Story by Elisabeth Kramer
Freelance Photography by Emily Lynch
When Ethos last reported on Eugene-based band Adventure Galley it seemed the group’s luck had finally taken a turn for the better. Their new EP, The Right Place to Be, had just released and the five band members had come back to home base after an extremely eventful tour. Twice-stolen equipment and a van that burst into flames were but distant memories and good stories to share. Adventure Galley’s return to Eugene, however, turned out to be only the beginning of the band’s run of good luck.
This summer the group won MySpace’s Toyota Music Rock The Space competition. Prizes include $10,000 worth of Fender gear and a recording agreement for the group to work on a second album. To celebrate their victory (and allow the MySpace crew to finish shooting a promo video), Adventure Galley played at the WOW Hall Thursday night.* Joined by old music mates The Snag and Ethos‘ Bandest of the Bands winner Sea Bell, Adventure Galley celebrated their new success with the fans who, they say, made it possible.
“For the first part of the [Rock The Space] competition, we could only submit one song,” drummer Brock Grenfell says. “We decided to go with a fan favorite: ‘Addict’, track four on the EP.”
The choice was a good one; a month and a half later MySpace contacted the band to notify them they’d made the top ten. Now officially the contest’s winners, Adventure Galley returned to WOW Hall less than four months after their first appearance at the venue as signed artists planning what to do with a $10,000 contract advance.
“We want to use the money to buy any new equipment we can’t get from Fender as well as a new van and trailer,” Grenfell says. “It’s mostly all going to be invested back into the band.”
Since the EP is still relatively new and Grenfell says the band needs time to “solidify new songs,” Adventure Galley will begin working with producers on a second album with the goal of recording after the first of next year.
“We’ve got a lot of material left to share,” Grenfell says. “We’ll probably end up recording more songs than we have room for and have to release B-sides.”
*Ethos couldn’t publish this article until Monday, September 13th due to contract agreements between Adventure Galley and MySpace.
