Verona Grove

Hook-driven rock troupe Verona Grove came together in 2001 in Fond du Lac, WI, and as the group worked on perfecting its pop/rock skills, the lineup rotated a bit over time. They released their first full-length, Half Tanked, in 2003; From the Tablet to the Towers followed two years later. Shows around the Midwest built Verona Grove an admirable regional following, and in early 2006 their music sparked the interest of Pat's Record Company, a division of Universal. The band soon inked a deal with the label, which prompted bassist Charlie Wilhelm and vocalist/guitarist Tony Anders to drop out of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to go at the music thing full-time. The label relocated the high-school friends that summer from America's Dairyland to the rock star breeding grounds of Los Angeles to write their PRC debut. The guys were set up in an apartment and quickly found their new surroundings a great source of inspiration, since it was the first time members of Verona Grove had been in L.A. They eventually entered the studio to begin recording with producer and American Hi-Fi guitarist Jamie Arentzen. Shortly after sessions wrapped, permanent drummer Josh Helm joined up with the band. A four-song self-titled EP subsequently preceded the release of the resulting full-length, The Story Thought Over, which surfaced in August 2007.