. (I still think they sound like one of my favorite ska bands, Starpool, at least on the ska cuts. But that’s just me!)
The band doesn’t settle on a single genre, which makes for a refreshing listen that’s blistering with energy and verve. Here’s a Q&A with the band, and below that, check out the skanktastic “Bar Fight.”
TLW: Where did you record The Flock Is Forming?
Goose Club: Lion & Fox Studios in College Park, Md.
Who produced the album?
We worked with the engineer Jim Fox to mix and EQ the whole record.
What was your goal in terms of creative direction coming off last year’s excellent The Goose Is Loose?
The first EP was put together really quickly. [Drummer] Stan [Chong] came off of a plane from Hawaii and just went directly into the studio without prep time. This one we took more time and we all had more input into each individual track. We feel that this set of songs represents the kind of direction that we are going in.
You guys span so many different genres. How do you determine which vibe a certain song is going to take on?
We all listen to a wide variety of music and we pull those influences into our songs. We don’t want to limit our sound to a certain genre. It’s fun to experiment with different styles and combine them to create something that sounds different.
What’s your touring schedule like these days and what’s the furthest you’ve traveled for a gig thus far? Are nationwide tours a possibility for you going forward?
We are gigging in the DMV. We went to Richmond to play a radio show. We would like to tour nationwide if we have the funds to do so.
What is each band member’s favorite of the new tracks and why?
Garrett – “Mr. 2000” because when you are listening to it you never know what’s going to happen next.
Kyle – Bar Fight because it is fun to play live.
Dylan – “From The Start” because when I said we should have a song with jazz chords, a rap, and a samba the guys said OK and we did!
Stan – “Let Down” because it has a good feel to it and is more reggae than our other songs.
What’s next for Goose Club?
Full length album! We have a themed album that we’re working on, but we won’t give away the secret!
Goose Club is on Spotify, SoundCloud and bandcamp. You can also tweet them and Like ’em on Facebook!
(And yes. I’m still obsessing over “Don’t Fall Asleep” from the first EP.)
