Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss

I was reading about the war crimes committed in our name, in The New York Times, when a banner came acorns1 the page regarding a concert in Mexico featuring the rock band Goose. I had to look it up to see if that was the band I saw at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater2 a year ago September.

Suddenly a light has gone on! I really dig this band!3 Or however much if it I can take in an hour. Four hour live concert album as MSG. A cover of Shama Lama Ding Dong from the movie “animal house”4.

The Washington Post had an article about a (different) band named Geese. There is a third new band with a geese reference in its name.

Thanks Chris Richard of the Post for saying he would read my post about Goose, Geese and That Other Band named Not Geese or Goose but Something Goose-like.

There’s an Adrienne Rich poem I still don’t understand that I wrote about in Thomas Sleigh’s class at Dartmouth — it might be “Fact of a Door Frame” that references the Goose Girl (It also reference Makeba and I had no idea who was Makeba).

I like Goose “Hungersite”. Goose is the new Vulfpeck and the new Cory Wong.

I loved Grateful Shred at the Fillmore. I am doing my best to bring them to Palo Alto this summer. I also liked their opening act, Holly Bowling who does The Bad Plus on Dead songs and Phish songs. I don’t really like Phish. I went to an early show, at the Warfield, by myself and got there late and kept getting ushered out of a chalked off area near the sound board and got the box office –maybe Teal Good – to give me a refund. Why do I remember the box office person was named Teal Good?

Thanks Ted Gioia for writing something I misinterpret as giving me license5 to write like this.

And thinks to Ethan Iverson both for writing brilliantly about all things music and film but also for sometimes printing my comments (I was banned from his column once for saying something outrageous and not kind, about his mother in law).

I should practice writing the name Rick Mitarotonda. Rick Mitarotonda. Rick Mitarotonda.

Not to digress but Yahoo mail has locked me out of my handheld. Or as John, Paul or Ringo would have said, I want to handhold your

1. speaking of acorns, it reminds me that at Stanford near the Oval near the Church Mem Chu near the Rodin Burghers of Calais is a plaque that says a professor planted two Palo Altos which I think was a subtle argument against the claim that the tall tree we call El Palo Alto was the actual El Palo Alto that Portola wrote about in 1769.
2. I hate it when people say Frost is in Palo Alto or that concerts performed there are in Palo Alto. If Frost were in Palo Alto we’d be collecting a tax to underwrite a music series in the parks of Palo Alto, where I am vowing to bring The Grateful Shred – which features Dan Horne on bass who grew up here.
3. I tend not to use the bang, unless I am discussing Lester Bangs. I posted something on Gioia’s column about meeting a young woman who was reading Strunk and White and then AI said that she had been “turned out”. It said she was drunk and white. She was neither, neighbor.
4. Animal House which the AI wants to call Animal Hose like an elephant’s trunk. No, I made that bit up.
5. I do sometimes worry that you need a license to write like this or that I will be punished for my writings. Beyond the waste of my time and yours.

And I:

Shoot out to Phil Klay of Dartmouth for his op ed.

And And:

Richards, Chris

From:chris.richards@washpost.com

To:mark weiss

Tue, Nov 25 at 8:39 AM

1. I will try to read it.
2. Right, I don’t participate in critic’s polls.
3. Much to look forward to!

Peace!

—

Chris Richards

Pop music critic

The Washington Post

1301 K Street N.W.

Washington D.C. 20071

From: mark weiss <earwopa@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2025 9:55 AM
To: Richards, Chris <chris.richards@washpost.com>
Subject: Brother Ah >>mother goose 

1) I’m working on a blog post called “Geese, Goose, Goofy Geese” on “Plastic Alto” wordpress;

2) I noticed you’re NOT on a list of 114 critics who voted in Downbeat poll.

3) fyi: my upcoming — may include Abe Mamet later in season

earthwise winter 

spring 2025-2026

dec 13 Russian Telegraph P

Jan 4 Johnny A        P

Jan 28 29 30 Corey Harris M

Feb 22 Jim Campilongo Adam Levy Duo P

Feb 28 Edward Simon Trio, Stephan Crump P

March 17 Edu Ribeiro Noah Garabedian Vinicius Gomes trio, Murray Low M

P = Palo Alto Art Center

M = Mitchell Park Community 

Center

$20

😎 ⛄️ 🐍