The four people who write and perform as Galore came together as a band naturally. They are Griffin Jones on rhythm guitar and vocals; Ava Rosen on bass guitar and vocals; drummer, percussionist and vocalist Hannah Smith; and lead guitarist and vocalist Ainsley Wagoner.
“I wish there was a crazy backstory,” Jones said. “We all knew each other through going to shows and hanging out on the local scene. We started to jam together and evolved into a band over time.”
Wagoner added: “We all have multiple jobs and play in other bands as well. Two of us live in the East Bay and two of us are in San Francisco, so we have to prioritize our time to rehearse, record and play shows. We love playing together, but sometimes it seems miraculous that we can find the time to do it.”
Dirt, the band’s second offering, will be released July 25. The 10 songs on the album were collectively written and arranged by the band over the course of the last year.
“We all worked, so we had money to pay our friends and co-producers, Simi Sohota and Jason Kick, who also was our engineer,” Jones said. “People have to spend time and money to listen to it, so we spent time and money making it. We allowed ourselves to be perfectionists and that paid off.”
After honing the songs in live performances, the band went into the studio and put Dirt together. They co-produced the tunes as a band, with the help of Kick and Sohota.
They cut the core bass, drums and scratch guitar tracks live. Later on, they overdubbed atmospheric touches, sound effects, steel guitar parts and extra guitar textures contributed by their friends Jeff Phurmongkol and Eli Wald, as well as Kick and Sohota.
“We all know each other well,” Wagoner said, “so they knew what we were going for. They drew on their experience and knowledge of us and what the Galore sound is.”
The songs are catchy, with poetic lyrics and a great ebb and flow of lead vocals and harmonies throughout. “Ainsley does a lot of soaring, high soprano vocals,” Jones said. “She brings in a lot of crazy harmonies that make things more exciting.”
Wagoner’s short, sharp lead guitar lines and the focused rhythms of Smith and Rosen keep the energy high, capturing the sound and feel of the band’s live gigs.
“Ladders” is a bright, mid-tempo rocker, driven by a chiming lead guitar and a sincere, understated vocal by Jones. The lines are embellished by brief melismas and the backing harmonies of the band. It describes the unanswered questions that often accompany the end of a relationship, with an honest and open sadness.
“Pictures” was inspired by Rosen’s fascination with Japanese ukiyo-e block prints. It’s a short, surrealistic description of the random images that wander through Rosen’s brain as it drifts between sleep and wakefulness. Long, harmonious sighs from the band float over the staccato rhythms laid down by Rosen and Smith.
“Alexandra” sounds like a letter written to a friend facing an emotional loss. A folky, fingerpicked electric guitar line, subtle backbeat and the band’s soothing, wordless harmonies support Rosen’s vocals, asking a friend to pick up the phone and reach out for support.
The band said they chose Dirt as the title for its elemental, wide-open implications.
“As musicians, we were going back to our primordial roots,” Jones said. “We were writing what feels right together, starting with dirt, our most basic element. It shows up in some of the lyrics. Dirt, and the ground beneath us, is what makes us human, so it’s symbolic of that basic building block. When we’re together making music, we have fun, like playing in the dirt, you know?”
Galore’s ‘Dirt’ will be released by Speakeasy Studios on Friday, July 25. Listen to tracks at galoresf.bandcamp.com/album/dirt. The record-release party takes place on Saturday, July 26, at 8pm at Cafe du Nord, 2174 Market St., San Francisco. 415.471.2969. cafedunord.com
