R.E.M. played its first concert there in 1980 and still draws fans to its hometown. A visit to Athens can be like a pilgrimage of the band's music.

Jason Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album Foxes in the Snow. "What I was attempting to do is document a very specific time where I was going through a lot of changes," he says.

Over the last few years, hardcore has transformed from an underground subculture into a mainstream phenomenon. Scowl is one of the unwitting torchbearers for this paradigm shift, but their success hasn't come without tension.

The musician and comedian weaves post-apocalyptic tales involving fatherhood and baseball on his latest studio album.