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.

This summer there's a newcomer to the local city festival scene. Downtown bar and venue, The Pyramid Scheme, will host T Rex Fest, a one-day festival on June 16. T Rex Fest will happen in the streets outside The Pyramid Scheme.

Cops. If you think they only show up at anti-authoritarian punk rock shows in Putin's Russia, think again. They also showed up at blues-rock band JuxTApose's CD release party ... twice.

Summer is the time of year when your listening library may become less introspective and moody, and perhaps it is the time for something better suited to a high-volume car stereo and open windows.

Midwest Skies is here to oblige. The band's previous EP, Glory Days, was the quintessential summer album — littered with power chords tucked into major key pop-punk songs.

William Beckett lost his band and his label last year, but that hasn't slowed him down. He leapt into a new solo project that will release three EPs and tour across the country this year — all as an independent artist.

Beckett was the frontman of the pop-rock group The Academy Is... until the band disbanded last October. Beckett started the group back in 2003, and over the next seven years The Academy Is... produced three studio albums and four EPs.

Since 2004, Grand Rapids band La Dispute has been inching toward success one fan at a time. The members kept at it for four years, playing small shows here and there, until one e-mail changed everything.

Heavier Than Air Flying Machines might always be a question mark of a band. Nothing about the gritty, high-gain debut album, Siam (released last September), is typical, nor anything about the band's spastic live performance. But then again, that's just the point of the band.

If you've ever tipped back a beer at one of Grand Rapid's assorted open mic nights, chances are you've heard of Karisa Wilson. As one of the cities most revered artists, her name has gained prestige — only heightened when her debut album, Little Girl, won Album of the Year at the Jammies in 2008.