As the Grand Rapids music scene continues to grow and expand, some things stay the same. Among those is the influence of hometown favorites like Tool.

"Tool is our all-time favorite band" said Ross Morgan, of Muskegon/Grand Rapids band Holloway.

That's not to say that Morgan, along with band mates Josh (his brother), and guitar player Shawn Julien have not worked hard to distinguish themselves from other bands in the area.

"We like a heavy sound, but we also like music and melody," Morgan said. "Sometimes we're not metal enough for the metal guys, and we're not indie enough for the indie guys ... falling in between helps us."

While Holloway definitely runs the full gamut musically, evidenced upon listening to its 2009 debut record Illusions, and counts indie gods Sunny Day Real Estate as major influences, the band has some serious metal chops. Morgan cites getting to work with famed Swedish death metal producer Jens Bogren as one of his proudest moments. The band has also opened for Sevendust at the Orbit Room in April, and will be opening for Swedish metal doom rock band Katatonia in Detroit in September.

Currently, the band is in the process of releasing a three-song EP, with the songs simply called "Movement 1," "Movement 2," and "Movement 3." The EP is intended for more die-hard fans of Holloway to keep them interested while the band works on producing their second full-length record.

Morgan, who is a strong proponent of the concept album, describes the EP as being a loosely based musical sci-fi version of The Great Gatsby. Morgan says there is a music video in the works for "Movement 1" that should be produced in the next couple of months. For fans who visit the official Holloway website, they will find a downloadable lyric book with art from local painter Susan Van Sant.

On Saturday, Aug. 14, Holloway will be performing at Mulligans: Otherside on Wealthy Street.

"Mulligans is kind of our Grand Rapids homebase," Morgan says of the Eastown watering hole. "They let us play longer and set up our own lights."

Holloway's newest EP will be in local music stores in Grand Rapids and Muskegon, and will eventually be available for download on iTunes, CDbaby, and Amazon. Morgan recommends however, that fans buy it directly from the Holloway website at HollowayBand.com.