From Motown to the White Stripes, Detroit has always been a hot bed for groundbreaking music. To that end, melodic rockers the Silent Years are carrying the torch and well, doing a pretty good job, with Paste Magazine and NPR singing their praises.

Drawing comparisons to bands like the Arcade Fire and fellow Michigan native Sufjan Stevens, the Silent Years create addictive tunes aided by odd instruments like the glockenspiel and the soothing falsetto of singer Josh Epstein, who tells OurStage.com, "lyrics come last for me, as I like to consider music as the pure emotional release ... I'm a poetry guy, I can't help it." But don't think they take themselves too seriously, though: a recent gig found the band employing a chorus of singers wearing Snuggies. Find out more about the band and download their first album for free here.

Hailing from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the Petticoat Junkies make crunchy revival rock that might remind you of the first time you heard Bob Dylan or Nick Cave. With songs like 'Beauford Builds a Robot' tearing up the OurStage rock charts, the band is overdue for some wide exposure, and they recently got it with a set of opening gigs for the Mountain Goats and Kaki King.

One of those shows, however, brought the band face-to-face with the police. As the band recounted, what began with some post-gig mixup ended with accusations of drug use by Texas's finest. The Petticoat Junkies may be rock 'n' roll, but not in that way. "It was the unluckiest week we've ever had," said guitarist Stephen Scott. "[It's a] sordid tale filled with flat tires, broken keys, nightclub shootings, Austin police, alleged crack cocaine use and fights with fast food employees."

And Miss California thought she had rough go. Read the full story here.

As our Music Appreciation series shows us, celebrities are certain to voice their opinions on music. Mieka Pauley, a singer-songwriter who's been compared to the likes of Cat Power, Neko Case and Patty Griffin, is one of the latest up-and-coming artists to boast a famous fan: 'The Office' actor, Rainn Wilson. The catch? Pauley had no idea until OurStage pointed it out.

Pauley realized that Wilson was following her on Twitter when OurStage blogged about it. Complete with an "OMG" and a "wooooo," Pauley commented on the article and said, "I found this out from you guys!"

Wilson recently chose Pauley as one of only a handful of people that he keeps tabs on at the social networking site. Being alongside Tom Waits and Barack Obama in Wilson's Twitter update feed ain't so bad. Check out some of Mieka Pauley's music for free at OurStage, and see if you share Wilson's music taste.

Stepping in as a touring member of one of Generation X's most influential bands would be daunting for anybody, but 20-year-old Ilan Rubin is taking his role as Nine Inch Nails' drummer in stride. "A good thing about being 20 is I never run on fumes from touring," Rubin tells OurStage.com. "Plus, I'm a chronic sleeper, so whenever I'm not doing anything, I pass out and recharge."

When the time comes for a gig, the eager drummer is miraculously devoid of pre-show jitters. "The only things I do before every show are stretch and not eat. I can't stand waiting around, so anything to kill time and get onstage works for me."

The Hush Sound were in for a big surprise when their inbox was graced by a message from pop-punk posterboy Pete Wentz. These days they may be headlining tours and landing "featured artists" slots on OurStage, but a mere five months into the band's existence, Ryan Ross of Panic! at the Disco stumbled upon the Hush Sound's purevolume page and helped the band get their big break. Ross forwarded the tip over to the Fall Out Boy bassist, who was so impressed with what he heard that he signed the band to his Fueled By Ramen imprint, Decaydance Records.

The last time we checked in with New York-based rockers Plushgun, the four-piece electro-pop outfit was prepping for an industry-saturated showcase at Austin's South by Southwest. Since then, the band, which started as the solo project of lead singer-songwriter Dan Ingala, has found itself on the fast track to the top of the indie rock food chain.

OurStage sent Plushgun on their trip to SXSW after the band started to make noise on the website, winning first prize in the alt-rock category in January 2008, for their song 'Dancing in a Minefield,' and placing in the top 10 on numerous other occasions. It paid off. Tommy Boy Records was in attendance and offered the group their first record contract -- a deal that will culminate in February with the release of 'Pins and Panzers', Plushgun's debut full-length.

If there's one thing Mitch Buttress and Ryan Spratt know, it's how to make the best with what they have. Hailing from San Francisco, the duo known as Lazertag have made a name for themselves by crafting earnest indie-pop with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and some old, forty dollar Casio keyboards. This past year they took that same lo-fi attitude to South by Southwest when they hopped in a Dodge Magnum van, hit the road and played for whomever would listen.

"We played one show in a parking spot on the street," the band tells OurStage.com, where they have recently started creating a buzz with fans. "We had actually built a pretty big crowd but this old antiques dealer came out and yelled at us, and said he would call the cops." Fortunately, the guys left with not only a great story but also a film documenting the trip, which became their official video for the song 'Silver State.' The clip, filmed by their friend Brad Ungar, went on to win the grand prize in OurStage's video contest.

With the recent release of their debut record, 'Modern Cuts for the Modern Man,' the future looks bright for these DIY rockers. Lazertag may even find themselves at SXSW again, perhaps even on a traditional stage. If not, they may have to employ their secret weapon, which keyboardist Ryan revealed: "It is very rare, but sometimes Mitch will freestyle rap." Word.