“We take all kinds of pills that give us all kind of thrills/ but the thrill we’ve never known/ is the thrill that’ll getcha when you get your picture/ on the cover of the Rollin’ Stone.”

—Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show,
“The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” 1972

The trappings of rock stardom may be different 39 years later, but bands still seek that very same thrill. If all goes well, said thrill could come to the unsigned band The Gallery later this year. The Gallery claims two homes: Wilbraham and the hometown they later adopted, West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Wilbraham rockers join 15 more unsigned bands from all over the country in their quest for the Rolling Stone cover, and no matter who wins, it will mark the first time an unsigned band has shown up there. Lest it give too much credence to the unwashed, however, Rolling Stone is ensuring that the winner won’t remain unsigned for long: the top prize also includes an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and a contract with major label Atlantic.

The contest happens in four stages, and the first is underway now. Listeners can vote for their favorite of the 16 bands at the Rolling Stone website. The top four vote-getters will join four more chosen by the editors of the magazine in round two.

From there on out, it’s all about the votes of the public, although opportunites for going into the studio and playing for record company executives are part of the deal, too.

The Gallery’s music inhabits a rootsy end of the flow chart, employing big guitar crunch and radio-friendly melodies with a heavy nod toward Tom Petty. Since their departure from Wilbraham, the band has made a habit of playing all over the country.

Most remarkably, as the band reported in a recent interview, The Gallery’s appearance in the Rolling Stone contest came as a surprise.

“We were playing a music festival in Miami, and someone from a label had come out and was interested, so they signed us up for the contest initially. We didn’t really find out we were in it until we were one of the first 16,” the four reported via email.

Though The Gallery is now more or less a Florida band, the members’ Valley roots are deep, as they explain.

“We started everything in this area,” they wrote. “We played a lot of shows around Western Mass., but once we left for school in Florida and started playing down there, we started playing more all over the country. We’ve had some great opportunities to play nationally, so we took them.

“We know and have played with a ton of bands from the area. A couple that come to mind that are still playing: Gone By Daylight, Rock Out City USA.”

The Gallery just played a CD release at Maximum Capacity in Chicopee, and the band hopes to be back in New England by late summer.

You can help these Wilbraham musicians hit the big time by visiting http://www.rollingstone.com/choosethecover/artists/the-gallery and rating them.