Henry Rollins doesn't take vacations. "I'm always kind of doing something — there's never really any downtime," he said. "And I'm not trying to impress you with my workload."

After signing with Warner Bros. Records in 2003, Eisley went on a four-year tear releasing two full-length albums and six EPs, touring with a number of other bands including Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, Switchfoot and Bleach, as well as making its television debut on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Singer-songwriter Drew Nelson's debut record with Red House Records drops today on iTunes, Amazon and at record stores around the country. While it is Valentine's Day, don't expect "Tilt-A-Whirl" to be a record filled with sweet love songs or Nelson playing the crooner.

Sharon Van Etten's buzz has been growing ever since she released her first full-length album, "Because I Was in Love", in 2009. The complex themes and emotional songwriting on the album kept her popping up on Pitchfork, an Internet music publication.

It's all about the music. Unlike the Grammy Awards' la-la land of red carpets and celebrity sidewalk stars, Grand Rapids' Jammies are the no-hype awards. That's what makes it one my favorite nights of the year.

Detroit still has a pulse! That's one of many factors that drew Shara Worden to the city. The mind behind My Brightest Diamond planted her roots in Detroit soil after living in New York, preceded by a year in Moscow.

With a history dating back almost 30 years, 1964, The Tribute has been bringing Beatlemania back to both old and new fans alike. Sporting the attire, instruments and stage presence of the early touring Beatles, whose music grabbed the attention of an entire planet, this group is as authentic as any tribute comes.

While the Detroit area has long been a bastion for music and has produced many a fine rapper, the west side of the state — and Grand Rapids specifically — is getting national recognition for its hip-hop music. Much of this is due to the work of William Jackson, better known as Willie the Kid.

Willie the Kid, who grew up on the southeast side and attended Ottawa Hills High School, is the younger brother of Wu-Tang Clan affiliate LA The Darkman.

Eccentric, off-beat music has never been so accessible as it is when performed by Grand Rapids folk outfit The Northern Skies. With a barrage of fiddles, violins and ethnic percussion blended in with a modern alternative sensibility, the band exemplifies everything new and everything old at the very same time.

As 19-year veterans of the ska scene, Huntington Beach Calif.'s Reel Big Fish can attest to the underground success of today's brand of ska.