IN THE SO-CALLED GENRE of “y’alternative” country music, Jack Ingram is riding the wave of artists who are breaking new ground. Ingram thinks it’s a strange phenomenon that anyone would have to pave the way for what is really considered…

YOU MAY NOT HEAR the Deftones on mainstream radio or see the band on prime-time MTV, but somewhere deep in the pits of abrasive heavy metal rock, there is a success story building. The Sacramento-based band has spent most of…

NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD R&B crooner Usher is riding high with his second album on LaFace Records, My Way, and a No. 1 platinum single, “You Make Me Wanna.” Unlike many of his urban music contemporaries, Usher, whose full name is Usher Raymond,…

THE EQUATION IS SIMPLE; Ben Folds and his piano plus bassist Robert Sledge, plus drummer Darren Jessee, equal Ben Folds Five. It’s a pretty straightforward story, really. When it came to naming the band, Folds opted for alliteration over accuracy.…

REPRISE NASHVILLE recording artist Michael Peterson had a passion for sports and music growing up in Washington state. When it came time to attend Pacific Lutheran University, Peterson earned a scholarship for both football and music. Forced to make a…