Sound Tribe Sector 9, simply known as STS9, will be taking a break from their winter tour, announcing the postponement of their upcoming show dates through February. This includes the band's Feb. 9 stop at The Orbit Room in Grand Rapids. The cancellation stems from the split between bassist David Murphy and the band.

Klay Fennema doesn’t mind letting people in on his dirty little secret. “I am not even ashamed to admit that we all have shopped in the ladies department for clothing before,” he said with a laugh. That’s just one of the prices that Fennema and his band have paid to resurrect the hair metal of yesteryear.

The bone-chilling weather is an ugly reminder that summer is still a ways off. However, organizers of the 45th Festival of the Arts in downtown Grand Rapids are already beginning to mobilize artists and performers for the upcoming event, which will be held June 6-8.

My father had a bunch of businesses in Eastown when Eastown was in the dump. Like the '60s and '70s, when no one was around. That was a time when my dad opened up Baskin Robbins and Brandywine. Tommy Z. opened up Intersection and Bill Lewis opened up Yesterdog. And later [in 1977], my father opened up this joint, which was Breakfast Just Breakfast.

Everyone’s heard of Jillian Michaels, right? She's pretty much the modern female version of Richard Simmons (sans the fro). But she does a lot more than workout videos and training men and women on TV's "The Biggest Loser". She’s written books, and she’s an active motivational speaker as well.

Ryley Grayson doesn’t like to get caught up in discussion about labels or musical genres. Him and his band, West & Run, just want to play the music they like and let the cards fall where they may. Alive and kicking in one form or another for the last three years, West & Run has toiled away in the West Michigan music scene, slinging a high-energy, peppy brand of rock that many might call pop rock.

It's 10 years ago. You just got your cartilage pierced and you and your friends are cruising around town during spring break, pretty much feeling like the cool guys and gals you are. What CD are you rocking in your deck? Yea, probably Yellowcard's Ocean Avenue.