The configuration of Dan, Arch, Mike, and Dodd made their first public appearance at the Silver Bow Athletic Club in Butte. It was a Jam Night, and they played about three songs. The band was unnamed at that point, and it was decided that choosing a name was a priority. Wanting a name that reflected Butte, the band opened up a Butte History Book. It didn't take long before the name "Venus Alley" jumped off the page, in reference to the once-thriving red light district in town. Armed with a name, the band buckled down and set to work learning enough material to get out and start playing.

The bands first gig was in March of 1993 at the Keyboard Klub in Butte (which would later become the Zebra Lounge). It was a gig that shaped the future of the band forever. Dan (the singer whose last name has slipped into NeverNever Land) sang about 6 or 7 songs before complaining of a sore throat. He asked Arch to cover for a couple of songs while he got some water. Three songs later, Dan inexplicably walked out the door without a word. Arch, still healing from a nasty bout with laryngitis, was left to fight through the rest of the night, singing songs he not only had never sung, but didn't know the words to. The next night, Dan failed to show at all, and Venus Alley officially became a three-piece band. (He had the nerve to call Dodd the following week to ask when practice was. He figured it out when Dodd said, "Yesterday").

Determined to forge ahead, the band booked a show in April at the Big Horn Saloon in Deer Lodge, MT. Dodd was unable to play because of his job, and it became clear quickly that this would be a stumbling block more often than anyone of us wanted. Arch called Eddie Dawson (who he had played with briefly in "The Source") to fill in. Eddie showed up without a snare drum and without half of his equipment due to an oversight. A friend (Charlie Williams) delivered the rest of the kit by the second set, and the new Venus Alley was off and running.

Arch, Mike and Ed took off on a torrid pace. They played an average of 110 shows a year, all over western Montana. Places like the Big Horn Saloon (later renamed the Montana Bar), the Half Moon Saloon in Big Sky, Chico Hot Springs, the Sitting Duck on Flathead Lake, and the Whiskey Jack in Big Sky were all band favorites. Their loud live shows and goofball personalities made them increasingly popular in every town but their own. The music scene in Butte at the time was rather clique-ish, and Venus Alley wasn't part of the clique. Outside Butte, however, they were huge. They performed on stage with bands the likes of Kansas, Head East, Steppenwolf, Blue Oyster Cult, Eric Burdon, and Quiet Riot. They wrote about 10 original songs, one of which ("MooseJive") appeared on "Big Sky Underground", a compilation CD of Montana artists. Things were going well.

Then the bomb dropped. Mike, who had moved from Butte to West Yellowstone to Helena and to Missoula all in the time he was in the band, decided to move his family to Arizona. He gave the band two weeks notice. Change was coming, and soon. Venus Alley had a calendar full of dates for the summer. For the first time in four years, the band was looking for a guitar player.

Rob McClain ("Outlaw") suggested his brother-in-law (at the time), John Constantine. He had gotten up on stage once at a Jam Night that Venus Alley was hosting, and it was clear he had lots of raw talent, but he was young. He was called, invited to give it a whirl, and his ability to learn songs almost instantly, earned him a prime spot in the busiest band in town. He was able to watch the band with Mike just once before being handed the reins. He played his first show on May 9, 1997 at the Nugget Bar in Great Falls. Since then, he has matured into one of the hottest guitar players in the state.

In the spring of 2003, John began a venture with some other local players, favoring a heavier blend of music than performed by Venus Alley. While the tie may not be severed completely, the need for another guitar player in Venus Alley became apparent. The boys called Bob Mellott, a seasoned area musician whose talents and demeanor were a perfect fit. Arch, Ed, and Bob are the form Venus Alley will take for the most part in the summer of 2003. The boys wish John well in his new band ("Arachne"), and will always regard him as family.

January of 2004 marked the beginning of a new era for Venus Alley. Arch, Bob, and Eddie decided to invite local keyboardist Bart Ross into the band, making Venus Alley a four-piece band for the first time since the band really got underway. Bart fits right in with the band, both in musicianship and personality, and has broadened the musical spectrum tremendously.