Over the past couple years, rock and roll has enjoyed an extremely silly waterfowl-related coincidence: The simultaneous rise of the indie jam band Goose and the Brooklyn punk band Geese. Though these two outfits couldn’t be further from each other in sound or style, they’ve been inevitably conjoined by name. And now, in the craziest fluke, both Goose and Geese have announced the departures of band members in a classic Friday-before-Christmas news dump.
For Goose, they’ll be parting ways with longtime drummer and co-founder Ben Atkind, and Geese have confirmed the exit of guitarist Foster Hudson.
In their statement, Goose’s Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach, Trevor Weekz and Jeff Arevalo appeared to chalk Atkind’s departure up to tensions between “fundamental and creative differences,” adding: “We’ve come to a place where we feel our current path to be unsustainable long-term.”
The band 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.”
Atkind, in his own statement, announced his departure with “a heavy heart and a deep sense of gratitude,” saying how “lucky” he was to be part of the band as it went from a local Connecticut favorite to one of the biggest jam bands in the country. Atkind has played on the band’s three studio albums, 2016’s Moon Cabin, 2021’s Shenanigans Nite Club, and 2022’s Dripfield (not to mention the hundreds of live shows and recordings Goose have shared over the past few years).
“Conceiving a dream isn’t easy, and I realize how lucky I am to have been a part of it — from the very beginning until where Goose is now,” Atkind said. “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. I will be forever grateful for my time with my bandmates and wish them the best as we prepare to go our separate ways.
As for Geese, they acknowledged that Hudson had been noticeably absent from band duties in recent months. They explained that the guitarist had “decided to take a leave from the band to pursue his academic endeavors. Moving forward, Foster will remain at school and Geese will continue as a 4 piece. We wholeheartedly support Foster’s decision to continue his studies and we hope that you will too.”
Earlier this year, Geese released their second album, 3D Country, as well as the follow-up EP, 4D Country. The group formed in 2016 when most of the band was still in high school, and they were prepared to break-up as college approached. But, they decided to stick it out after their self-produced demos started garnering attention, and they released their official debut album, Projector, in 2021.