Write-Up by Kelly Kerrigan
“Did you know they almost broke up to go to college?” a friend said to me in the middle of Geese’s set during the last night of Geesefest while “2122” played into a mashup of Green Day’s “American Idiot.”
“No shit,” I responded, though I knew exactly what they were talking about – I also read that in some interview. Regardless, thank god they didn’t.
Geesefest 2024 was a three-day run at New York City’s Music Hall of Williamsburg this December. Each night, the band journeyed across varied setlists which included songs from their earlier releases, their breakout record 3D Country, music from frontman Cameron Winter’s solo project, and even covers (such as Television’s “Marquee Moon” & The Modern Lovers “Roadrunner”). The series was also bookended by an eclectic bunch of openers (including death’s dynamic shroud, Lip Critic, U.S. Girls, Guerilla Toss, Cold Court, and Fantasy of a Broken Heart), in addition to the band hosting Super Smash Bros tournaments before doors opened each night, projecting the game on the stage for fans to play against them.
My first time seeing Geese live was the final night of the fest, which began with Winter stepping on stage and, in his husky rumblings saying, “Oh fuck. Night three of Geesefest baby, come on. Don’t fuck with me.”
Universally, a highlight of every Geese show (especially with people who haven't really listened to them before), is Winter’s vocals, alone; he sounds much older than he is, despite the fact that he and the rest of the band are all in their early 20s. It’s his vocal dexterity that draws you in, while the rest of the band – Sam Revaz on keys, Em Green joining Winter on guitar, Max Bassin on drums, and Dom DiGesu on bass — keeps you there. There’s a playfulness to the band’s energy on stage that tells the audience that they’re having fun, and encourages them to have fun, too.
One of my favorite parts of the night was the sheer instrumental prowess of the band. These guys know how to rip through their multi-genre discography with fun and ease. They don't take themselves too seriously, especially not in interviews, but they care deeply about the act of playing and making music and that shows in the large and diverse fanbase they've cultivated since breaking out of their local music scene.
That night of the fest, the front row was lined with Geese superfans wearing handmade knitcaps (one of which Winter masked himself with during the encore of the set). It was hard not to stare at the young fans from up on the balcony; seeing them took me back to my days of waiting hours to be barricade for Cage The Elephant shows at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, and it made me excited for Geese’s future and for the futures of those front-row fans who will watch one of their favorite bands make it big (which feels inevitable for Geese).
Further supporting their upward trajectory is Geese’s incomparable vastness as artists. Sure, you might be able pull together lots of little moments throughout their songs and notice echoes of other artists’ styles, or list albums theirs remind you of. But in doing this at all, you’d be compiling a very long list, likely of some of the greatest in their individual genres, which shows the depth of Geese’s artistry as musicians, even this early in their career.
Moreover, Geese spent the past year growing their live presence. They toured with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Greta Van Fleet, playing venues like Forest Hills Stadium, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and a handful of other huge arenas and stadiums. They played at major festivals like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Gov Ball, and Bonnaroo. And concluded 2024 with this, their second annual Geesefest at home in New York. “They’ve grown to be such great performers since those tours,” said my friend, who attended all three nights and has been a longtime fan of the band.
My personal highlight of the show was their performance of 3D Country tracks;they sounded incredible live, bringing a new life to the recordings (which you can also hear in their 2024 live record, Alive & In Person). “I See Myself” feels jazzier live, brooding, as the audience echoes the chorus. “2122” feels like a stadium-level rock song. “Cowboy Nudes” becomes a New York homecoming anthem, rounded out with chants to the city itself.
Above all, it’s increasingly rare to see newer artists break out of their local scene without having a viral song, and it’s all too common to go to one of those virality-powered shows and notice that everyone in the audience is there for that one singular song. While possibly pessimistic to point out, this is a bleak look into where the music industry is going, and it’s difficult to deny. With Geese, however, it’s refreshing to see everyone in the audience at thier shows resonating with all of their songs, and to see different people connecting with different tracks at different moments and for different reasons.
There’s an organicness to the work they’ve put in as artists, and with all the shows they’ve played, they’ve created a genuine ethos reflecting who they are – so much so that they can easily host a buzzy, sold-out three-day run in their hometown, where fans in the front row made knit caps with Geese on them in their honor and many other people in the audience proudly sported their funny Geese merch, locked in for the entirety of the band’s two-hour jam set. I loved every moment of Geesefest and can’t wait to see what's next for these rockstars.
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