Auburn Circle
moment. It’s the sensation of complete bliss.” He formed the band, originally named Adventure, during his first month at Auburn. He had created the name Adventure the Great several years before, but was unsure if this was the group for the name he was saving. Two events changed his mind. The event that definitively brought Adventure the Great into existence occurred one night in downtown Opelika. During his first visit to Opelika, Jones and one of his friends were exploring when a train began to approach. “This train comes, and we’re standing by the tracks. And the next thing you know, we’re running along the train,” Jones said. Jones eyed the ladder on the side of the train and jumped, as his friend did the same. “We stood up, and I had my arms in the air,” Jones said. “I saw that as confirmation that this was the place that I needed to start Adventure the Great.” Another pivotal moment in the creation of Adventure the Great were the two months Jones spent working as a counselor for
Cheley Colorado Camps. The primitive camp in the Rockies had no electricity and no cell phone service. Employees had to journey into town to find a place to wash their clothes. “That whole two months out there just completely changed everything. Well… it didn’t change everything, but it took it to a deeper level,” Jones said. “Happiness is still experienced without your iPhone. Everything makes more sense without it,” Jones said. “You just have to detach yourself from everything.” When he returned from Colorado, he changed the name of the band. Jones most often finds inspiration for his lyrics when he travels. In fact, his summer in Colorado produced four songs. One particular day of his summer in Colorado astonished Jones and resulted in Adventure the Great’s “Old Man of the Mountain.” On this day, Jones and a fellow counselor took ten 13-year-old campers into the mountains to play a game called “Solos.”
Chandler Jones (courtesy of Chandler Jones) 39