A normal day of shooting on NBC’s The Voice, last season, would include the usual star-studded lineup; Pop-punker Cassadee Pope, the cute-as-a-button Melanie Martinez, Carson Daly working on 2 hours of sleep and Adam Levine’s shirts.
Behind the scenes, hundreds of screaming girls would show up hours before the 8:00 p.m. EST live start to secure their spot in the audience, a spot that would allow them to see said lineup and scream at all each celebrity, especially Adam’s shirts. Unbeknown to them, many of the people working behind the scenes ensuring all this merriment were inching their way toward their own personal successes elsewhere.
No one could know that the young man escorting an NBC executive to his seat would become the right-hand man to the head of television development a few weeks later. Nor could they know that smiling face making sure the contestants’ families were taken care of before the show was in the midst of launching a popular swimwear line, or that the quick-witted dude with the awesome beard facilitating bathroom breaks was part of the longest-running improv team in iO Comedy Club’s vaunted history. Who would have guessed that the 6’6” behemoth with the sick sideburns running the show was a country-rocker fresh off of an appearance on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and was about to break his SXSW cherry in Austin this March.
Among the talented, yet unsung, cast of characters were brothers Ryan and Brendan Cooney giving speeches about when the best time to use the bathroom was (which was never) and Dave Mozdzanowski putting out bike racks to keep teenage girls from sacrificing their bodies in front of Cee-Lo’s SUV in order to get an autograph. Add guitarist Ben Lozano to the mix and upcoming band The Gallery is created.
This foursome came to L.A. from Massachusetts, by way of West Palm Beach, Fla.
“The decision to move to LA wasn’t too difficult to make. We had spent time here before to record, and marked that as the bands most progressive months. I wasn’t opposed to the idea of escaping Massachusetts winters for 70 and sunny either,” Brendan says. “We came out here with the goal to record a full length record, but the means of getting there was uncertain. So I guess we kinda came out here on faith that it would all work out.”
The guys made the move off the heels of the band’s EP, Come Alive, to buckle down a devote themselves to creating the upcoming full-length, Restless, which is as laid back and fun as the guys themselves. To some it could come off as an unapologetic pop-rock record, to some an album that hits on the all parts of rock-and-roll that make the world an enjoyable place and to all, 12 tracks of good music and again, fun.
“It’s something we’re very excited about. All of the bands that we look to for guidance musically and how they manage their career have made us excited to focus on a full record. We had a great time trying to make every song great, and are excited about starting to play them live,” Ryan says.
The move to L.A. and new record also finds them dealing with a new type of audience. In 2011 The Gallery was named one of the top 10 unsigned bands in America by mega-outlet, Rolling Stone. Though, the band didn’t win the contest that ultimately named The Sheepdogs “top dog,” it was something The Gallery was able to build off of in many ways.
“The Rolling Stone thing was cool, just to be given a nod as an independent artist. After it was over, we went back to writing, and touring and working for that next opportunity,” Ryan says.
Of course, when you’re a smaller band devoted to your craft and someone like Rolling Stone approaches you, there’s going to be a little trepidation. The fear of being exploited or having your music presented in the wrong light is unavoidable.
“We were reluctant to do the contest at all when we got the offer, but they told us their intention would be to make it a legit competition between bands, so we joined. We were in the top 16, but didn’t make it any further than that,” Dave says. “We made some great contacts with other bands in the contest, and tons of press, so we think it was worth doing, but we never wrote songs specifically for that or to get votes.”
There are definitely additional perks from a contest like that as well. “The Rolling Stone contest really broadened our fan base, especially in Massachusetts. Our show turnouts went from 30 people 200, and varied in age groups. We’ve noticed a lot of moms and dads come to our shows with their kids!”
It was just another stepping stone, another chapter in the book of The Gallery, whose roots go back to the womb, literally.
“Well, Brendan and I are brothers and started jamming together when he was about 14 and I was 16-17,” Ryan says. Dave came on board through mutual friends and, while the younger Cooney was still taking his S.A.T.s, he and Ryan opted for a more tropical climate and enrolled in school in West Palm Beach.
“I can remember Dave and I being at school in Florida getting demos in email from Brendan who was still in high school in MA. We would work on them, demo our parts, and send them back to Brendan. That’s how we wrote our first EP all the way back in 2006 when Brendan wasn’t even the lead singer yet.” They even used craigslist to help bolster the lineup.
“I was attending Berklee College of Music when I met these guys. I had decided to take the summer off, so I was looking for a band/project to get involved with, and I found their craigslist ad. The same day that I answered the ad I went to a show of theirs and met the guys for the first time. Shortly after that we got together to jam, and that’s all she wrote. They welcomed me with open arms and we shipped off to sunny LA,” Ben says.
The Restless chapter will be the one that ultimately defines them. Songs like “Young and Restless” and “Ballroom Of Broken Hearts” are the type of crowd pleasers that current rock radio wishes they were lucky enough to have in rotation. Some holdovers from the EP, such as “Ballroom” and “Catalyst” are painted with finer brush strokes to please existing fans and excite new ones. The new material, like “Young,” “The Runaround” and “Lost Inside Forever” put the bands growth and devotion front and center for the world to see. Brendan’s knack for catchy hooks and heart-on-his sleeves lyrics play back into the narrative of The Gallery’s genuineness.
“I don’t think our sound is conscious necessarily but just influenced by the qualities that draw us to certain genres and artists like Tom petty. I will admit I’m a sucker for mainstream pop music,” Brendan says. “I think it’s more just the kind of music we enjoy playing, rather than thought out for the purpose of getting that sound. Does that make sense?”
With influences ranging from Bob Marley and Dylan to Thrice and Saves the Day, the band take cues from what they like and have fun making good music. It’s never more evident than in the live shows. The four guys are as tight as a band can be on stage, much like off the stage, all with wide grins on their faces throughout the duration of the set. They got a chance to break out some tracks off the new record, for the first time, not too long ago at the Sunset Strip landmark, The Viper Room and they’re eager to start playing them more, as soon as possible.
“One of our best memories so far of touring is basically spending every day with our best friends and my brother. Having the band, and our buddy Carter on tour, living in hotel rooms, having every meal together for months, it’s the most fun I’ve had while learning about myself at the same time. It’s made me even more sure about wanting to do this as a career,” Ryan says.
Judging from Restless, The Voice might need to find someone else to start telling the audience when to use the bathroom.
