It’s been a year and a half since Seattle, Washington’s Minus the Bear played its March 2011 show at the Intersection. For its return in September 2012, the band brings what it hopes to be its strongest performance yet.

Brian Kniebes could stay at home on Saturday nights and fulfill his musical itch by playing Rock Band on XBox with his wife and three daughters. Instead, he fills his weekends with shows all around the region.

Every summer there are literally dozens of music festivals all over the country. While each have their own vibe, after a while they kind of all start to run together. Eventually there just needs to be a festival that rises above all others and acts as a beacon for all the freaks and weirdos out there.

This August, local and national talent will fuse together to fuel the continuing rise of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in Grand Rapids' fourth annual EDM summer festival. Beginning as Grand Rapids Electronic Music Night in 2009, this dance party has upped its appeal and attendance with each passing year.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is a band that’s known for its edgy, female-fronted rock. But according to Potter, everything the band did before edge-wise is shadowed by The Lion, The Beast, The Beat, the band’s latest album.

A music festival is always an other-worldly event. Lineups, weather, activities. All of these really do become moot points. As Jeremy Stein, Madison House Presents promoter and producer of the Electric Forest Festival said, “the experience of being there trumps any headliner.”

The late Frank Zappa has been hailed as a major influence for innumerable musicians going back decades. Not only this, but he is often referred to as the most important and influential composer of his time. And it's for this reason that the tribute act Zappa Plays Zappa was started by Frank's own son, Dweezil.

"In its simplest form, it's to be the catalyst to a new generation," Dweezil said about the band's course. "I knew it was going to be a big challenge on a number of levels going into it, but it has been rewarding that people recognize the intent."

Before there was Sleigh Bells, guitarist and producer Derek Miller spent six years in hardcore band Poison the Well. The band gained a solid fan base and signed with Atlantic Records in 2002. Two years after the big record deal, Miller quit the band.

Foreigner might be known for its giant pop-rock anthems from the late ‘70s and ‘80s, but don’t expect the band to slow down. After more than 35 years of releasing hits and touring, the band is still in the game.

For two years the Rothbury Festival located just north of Muskegon rode about as high as any music festival in America. Between 2008 and 2009 it attracted headliners such as The Dead, Bob Dylan and Snoop Dogg. Sadly, this was not enough.