Verona Grove is an American pop punk band from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...

. The band is signed to Pat's Record Company, a subsidiary of Universal Records

Universal Records

Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

. Members include singer/guitarist Tony Anders, bass guitar/background singer Charlie Wilhelm, and drummer Josh Helm. The Wisconsin Area Music Industry

Wisconsin Area Music Industry

Wisconsin Area Music Industry is an American volunteer organization founded in 1980, and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its stated purpose is "to educate and recognize the achievements and accomplishments of individuals in the Wisconsin music industry." The organization is best known for its...

 Awards nominated Verona Grove for their 2009 artist of the year, and it won the 2009 Rock Artist of the Year.

History

The band formed as high school students in Fond du Lac in early 2000. In 2003, the band beat around 100 bands to win the "Big Gig Competition" hosted on Summerfest

Summerfest

Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at the Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually...

.com, which led to a set opening for Sum 41

Sum 41

Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...

 at Summerfest 2003. The band released their first album "Half Tanked" in 2003, after they were students at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. They recorded a track at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

. The track was sent by the studio's engineer to record labels which led to the group getting signed in early 2006 to Pat's Record Company in Hollywood. The trio moved to Hollywood and recorded the album The Story Thought Over with production from Jamie Arentzen

Jamie Arentzen

Jamie Arentzen is a member of the alternative rock band American Hi-Fi and lead guitarist for Miley Cyrus. In the spring of 2009, he also played with Butch Walker's band, Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites.-Life and career:...

 of American Hi-Fi

American Hi-Fi

American Hi-Fi is an American pop punk band from Los Angeles, California, which originally hailed from Boston, Massachusetts. The band consists of vocalist Stacy Jones, guitarist Jamie Arentzen, bassist Drew Parsons, and drummer Brian Nolan...

. The album was released in August 2007.

Albums

• "Half Tanked" (June 2003)
• "From the Tablet to the Towers" (2005 EP
  Extended play
  An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
  
  )
• "The Story Thought Over" (August 2007)
• "Away From Expected EP
  Extended play
  An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
  
   (October 2009)"

Singles

• "Goodbye Surrender"
• "Revolution" (2008)
• "Las Vegas Nights (2009)"

The song "Revolution" was picked up by area radio station WIXX. It was the radio station's first song by a local band to hit on their nightly "Top 9 at 9" request show. The band performed the song live on the night that it hit #1 video.

Concerts / Tours

The group has opened for Plain White Tees and the Goo Goo Dolls

Goo Goo Dolls

The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...

, which led to two brief appearances on E! Entertainment. They toured the West Coast of the United States

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

 to support "The Story Thought Over" with a 39-date "Joy Ride" tour. The group has played at Summerfest

Summerfest

Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at the Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually...

for several years.

Additional reading

• Interview with Isthmus
• Concert Review: Verona Grove at Crane’s Hollywood Tavern