Independent Ambitions

“The focus early on was definitely paying our dues—just getting tight, playing a lot of bar shows [and] rehearsing two, three or four times a week,” The Treasures drummer Galen Pelley explains. Formed in 2009, the group draws from a wealth of classic-rock influences, most notably The Band and the Allman Brothers. “[Onstage], we stretch it out and give the boys a chance to play their guitars and get everybody dancing for a while,” he says. The Treasures originally intended to record their 2013 debut Bring the Night Home in Nashville but that plan quickly changed. As Pelley explains, shortly after forming the group, relationships “weren’t quite developed yet” and “that was going to translate on the recording session. We just scrapped everything we did [in Nashville]. We were in the process of turning over masters to our label and we just didn’t turn them over. We said, ‘Look, Universal, give us a second. We’re not happy with this.’ And we took our own money and recorded again in Ontario.” The band retreated back home alongside producer Colin Linden (The Band, Bob Dylan) to finish the album, forge relationships and set a plan for the future. “It was a long process, but it was totally worth it,” he says. “We’re definitely proud of our first album.”