Rick Mitarotonda (Goose) talks to MC Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger) in the Talkhouse Podcast

In this week Talkhouse Podcast Here we have a seemingly unusual pairing that makes sense upon closer inspection: Rick Mitarotonda of Goose and MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger.

If you’re not in the jam band world, you might not be all that familiar with Goose, but in that world, the Connecticut band is absolutely huge, moving from clubs to amphitheaters in recent years. And while jam bands themselves are pretty common—the barrier to entry isn’t particularly high—very few have reached these heights, and after a decade, Goose already find themselves in the vaunted company of bands like Phish and Dead and Company. It’s pretty obvious why: They’re fantastic players, and their songs offer more than just extended strumming. It makes sense that they’re influenced not only by their jam forebears, but also by jam-adjacent indie kingpins like Radiohead. And they even have the stamp of approval from Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, who asked them to cover his band’s song “2021”—and stretch it out to 20 minutes and 21 seconds. The latest Goose album is Drip field from 2022, but as you’ll hear in this chat, there are a few more in the works. Listen to their song “Give It Time” here.

As the main creative force behind Hiss Golden Messenger, MC Taylor has amassed an incredible catalog over the past 15 years. He was initially associated with the alt-country scene and later with the likes of Will Oldham and Bill Callahan. Hiss records defy categorization, although I should mention that in 2019 Conditions of surrender was nominated for a Grammy for Best Americana Album. Taylor’s latest album as Hiss Golden Messenger is called Jump for joyand the title reflects what’s inside: it’s looser and more playful and even groove-oriented at times, a new step but certainly not an unwelcome one. Listen to “Sanctuary” right here.

In this chat, Rick and MC talk about recording studio albums versus live performances, and they explore the fundamental question of how songs are written. Answer: It’s different for everyone. Oddly enough, they both reflect on the Hare Krishna world, and Rick concludes that Goose is more like a sitcom or a sports team than a band. Enjoy.

0:00 – Introduction
2:48 – Start of the chat
4:04 – What are you listening to?
12:05 – Rick’s musical awakening
19:01 – Long songs versus short ones. “A few short hits would be great.”
24:36 – Goose’s recent line-up change and what impact it might have.
36:16 – The difficulty of writing new songs on tour.

Thanks for listening and thanks to Rick and MC for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse Theme composed and performed by The Range. Until next time!

(Photo credit: left, Daniel Prakopcyk; right, Graham Tolbert; Edited by: Keenan Kush.)