The Gallery is a rock band that knows how to write catchy hooks and sharp lyrics. The Florida band by way of Massachusetts is made up of brothers Brendan Cooney (vocals/guitar) and Ryan Cooney (drums) and their friends Shea Brennan (guitar) and Dave Mozdzanowski (bass/vocals).The band recently performed at SXSW 2011 and took some time to chat with PopWreckoning about their Come Alive EP, the festival and future plans. You can read the full interview below.
Bethany, PopWreckoning: Let’s start at the beginning. Where’d you guys meet and how did you form the Gallery?
Ryan Cooney, drummer: Brendan [Cooney] is my brother, so we met at my house. Haha. Shea [Brennan] lives in our town and Dave [Mozdzanowski] lives near by, so we’ve all been friends. We’ve played together and we kind of branched off from all the people that we were playing with and started playing in our basement and went from there. 
PW: I know on your bio that is says you’re all from Massachusetts, but you call Florida your second home. What’s the connection between the two?
Dave Mozdzanowski, bassist: We went to school down there. I went down for school, then Ry came down after a couple of years and then these two guys [Brendan and Shea] came down a couple years after. Then we met a lot of friends down there, so we have all those connections.
PW: For people who haven’t heard your band, how would you describe your sound and what are some of your influences?
Ryan: We just say rock. It’s so easy to put a bunch of adjectives in there, but I guess people say it has a kind of folk feel. We do listen to a lot of music like that. Bob Dylan – we’ve learned a lot from his songs. Then Tom Petty, 90s rock bands like Oasis or Third Eye Blind or Matchbox 20. We like everything, so I guess it just comes together to form some sort of rock music.
PW: You guys have a lot of support from a lot of online and print publications. You were just involved with a Rolling Stone unsigned cover battle contest. How did you get picked for that? Is that still going on?
The Gallery: We got involved in it – we played Miami for a festival that someone in the industry suggested that we go to and then next thing you know, we got picked. We were just in the top 16. The top 8 have already moved on. It’s over now for us.
PW: You guys have been playing every single day of SXSW. What have you learned from your experience and if you had to, what would be in a SXSW survival kit for you?
Ryan: We’ve…moderation would be the key, probably. A lot of bands, I’m sure, only play one set or a couple sets and then have the rest of the week to do whatever they want, but if you’re busy playing everyday, it’s probably not the best idea to stay up really late. Especially if you’re sleeping on the floor of hotel. We’re at the Marriott – downtown Marriott. We had to sneak in through the garage last night. Take it easy, enjoy the music and stay busy.
PW: What have been some of the craziest or coolest things you’ve seen since you’ve been here?
Brendan Cooney, singer/guitar: We were actually saying it’s not exactly as crazy as we thought it would be. I think it’s just the type of people that are attracted to this kind of music fest. There have been a lot of drunk people. That’s the craziest that I’ve seen. Coolest things? We only caught one song, but this Augustana set – that song – was the best song that I’ve seen all of SXSW.
Ryan: I feel like yesterday [Friday] we saw the best bands. At least my preference.
The Gallery: This guy from The Testament over at Rusty Spurs – this jazz fusion thing. That was the best.
PW: What’s next for you after SXSW?
Brendan: We’re actually going back to Florida and we’re playing some music festivals in Florida. Then we’re going to tour up the East coast and do some shows in the New England area. Then we’re going to hit the road for a month or so after that.
PW: You guys just released an EP. Is there a plan for a full-length?
The Gallery: We’re kind of playing it by ear. We’re not sure, but we’re always writing, so there’s always an opportunity for the next release.
The Gallery’s Come Alive EP is available now. Get it on iTunes and Bandcamp at thegallerymusic.bandcamp.com.
