Verona Grove
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Verona Grove

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"Fond du Lac band Verona Grove ready to break out"

Posted May 24, 2007

Many bands spend so much time in the studio during the tedious process of recording an album, they joke that they live there. Few, however, actually sleep there after the soundboards are turned off.

Verona Grove, a pop rock band from Fond du Lac, sees the month they spent curling up next to boom mics and miles of cables in a Los Angeles studio as the price they had to pay for the experience, and hopefully record, of a lifetime.

"I can't even believe it all came together and happened. It's still a little surreal I guess," bassist Charlie Wilhelm said of the band's now-completed record, "The Story Thought Over," set for release on July 31.

Luckily, Wilhelm and guitarist/lead singer Tony Anders were able to find more comfortable places to crash for the rest of their stay in L.A., a city they grew fond of over the more than seven months they spent there.

"Everybody is looking for their dream out there," Anders said.

For Verona Grove, the dream of becoming a success in the unforgiving L.A. music scene and eventually on the national stage begins Tuesday when their self-titled EP will be released. The EP, which will be available at Verona Grove shows and online, features four songs off of "The Story Thought Over." The band hopes it will help create a little buzz before the full-length album hits the record store shelves in July.

An incredible year

Drawing influences from bands like Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids, Relient K, Green Day and The All-American Rejects, Verona Grove's style of rock has enough pop to hit the radio waves, but it was their producer, American Hi-Fi's Jamie Arentzen, that got the band to push the envelope further.

"He has a strong classic rock influence so he really brought that to the table," Anders said.

Verona Grove met Arentzen halfway, Anders said, and "The Story Thought Over" in turn became much more than another "cookie-cutter" pop punk album.

While the band's relationship with Arentzen was a huge success, things didn't start out quite as well for the band and the producer they count amongst their idols. Anders accidentally spilled food on Arentzen the day they met, but it was nothing a lunch and mutual respect for each other's music couldn't smooth over.

Now, Anders and Wilhelm, who are their own harshest critiques, are thrilled with the final results.

"It was everything we hoped for really," Wilhelm said. "He brought a whole other dynamic to the record."

Anders said he still likes all of the songs on the record, even after analyzing every guitar riff, drum beat and vocal note. He said the final product is a reflection of the past year, which the band spent writing and "focusing on every aspect of our music."

"From where we were to where we are now musically, it's been an incredible year," he said.

Waiting game

Back in Fond du Lac, Wilhelm and Anders are working to earn a little money before they hit the road in support of their EP in anticipation of their full-length album. Both are looking forward to dropping the day jobs and getting back up on stage.

"Oh yeah, we cannot wait," said Anders, who has been laying brick patios, demolishing buildings and doing other construction jobs. "We are just chomping at the bit. It's time."

Wilhelm, who has been detailing cars, agreed, saying it's time for the duo along with new drummer Josh Helm to go out on the road and get back to their "real job."

"Tony and I are like, 'All right, this is enough work for us. We've put in our time,'" he said.

The band will also work on recording a music video in the near future, something Anders and Wilhelm said they're looking forward to.

Oddly, while they're back in Wisconsin, the band is much closer to one of their label mates, The Wildbirds, of Appleton.

"It's kind of funny because the first time we actually met them, we were both in L.A.," Wilhelm said. "We grew up 45 minutes apart and it took 2,200 miles to meet."

He said the fact that Pat's Record Company, a subsidiary of Universal Records that is based in Los Angeles, has brought in two Wisconsin bands amongst the first handful of signings is an indication of the talent in the Badger state.

"There's obviously talent here so it's kind of cool that we can make the rest of the country realize that we have something going on here besides milk and cheese," Wilhelm said.

Variety is on display too with the Wisconsin PRC bands. The Wildbirds, who play classic-rock-inspired rock 'n' roll, and Verona Grove play very different styles of music.

See them while they're home

Verona Grove has a few area shows slated before they head out on tour.

They will play with the Bakers on Friday, May 25, at Fratello's, 1501 Arboretum Drive, Oshkosh, and at Walleye Weekend in Fond du Lac's Lakeside Park on Saturday, June 9. Verona Grove's EP will be available at both shows.

"It's always great to get out there to play for all ages in Fond du Lac," Anders said about Walley - The Fond du Lac Reporter/Ganette Newspapers


Discography

Verona Grove EP - Available May 29, 2007
Pats Record Company/Universal

Verona Grove "The Story Thought Over"
Available July 31, 2007
Pats Record Company/Universal

Photos

Bio

Everyone has dreams. It’s these dreams that fuel us, that keep us moving through the daily moments of monotony and remind us that extraordinary things are possible. Verona Grove’s strikingly memorable debut album, The Story Thought Over, does more than just remind us that the fulfillment of our dreams is possible- it inspires us to achieve them.

Almost Hollywood-esque in the story of its fruition, The Story Thought Over is the result of nearly a year of songwriting, eventually streamlined and focused in August of 2006 when the trio’s label, who found and wooed them earlier that year, transplanted them from Oshkosh, WI to Los Angeles, where they set them up in an apartment and practice space to pen the record. The experience of that relocation lifted the musicians, who had never set foot in LA prior to the trip, outside of their comfort zones and, as Anders says, “opened [their] eyes to the rest of the world and what’s out there.”

“Really getting away from everything in our element in Wisconsin and getting out of the normal heavily influenced our writing on the record,” Anders says of the process. “A lot of the songs are about a dream. Everyone’s got an idea of where they want to be someday and what they want to do. For me it was happening. We got this record deal, now we were in LA and I never could have dreamed that, but here it is. I think that’s what a lot of the writing focused on.”

Five months of writings and several eye-opening experiences later Verona Grove entered the studio with Jamie Arentzen, producer and guitarist of beloved rock band American Hi-Fi, who the band says brought a whole other dimension to the record. Verona Grove spent two months in an LA studio with Arentzen, refining their already solid songs into 11 hook-driven, thoughtful pop-rock tracks that resound with the group’s signature driving, catchy choruses and Anders’ relatable lyrics. The propulsive “Goodbye Surrender” exemplifies the threesome’s talent for accessibility with jumping hooks reminiscent of The All-American Rejects while “Revolution” showcases Verona Grove’s more serious side, with dipping and soaring guitars and aching vocals. The compelling “Why Would You” boasts a dangerously infectious chorus, drawing subtle influence from bands like Jimmy Eat World and The Get-Up Kids.

The cohesive camaraderie of Verona Grove, who originally formed in 2001 in their hometown of Fond du Lac, WI and have stuck together from high school through college to today, where they stand on the brink of heavy touring and promotion, is heavily evident throughout the record. The Story Thought Over, which Anders describes as “the story in your head of what you want your dream to be,” isn’t just an album; it’s a call of motivation.

“I see people around that have so much more potential than they use,” Anders says of what he hopes listeners will take away from the disc. “I see people who are so frustrated with life, but they could get to another level if they just went out there a little bit more and tried some of the things that they want. There’s hard times and there’s easy times, but you really have to work for what you want. And if there is something you want you can make it happen.”

And that, is certainly something Verona Grove would know.