Not the punk-rock power trio that is Northeast Wisconsin’s Verona Grove. A legion of local fans helped the Fond du Lac trio hit No. 1 on the “Top 9 @ 9″ with Otis Day last month – a feat never before reached by a banding  boasting “local” status.

Signed to Universal Records subsidiary Pat’s Record Company the last couple years, the VG crew – lead vocalist Tony Anders, guitarist Charlie Wilhelm and drummer Joshua Helm – tote their “Top 9″ track “Revolution” into Wisconsin’s most happening watering holes – where The Green Room often catches them at Mill Creek or large-scale digs like the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, often touring with Fox Cities vintage-rock trio The Bakers on tap.

A video for Revolution not far off, VG sends this holiday message to all-age fans who helped get them into the 101.1 WIXX rotation:

“Thank you so much for the loyal fans that we have out there that have been requesting us for Top 9 @ 9 on WIXX!! It has been almost 3 weeks straight of Verona Grove  … We cannot thank you enough…”

Alas, VG feel from the No. 1 spot on Turkey Day, aptly succumbing – at least for then – to Adam Sandler‘s Thanksgiving Song.

He’s long since swapped the ’90s metal band cliches for writing honest lyrics rooted in homegrown memories. Rob Anthony‘s traded in the leather pants and long hair for a relate-able, edgy acoustic vibe, and his willingness to write vulnerable lyrics and remain accessible to fans has taken him to where local artists hope to someday arrive.

Once signed to a major label with metal group Acrophet, Anthony knows the pitfalls of “making it” and what it means to do it the right way, on your own terms – by coming home.

The Green Room put the singer/songwriter – who you may have seen coloring the air inside local lounges like Deja Vu, and playing any number festivals or private events around the Valley (think Octoberfest) – in The Green Room hot seat to see what the self-described walking promotion had to say:

Name: Rob Anthony.

Place he calls home: Appleton.

Get a taste: www.robanthonymusic.com and www.myspace.com/robanthonymusic.

Fill in the blank…

1. Today, it’s (Tuesday) at (10:20 p.m.), and I’m (watching The Shawshank Redemption), but right now I’m most looking forward to (getting on my Harley for a late night ride).

2.The mantra, motto or quote that best sums up the philosophy that guides my music career is: “find the job you love and you’ll never have to work again.”

3. The one or two people I’d die to get onstage with: John Mellencamp, the Eagles and Foo Fighters.

4. If I wasn’t a singer/songwriter, you’d most likely see me … I honestly don’t know what I’d do. That’s pretty sad…I should have a back up plan!

5. No one would ever guess that I’d really love to record a Metal/Electronica album.

6. My craziest fan experience was … After a show I was putting away my guitars in my truck and noticed lip stick kisses all over my truck window and mirrors. The scary thing is how did she know it was my truck?!?!

MIGGIE BACKSTAGE: From clothes to hair and onstage – what goes into being Rob Anthony?

Rob Anthony: A lot of hairspray, leather and chains! Ahhh … Just kidding. Not too sure about that, I’m pretty simple when it comes to clothes. Any black shirt with jeans. As far as my attitude I’m just honest and giving it my all at any performance.

MB: I’ve often heard musicians talk about how their downfall could actually be getting signed too soon, or before they’re ready … Others think the opposite. What are your thoughts on that starry-eyed notion that ‘making it big’ is hinged on getting signed to a major, and as fast as possible?

Anthony: I think if someone has the chance to get signed, go for it and learn as much as you can about the music business. On the other hand I think greater things come when preparation meets opportunity, so there is benefit from getting some road experience, so to speak, before signing your music away. Because that’s what happens if you haven’t done most of the work yourself before entering into a contract.

MB:What big mistakes have you seen artists make?

Anthony: Not learning that the music business is called that for a reason – a business.

MB: You’re a testament to the few artists who’ve been able to make music full time and be successful. What’s the day-in, day-out behind-the-scenes work like that goes into making a living as an indie musician here?

Anthony: The most important part of every day is communication and promotion. I need access to email and the Internet 24/7 to keep up with mail and bookings. In regard to promotion and marketing, it comes down to this: I look at every day like I’m running for office. Meaning I’m constantly out promoting my music with CD samplers, performances and offering to give back to my community through my music. Find the job you love and you’ll never have to work again!

MB: Do you see yourself sticking around Appleton, or would you make the move if the ‘right opportunity’ came along?

Anthony: I’ll always call Appleton home, and it would have (to be) a pretty great opportunity to leave here.

MB: Music fans and musicians often have strong opinions about artists who “sell out.” I know fellow musicians gave Verona Grove a good-natured hard time about doing the McDonald’s campaign. And you’ve also taken your acoustic rock in various directions – especially “Down The Road” … Is it all part of the biz, or where would you draw the line?

Anthony: I wouldn’t draw the line anywhere! Today there are no rules with your music and how creative you want to be with it, especially when companies such as McDonald’s and Fed Ex offer some pretty good money, which in turn helps us provide free CDs to those fellow musicians who rarely ever buy our CDs. Sell out? Every day I sell out.

MB: People in small cities like to talk, which can put musicians in an interesting spot if a song is written about someone or something. Does living in the Valley affect what you put out there or write?

Anthony: If you don’t put a name in the song you’re safe! Ha … But there are a couple new songs that might raise a few eyebrows in the area on my next CD. I’ll just leave it at that.

MB: In your opinion, is there anything missing from the music scene here? If you had it your way, what would the local music front look like?

Anthony: I think it looks and sounds pretty good here. I travel to a lot of cities around the country, and believe me when I say we’ve got it pretty good.

If you’ve never meandered to Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons’ site, never found yourself unconsciously clapping and tapping your feet or lost in thought to any number of the Appleton-based band’s tracks – you should.

The talent is rare.

The songs (“On My Side,” “See It My Way,” So Wrong For Me”…) invoke chills.

And the pure magic one witnesses at a live show? The result of a close marriage between Chisel’s stirringly powerful vocals and the Sons’ tight instrumental courtship. Recently signed Chisel & Sons (RCA) returned to Appleton Friday for a rare live performance, at Lawrence Memorial Chapel, before heading off to Paris this week. Friends. Family. Home. A rare combo for this deservingly on-the-rise act. And it was also the unveiling of Cabin Ghosts, a yet-unreleased Black Seal six-song EP (which we’ve had on repeat the last week in the car).

It’d be a shame for anyone not to pick this up at least online…iTunes, folks. And if you happen to catch them on the road this fall – it’s narely a fan who goes home less than amazed by the originality and musicianship.

Prologue: In early August, Miggie Backstage got a half-hour to shoot the breeze with Gin Blossoms front man Robin Wilson. Here’s the aftermath…

“Hey Jealousy,” “Follow You Down” and “‘Til I Hear It From You” got twentysomethings from one middle school dance to the next, from one summer fling to autumn heartbreak and through midnight cram sessions clear to graduation.

“It might be six years in a row we’ve been (there),” Wilson said, finally enjoying much-coveted downtime at home in Tempe, Ariz., with the fam. “If not six, certainly like four or five of the last six years.”

Before heading to Wisco in August, Wilson bantered a bit with MB about new projects, devoted fans and the list of long-running hits he’ll never grow tired of:

MIGGIE BACKSTAGE: Well, hello, Robin. Glad you had a few minutes to spare for us today. Enjoying a little downtime, I see?

Wilson: Yeah, actually, at home.

MB: Ah, yes, Tempe.

Wilson: Well, actually we have two homes – one in New York on Long Island, and the other is in Arizona. This is the first time the family and I have been at home together in Arizona in probably six months.

MB: Nice. Now, Gin Blossoms has played Wisconsin quite a few times, and you’re back again!

Wilson: Every summer. It’s a big party, that show we do. You know, it’s just got a sorta cool vibe. And obviously it means a lot to a community, it’s a tradition, and we’re included. We’re starting to feel a part of that.

MB: Any new tricks?

Wilson: Nothing particularly. We’ve got new T-shirts, if that makes any difference, and we changed the look of our backstage passes (laughs).

MB: So, I’m curious. For Gin Blossoms fans who haven’t caught a show for a while, what’s to expect?

Wilson: You know, it’s like a rock ‘n’ roll concert … I try to make a personal connection with people in the audience. As the front man, it’s a point of pride to sort of be accessible.

MB: Do you recognize a lot of early Gin Blossoms fans? Faces from ’90s that are still coming out?

Wilson: Yeah, absolutely, they are. We have new fans, too; it’s ever-evolving, I suppose. It’s a nice mixture of people that like us; we’re pretty lucky to have that.

MB: Songs like “Hey Jealousy” and “‘Til I Hear It From You” were staples at school dances for a lot of twentysomethings. Are there any songs you’ve played so many times you just go, “man, if I never had to play that again …”?

Wilson: Oh, um … no, none of our material. Certainly we reached that point with some of our cover songs, but not with our original material. Once in a while you might wanna give something a rest (laughs).

MB: What other projects are keeping you busy these days?

Wilson: I run a recording studio in Tempe. I’m always looking to find new bands, have them come in there. I like helping young bands find producers for their music … I reach out to most of the promising young groups we meet on the road, and when I see a group that has real promise, career potential, I try to befriend them or stay in touch, offer advice and such…

MB: Well, you’re known for putting on great shows. Any parting words for Wisco fans?

Wilson: We love Wisconsin. And, actually, we figured out if we lived in Wisconsin, we would save about $100,000 a year on travel expenses because we play there so often (laughs). We really do love it. I think we play 10 shows a year up there. Oshkosh has become a tradition for us.