Alternative hip hop/Indie recording artists Gym Class Heroes (GCH) held a meet and greet with fans at the North Broadway Verizon Wireless store Wednesday. The local visit was part of GCH's headlining spot in a 15-stop east coast Verizon Wireless College Campus Tour that also included a concert that evening at Hofstra University.

The band's name is best reflected by how it was started. According to Wikipedia online, Travis McCoy and Matt McGinley - two of the group's founding members - met and became friends while in the same Geneva, NY high school gym class. Originally formed in 1997, GCH started out small, performing together at birthday parties, clubs and festivals until landing larger gigs across the northeast, including the Warp Tour. Currently, the group includes McCoy on lead vocals, McGinely on drums, bassist Eric Roberts and guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo.

In addition to their latest release As Cruel as School Children (2006) the band released ... For the Kids in 2001 and The Papercut Chronicles in 2005. Additionally, in its early years, McCoy and McGinley, along with former bandmates Ryan Geise (bass) and Milo Bonacci (guitar) independently released Hed Candy in 1999 and Greasy Kids Stuff in 2001.

In July and August of this year, GCH opened for Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour throughout Australia and New Zealand and last month, the band, who are signed with Decaydance Records - a division of Atlantic, were nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards (VMA). They took home a moon man in the Best New Artist category.

Following the Verizon Wireless Campus Tour, which is set to end in late October and includes a performance at Camesecca Arena in Queens Oct. 5, GCH will hit the road on the fall 2007 Young Wild Things Tour with Fall Out Boy, Plain White T's and Cute Is What We Aim For. For more information, visit the band's website at www.gymclassheroes.com.