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Fresh from 2022

Discoveries of 2021: The Playlist

Discoveries from 2021: Some of our favorite releases from the year

Fresh from 2021

Discoveries of 2020: The Playlist

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v7

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v6

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v5

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v4

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v3

  • Music
  • Videos

Fresh tracks: Kings By Day, OPLIAM, Til Morning, Colleen Wild, Nora Marks, Andrew Robert Palmer, Mike Giannini, Boundary Waters and more

By Brian Shamie 1 day ago
  • Galleries

Gallery: Glory Days — Sideouts 8/6/22

By Brian Shamie 5 days ago
  • Galleries

Gallery: Three Oh Go — Sideouts 8/6/22

By Brian Shamie 5 days ago
  • Concerts
  • Features

Making Everyday Fantastic: Rising indie-pop band headlining HVAC Pub Saturday

By Brian Shamie 6 days ago
  • Columns
  • Concerts

Sound check: ZORILA’s EP release show; The Linden Method and two doses of Take the Reins; Evanston’s Out of Space series

By Brian Shamie 2 weeks ago
  • Concerts
  • Features

Wauconda’s Glory Days growing the suburban pop-punk scene with Sideouts show

By Brian Shamie 2 weeks ago
  • Music
  • Videos

Fresh tracks: Better Love, Wolf Rd, Beach Bunny, Better Love, Marina City, Friday Pilots Club, Model Stranger, Whitney and more

By Sound Check 2 weeks ago

Recent features

An in-depth look at the bands, the music and the events you need to know

  • Concerts
  • Features

Making Everyday Fantastic: Rising indie-pop band headlining HVAC Pub Saturday

By Brian Shamie 6 days ago
  • Concerts
  • Features

Wauconda’s Glory Days growing the suburban pop-punk scene with Sideouts show

By Brian Shamie 2 weeks ago
  • Concerts
  • Features

Saturday’s Homegrown Arts & Music Festival marks a decade of bringing local artists together

By Brian Shamie 3 weeks ago
  • Concerts
  • Features

Lollapalooza performances ‘a childhood dream come true’ for Northbrook singer JORDY 

By Brian Shamie 3 weeks ago
  • Concerts
  • Features
  • Music

Chicago rapper Taylor Bennett on his free show Friday, lessons he learned from big brother Chance 

By Brian Shamie 4 weeks ago
  • Concerts
  • Features

Billy Corgan to host charity livestream show for Highland Park mass shooting victims

By Doug Graham 1 month ago

The Weekly Column

Sound Check in the Daily Herald

  • Columns
  • Concerts

Sound check: ZORILA’s EP release show; The Linden Method and two doses of Take the Reins; Evanston’s Out of Space series

By Brian Shamie 2 weeks ago
  • Columns
  • Concerts

Sound check: Benefit for Action/Adventure; Goo Goo Dolls slide into town

By Brian Shamie 3 weeks ago

In pictures

Bands on stage

  • Galleries

Gallery: Glory Days — Sideouts 8/6/22

By Brian Shamie 5 days ago
  • Galleries

Gallery: Three Oh Go — Sideouts 8/6/22

By Brian Shamie 5 days ago
  • Concerts
  • Galleries

Concerts in the park: The Student Body and the summer lineup for Northbrook, Glenview and Deerfield

By Brian Shamie 2 months ago
  • Galleries

Gallery: Careless Sanctions at The WC Social Club 5/17/22

By Denis Cheng 3 months ago
  • Galleries

Gallery: The Million Reasons – Martyrs’ 4/17/22

By Denis Cheng 4 months ago
  • Galleries

Gallery: The Million Reasons — Bottom Lounge 8/20/21

By Neal Zeleznak 12 months ago

Listen up

Local music on Spotify

  • Music
  • Playlists

Fresh from 2022

By Sound Check 6 months ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Discoveries of 2021: The Playlist

By Sound Check 8 months ago
  • Features
  • Music
  • Playlists

Discoveries from 2021: Some of our favorite releases from the year

By Brian Shamie 8 months ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Fresh from 2021

By Sound Check 1 year ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Discoveries of 2020: The Playlist

By Sound Check 2 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v7

By Sound Check 2 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v6

By Sound Check 2 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v5

By Sound Check 2 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v4

By Brian Shamie 2 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v3

By Brian Shamie 2 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v2

By Brian Shamie 3 years ago
  • Playlists

Playlist: Chicago Sound Check 2020.v1

By Brian Shamie 3 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Sound Check: Surprises of 2019

By Brian Shamie 3 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

AUX Favorites of 2019

By Andy King 3 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Holiday Sound Check 2019

By Brian Shamie 3 years ago
  • Playlists

North Coasting 2019

By Neal Zeleznak 3 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Chicago Sound Check 2019v6: Trickshooter Social Club

By Brian Shamie 3 years ago
  • Playlists

The Sounds of Homegrown 7

By Sound Check 3 years ago
  • Music
  • Playlists

Chicago Sound Check 2019v5: The Darling Suns

By Brian Shamie 3 years ago
  • Playlists

Electro Poppin’

By Phillip-Michael Scales 3 years ago

Now hear this

Recent releases from the Chicago scene

Fresh tracks

New local singles, albums & videos

  • Music
  • Videos

Fresh tracks: Kings By Day, OPLIAM, Til Morning, Colleen Wild, Nora Marks, Andrew Robert Palmer, Mike Giannini, Boundary Waters and more

By Brian Shamie 1 day ago
  • Music
  • Videos

Fresh tracks: Better Love, Wolf Rd, Beach Bunny, Better Love, Marina City, Friday Pilots Club, Model Stranger, Whitney and more

By Sound Check 2 weeks ago
  • Concerts
  • Features
  • Music

Chicago rapper Taylor Bennett on his free show Friday, lessons he learned from big brother Chance 

By Brian Shamie 4 weeks ago

Concert highlights

What's going on this week

  • Concerts
  • Features

Making Everyday Fantastic: Rising indie-pop band headlining HVAC Pub Saturday

By Brian Shamie 6 days ago
  • Columns
  • Concerts

Sound check: ZORILA’s EP release show; The Linden Method and two doses of Take the Reins; Evanston’s Out of Space series

By Brian Shamie 2 weeks ago

About Sound Check

The who, what, when and where of the Chicago and suburban music scene. Chicago Sound Check is a collaborative look by Daily Herald local music writer Brian Shamie and concert photographers Neal Zeleznak and Denis Cheng into the world of up-and-coming musicians working hard to express themselves, entertain others and make their mark.

Find us

Sound Check
c/o Daily Herald
P.O. Box 280
Arlington Heights, IL 60006

Reach us:
soundcheck@dailyherald.com

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