The Velmas

There is/was more than one band called The Velmas: 1) The Velmas are a rock band from Albany, NY. They formed in 1999. Comprised of bassist Todd "Figaro" Minnick, guitarist Mike Grosshandler ("Harvey"), and drummer Michael "Bruce" Bruce, The Velmas write and perform original rock music. In concert, the Velmas back their music with a playful, high-energy live show. The Velmas signed with the New York City independent record label City Canyons Records in 2006.

1) The Velmas are a rock band from Albany, NY. They formed in 1999.

Comprised of bassist Todd "Figaro" Minnick, guitarist Mike Grosshandler ("Harvey"), and drummer Michael "Bruce" Bruce, The Velmas write and perform original rock music. In concert, the Velmas back their music with a playful, high-energy live show.

The Velmas signed with the New York City independent record label City Canyons Records in 2006.

The Velmas have released three CDs so far. Their debut album was Another Day at School (2002). Next was Recess (2004). Recess was a "double EP" featuring new and unreleased studio tracks, as well as several live tracks. It includes a very well-received live version of the Scooby Doo theme song, as well as the song "Restless, Restless," which was selected out of thousands of entries as one of the top 20 finalists on Howard Stern's much-publicized "Restless, Restless" contest. The Velmas released their second full-length album, Station, on City Canyons Records on October 31, 2006.

City Canyons Records released a digital single called "Playground" by The Velmas in 2009. The song was recorded in the same sessions that produced the album "Station" -- at Robby Takac's (of the Goo Goo Dolls) "Chameleon West" studio in Buffalo, NY.

The Velmas also appear on a few compilation CDs:

2006 - Twenty Stories Below (A Tribute to Blind Melon)
2005 - Music Is Art 2005
2005 - The Best of Restless, Restless (Volume 1)
2004 - LakeFX Radio's Best of 2004

2) There was a different band called The Velmas in the mid 1990s. They were a Chicago-area (or elsewhere in Illinois or Indiana) band who released one album full of charming quirky Midwest Americana pop songs entitled "Landscrapes" in 1996. Band members: Jessica Billey, Guy Crundwell, John DeMoulpied (now of Honda Pavarotti), and Kevin Dunbar.