A lot has changed for Linda Tellis in the past couple of years. An Atlanta native by way of both West Virginia and Ohio, Tellis moved to Grand Rapids in 2009 and landed a job at Cascade Engineering, where she steadily built a career as a facilitator of Lean Enterprise Systems for the company.

It’s an interesting time to be in a band, what with society’s newfound hyperconnectivity and all. The seemingly endless tide of adept millennials pumping out totally decent music on bedroom laptops can bestow an unsettling urgency for artists to try and keep up. 

For the third year running, the first weekend in November hosts Eastown’s Lamp Light Music Festival. The three-day gala of artistic delights brings together some of the area’s most ardent and talented creators, serving as a celebration of both really great music and a community’s potential to carve its own cultural niche.

Cat lovers are passionate. Beer lovers are passionate. That's the idea behind Rock for Crash's, a cat-themed musical event that benefits Crash's Landing, a Grand Rapids-based cat rescue and placement center.