Alex Botwin is a pretty busy guy. When he's not managing Elm & Oak Academy, a record label and design firm, he typically has his hands in something musical.

When it comes to A Tribe Called Red's fusion of indigenous rhythms and electronic dance beats, those came naturally. "All we really do is mash up dance music, because powwow music is dance, and so is club music," said Ian "DJ NDN" Campeau.

Matt Ten Clay has established a stellar reputation around Grand Rapids as a fine engineer and producer toiling away at his Amber Lit Audio studios on music by other indie-rock bands. But this talented musician also labored heavily for 10 months on his own recording project with The Howlers and it’s no surprise that this psychedelically pleasing affair brims with a lush, throwback, muscular milieu.

Grand Rapids is a city all too familiar with the indie-alternative rock scene, but a number of groups have been changing things up by peppering in some psychedelic rock. A Grand Rapids neighborhood venue and organizers are now working to bring a new wave of psych rock into the spotlight with a “mini-festival” called Michigan Psych Night, slated for March 1.

Short bursts of fury. Distortion. Full-throttled vocals and falsetto charm, sung with intense abandon. Incredibly compact songs that pack more wallop into two minutes than most bands can manage in a year, leaving listeners panting for more.

While Grand Rapids-based pop rock band Ignite The Borealis works on more music to add to its already extensive three-album catalogue, it might be high time to bone up on some of its current jams.

Ready for some cocaine for your eardrums? Grand Rapids-based Stepdad just released the first single off of their upcoming release Strange Tonight, an EP that will be released on Quite Scientific Records. The track is called "Running (Does That Mean You Care?)".

This time of year is no doubt the slowest for touring acts. So, the boys and girls at Fusion Shows are helping to curb the appetite of music fans in Grand Rapids.

Have you ever heard of Grand Rapids-based rock trio Forrester? You've had over a decade to become acquainted with them. In a sense, Forrester was born all the way back in 2001, but under the name Burke*Tweeden. Back then, they played covers for their friends and probably anyone else who would listen.

When you take a listen to the high-energy, straight-up rock 'n' roll stylings of Grand Rapids-based band Red Legs, it's hard to imagine that this grouped morphed out of just a couple of guys with acoustic guitars.