Life on tour agrees with Colony House, and things have only gotten better since the group found a sound representational of its true inspirations. Since two of the members are children of Steven Curtis Chapman, a Grammy-Award winning Christian singer-songwriter, the pressure from record labels to head in their father’s direction could have nudged Colony House to follow someone else’s vision. But the trio has ultimately played to their strengths to churn out melodic, guitar-driven indie rock. 

• Grand Rapids
• NEEDTOBREATHE
• colony house
• steven curtis chapman
• caleb chapman
• devos place

More than a decade after hitchhiking his way out of small town Illinois, singer-songwriter Pokey LaFarge has come to proudly embrace his Midwestern roots. Fresh-faced and 17, LaFarge left home in 2001 with little more than a mandolin, an honest appreciation for American history – both musical and otherwise – and the sort of audacious ambition only greats like Hemingway and Kerouac can rouse in a young man.

• Grand Rapids
• The Pyramid Scheme
• pokey lafarge
• caroline rose

Even though Built To Spill founder Doug Martsch has been an indie-rock icon for more than two decades with a direct influence on bands like Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie and others, he remains humbly honest about what he does for a living and his title as an innovator.

• Grand Rapids
• built to spill
• wooden indian burial ground
• founders brewing

Two California-based post-hardcore bands, A Lot Like Birds and I the Mighty, open the ’68 show at The Stache. The two bands, both on the Equal Vision Records imprint, are no stranger to the road or touring together.

Kalamazoo-based band Jake Simmons & the Little Ghosts releases its new record, "No Better," this month. The ship date for the vinyl/CD is Tuesday, May 12 - but you can hear the debut of "Toledo" right here.

• Kalamazoo
• Jake Simmons
• Jake Simmons and the Little Ghosts
• no better
• toledo
• new album

As Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park gears up for another summer of concerts, one could hearken back to the American Express slogan of yore — membership has its privileges. With the members-only presale launching on April 25, the annual scrum for the most popular of the season’s 30 performances will begin.

Growing up in southern Arkansas, Larry McCray has been steeped in music since day one. His grandparents were musicians, as were his parents — eventually, he and his nine siblings followed in their elders’ melodic footsteps.

• Kalamazoo
• Bell's Brewery
• larry mccray
• crime funk

Any room with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion playing is a tough room. Civilization takes a back seat. So imagine two decades-plus later to find that a talk with Russell Simins, the drummer from the JSBX, explores the Oscar Niemeyer architecture of Brasilia and the ramen joints of Fukuoka, Japan.

• Grand Rapids
• Pyramid Scheme
• Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
• russell simins
• drummer
• JSBX

Bands with any sort of depth tend to sprout from unorthodox beginnings. The Ramones perfected its stage show at the gritty CBGB. The Velvet Underground preferred to get weird with Andy Warhol at The Factory. For La Dispute, its genesis can be traced back to one particular DIY spot: the Division Avenue Arts Collective (DAAC).

With LadyFestGR gearing up for its fourth year, the time to celebrate female-badassery is nigh. The annual springtime rite is both a tribute to women in the community as well as a chance for female artists in the region to support a nonprofit of their collective choosing.

• local music