In the circulatory system, veins (from the Latin vena) are blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. Veins differ from arteries in structure and function; for example, arteries are more muscular than veins, veins are often closer to the skin and contain valves to help keep blood flowing toward the heart, while arteries carry blood away from the heart.

In general, veins function to return deoxygenated blood to the heart, and are essentially tubes that collapse when their lumens are not filled with blood. The thick outermost layer of a vein is made of connective tissue, called tunica adventitia or tunica externa. Deeper are bands of smooth muscle called tunica media, which are, in general, thin, as veins do not function primarily in a contractile manner. The interior is lined with endothelial cells called tunica intima. The precise location of veins is much more variable from person to person than that of arteries. Veins often display a lot of anatomical variation compared with arteries within a species and between species.

Andrew Belle is an American singer-songwriter. Andrew (born Drew Fortson) is originally from Wheaton, Illinois. Andrew moved to Nashville in 2009.

He grew up listening to bands like Third Eye Blind, Counting Crows, and The Verve Pipe, and looks to these bands for musical inspiration. Andrew began his musical career towards the end of his time at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. During this time, he played with numerous local bands. Upon graduation, he launched his solo career in Chicago, performing at various local restaurants and venues, including Rockit Bar and Grill, Elbo Room, SPACE and Schubas Tavern.

He is currently touring clubs and universities across the country, and is also a member of the critically acclaimed national tour Ten Out of Tenn. He has shared the stage with numerous artists including Ben Folds, Brian Vander Ark (The Verve Pipe), Greg Laswell, Barcelona (indie rock band), and Boyce Avenue (band).

Andrew released his debut EP All Those Pretty Lights in September 2008, containing songs featured in hit TV shows including CW's “90210”, MTV's “The Real World”, CBS's Ghost Whisperer, and E!'s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”. His debut full-length album The Ladder was released in February 2010. Songs from The Ladder have been featured on hit TV shows including Grey's Anatomy and CW's The Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill and ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game . His song "Sky's Still Blue" was featured in a Microsoft commercial/documentary promoting the Windows 7, Windows Live and Windows Phone 7 exosystem. It was made available as a free download from Microsoft. His song 'In My Veins' recently featured in the final scene of the fourth season finale of Castle, which was released 7 May 2012.

Charlotte Ann Martin (born in Charleston, on October 31, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, who performs predominantly on the piano. She has written several studio albums, two of which have received mainstream commercial releases, 2004's On Your Shore and 2006's Stromata. In 2009 she released an instrumental piano album titled Piano Trees before releasing her new studio album Dancing on Needles on February 1, 2011.

Martin grew up in Charleston, Illinois. She won the Miss Illinois Teen USA 1994 title on June 26, 1994 and went on to represent in the Miss Teen USA pageant broadcast live from Biloxi, Mississippi on August 16. Martin graduated from Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance, majoring in opera. In 1999, Charlotte moved to Los Angeles. On September 30, 2005, she married musician/producer Ken Andrews. Their first child, Ronen Joseph Andrews, was born on May 4, 2008; their second, Stella Jean Andrews was born on March 9, 2011.

Following the birth of Ronen, Martin suffered with the nerve disorder, intercostal neuralgia that left her incapacitated for the better part of a year, causing lengthy delays to the writing and recording process of her latest album "Dancing on Needles".

The Raconteurs /ˌrækɒnˈtɜrz/ (also known as The Saboteurs in Australia) is an American rock band that was formed in Detroit, Michigan, featuring four members known for other musical projects: Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Dead Weather), Brendan Benson (solo), Jack Lawrence (of The Greenhornes, Blanche and The Dead Weather), and Patrick Keeler (also of The Greenhornes).

The band is based in Nashville, Tennessee. According to the band's official website, "The seed was sown in an attic in the middle of a hot summer when friends Jack White and Brendan Benson got together and wrote a song that truly inspired them. This song was 'Steady, As She Goes' and the inspiration led to the creation of a full band with the addition of Lawrence and Keeler." The band came together in Detroit during 2005 and recorded when time allowed for the remainder of the year. Due to the various members' success in other bands, they were quickly dubbed a supergroup. The band, however, asserted they were not, saying that the term implies something pre-planned or temporary, whereas they are actually "a new band made up of old friends."