Goose Announce New Drummer Cotter Ellis and Upcoming Album ‘Ted Tapes 2024’

Photo Credit: Daniel Prakopcyk

Goose has announced that Vermont-based drummer Cotter Ellis has been officially selected to fill the band’s empty seat. Ellis is a familiar face to Burlington concertgoers, known for his work with Zach Nugent’s Dead Set and several other jam cover outfits that have taken the stage at Nectar’s. Fortunately for fans eager to hear the new drummer’s fit with the quartet, this news is complimented by the revelation of a new full-length project to be released tomorrow and Ellis’ 30-minute audition tape with the band, which is available on YouTube now.

In this surprise release, Goose disclose that the group first caught a performance from Ellis over five years ago and instantly recognized his pocket prowess and unique sound. Ted Tapes 2024, the song cycle set to release tomorrow, introduces the new combination’s style in the format set forth by Ted Tapes 2021. Whereas the former project was composed solely of rehearsals and soundchecks, Goose’s upcoming offering features nine improvisational tracks selected from the band’s first sessions with Ellis. The result is Goose at its rawest and most experimental, exploring new harmonies and sonic paths forward from its point of transition, unselfconsciously, as the recordings were not originally intended for release.

Detailing the new project, Goose write: “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.” This new energy was heard on teases posted to Goose’s social channels last weekend, bringing anticipation to a head for an already restless following.

The video accompanying today’s news is Cotter’s formal introduction to the band. Recorded during the drummer’s final session with Goose before his official invitation to join the band, the arrangement was made to simulate performing onstage during one of Goose’s exhilarating live engagements. As the final roaring jam comes to a close, Cotter can be heard thanking the group and saying that this collaboration is “a dream come true.” 

Ted Tapes 2024 will be available tomorrow, Feb. 6. For more information from the band as it debut its new lineup, visit goosetheband.com.