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Alternative


Album Review: Josceppi’s Riveting New Album ‘Chämeleon’
Article Contributed by Monica Soriano It seems that artists don’t always have the monthly listeners that are equivalent to their talent. This is the case for Josceppi. ‘Chämeleon’ is a wonderful piece of storytelling that has the potential to grab the attention of many new listeners. While starting the listening journey it was clear that this was intentionally crafted and Josceppi as an artist has a clear direction. The alternative pop rock meets classic rockstar feel is a de

Monica Soriano
May 24


Boys Like Girls Brought the Soundtrack of a Generation Back to Life in Anaheim
With booming sing-alongs, flickering box TVs, and emotional callbacks to their earliest records, Boys Like Girls delivered the ultimate pop-rock time machine.
Vaneza Gutiérrez Wyckoff
May 11


Sterling Heights Was Frozen, But YUNGBLUD Made It Burn.
Twenty-four North American dates kicked off in a sold-out Sterling Heights amphitheater on a Friday night in May, where the temperature dropped from fifty to the thirties before YUNGBLUD ever hit the stage. By the time the lights went down, the amphitheater was speckled with snow.

LJ Portnoy
May 5


People I’ve Met: An Intimate Beginning at Mercury Lounge
There's something about seeing a band at the right moment. Before things get too big and the room gets too crowded, it makes the show feel more personal. And at a venue like Mercury Lounge that has helped launch names like Lady Gaga, nights as intimate as these might be a famous piece of history later. Tonight, People I’ve Met feel like they are right on the edge of glory days.

Fernando Flores
May 5


The Afterglow Tour Fired Up Chicago and Lit Up The Salt Shed
Article and Photos Contributed by Ernesto Raul Aguilar The Afterglow Tour with Bob Moses, joined by Cannons and opening act Oxis, arrived at The Salt Shed in Chicago on April 22 and delivered a night defined by atmosphere, pacing, and cohesion. The show unfolded with intention, each set flowing seamlessly into the next and shaping a larger emotional arc. It was a lineup that fully embraced mood and immersion, drawing the crowd in from the very beginning. Bob Moses performing

Ernesto Raul Aguilar
Apr 24


HAYLA's "Heal" Is the Song She's Been Building To
You think you know an artist. Then they hand you something like this. "Heal" isn't the HAYLA you've been dancing to — it's the one she's been keeping to herself. And we're so glad she's finally letting us in.

LJ Portnoy
Apr 18


Philly Chose The Maine and Showed Up to Prove It
Article & Photos contributed by Rebecca McDevitt If you have never seen The Maine live, Friday night at Franklin Music Hall would have been the perfect introduction. The five-piece rock band out of Tempe, Arizona have been at this since 2007, eighteen years and ten studio albums deep, and they perform like a band that genuinely cannot believe they still get to do this. Their latest record, Joy Next Door, dropped just last week and they brought it straight to the road with the

Rebecca McDevitt
Apr 18


Underground Radar: Flwers Are Proof That Timing, Friendship, and a Little TikTok Magic Can Change Everything
Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt & Ilana Bornstein Some bands come together through industry connections. Others start because a group of friends simply never stopped playing music together. For Chicago-based alternative pop band Flwers, it’s the second story. SoundCheck first discovered Flwers the same way a lot of fans did lately… scrolling through TikTok. Between honest lyrics, hook-heavy melodies, and videos that felt more like friends sharing music than a careful

SoundCheck Team
Apr 10


Dead Wrong Lay It All Out on Debut Full-Length Album “The Extent”
Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt Dead Wrong photographed in Philadelphia, PA - Photo by Chris Lopez (IG: @ chrislopezest89 ) Philadelphia has never had a shortage of bands willing to wear their hearts on their sleeves. It's practically a city requirement. But Dead Wrong, the four-piece pop-punk outfit made up of Matt McKay, Stephen Morrell, Roberto Marcial, and Dan Fedele, do something a little more specific than just feeling things loudly. On their debut full-length T

Rebecca McDevitt
Apr 4


Hawthorne Heights Bring If Only You Were Lonely Back to Life at El Corazon
From Warped Tour memories to a crowd-immersed finale, the band bridges past and present in Seattle. Article & Photos by Vaneza Gutiérrez Wyckoff On that typical drizzly Tuesday night in Seattle, El Corazon was packed with a crowd nearly going out the door. Emo fans spanning generations gathered, filling every corner of the darkly lit venue, shouting lyrics, hands held high in the air, singing their hearts out to songs rushing back as if it were still 2006, the album spinning
Vaneza Gutiérrez Wyckoff
Mar 20


Kira Lise - The TikTok Star’s Latest Single “Ignorance Is Bliss” and Managing Anxiety
Article Contributed by Monica Soriano Photos Provided by Perk Agency The world of music is ever changing, no one would imagine 30 years ago that artists would become easily accessible through a hand held device. That is where we are today, we live in a time where artists can open doors for themselves and engage with potential fans on social media. The internet is powerful, we have seen labels and performers shift their marketing to become more appealing to their target audien

Monica Soriano
Mar 15


SINGLE REVIEW: Die To Fall – The Maine
Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt Photo Provided by Spotify Die To Fall is The Maine’s first release off their upcoming record Joy Next Door, and it already feels like a song made to be shared. It has that indie alternative glow to it, but with a beat you can still move to. The kind of song that turns into a group scream at a summer show, arms thrown over each other’s shoulders, yelling “I feel alive” like you mean it. There’s something really freeing about it. It feels

Rebecca McDevitt
Mar 4


Alex Sampson’s Thank You For Loving Me Tour: The Show Must Go On
El Club in Detroit, MI, welcomed Alex Sampson and the ‘Thank You For Loving Me’ Tour for a night that felt incredibly special, despite the illness that was sweeping its way through the lineup for the evening. But none of them let it dampen the night, and it was proven time and time again that the show really can go on even when you're feeling under the weather.
Rachel Catherine
Mar 3


More Than Sad Songs: Justin Furstenfeld at Neptune Theatre
A candid night of music, memory, and choosing how to live the one life we get on this spinning rock. Article & Photos by Vaneza Gutiérrez Wyckoff I walked into the Neptune Theatre chasing something familiar — the kind of catharsis only the lyrics of your youth, long buried in the recesses of your mind, can unlock. Little did I know that I would walk out with something far more personal. What unfolded onstage wasn’t just a two-hour rock performance, rather a revealing conversa


Momentum Meets Hometown: Moonroof at Underground Arts
On the first warm night in months, Philadelphia showed up loud for a lineup that proved the local scene is thriving. Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt & Devin McDevitt Moonroof performing at Underground Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Rebecca McDevitt. IG: @ rebeccajeanlimitedphotography There is something about the first warm night in Philadelphia that feels like permission to breathe again. The snow was melting into the sidewalks. People lingered outside instead of

Rebecca McDevitt
Mar 1


I Am Is The Sound of Lexa Gates Claiming Her Space
Photo by Sasha Camacho Article Contributed by Fernando Flores Lexa Gates’s “I Am” unfolds like a conversation you don’t rush through. It’s an album that takes its time not because it’s unsure of itself but because it understands that self-definition isn’t something you arrive at all at once. This project moves with patience and purpose; tracing the quiet evolution of someone learning how to live inside their own truth. It doesn’t posture or over-explain. It simply exists con

Fernando Flores
Feb 28


Small Stage, Loud Dreams: Why Showing Up For Your Local Bands Matters
Article & Photos Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt On February 21st at MilkBoy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about fifty people gathered to watch Modern Culture, Sleep Cycles, and June Divided share a stage. Fifty people. Not sold out. Not empty. Just enough to feel real. Sleep Cycles performing at Milkboy in Philadelphia, PA. Photo Provided by Rebecca McDevitt IG: (@ rebeccajealimitedphotography ) The room was warm, loud, relaxed, and there was not a single phone in sight. Y

Rebecca McDevitt
Feb 22


Badflower, Point North, and Olive Vox Deliver a Sold-Out Night of Electricity in Detroit
On the evening of February 17, 2026, just after 6:30 PM, a line of fans stretched far beyond the entrance of St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, waiting for performances from Badflower, Point North, and Olive Vox. The line spilled across the parking lot, wrapped around the block, and disappeared toward the far sidewalk. The February air was cold, fog hanging low across the city, but no one moved. No one left.

LJ Portnoy
Feb 19


Marsupial Magic in Cleveland: The Wombats Bring Indie Euphoria to the House of Blues
Article & Photos by Madison Cozzens The Wombats have been around since the early 2000’s providing listeners with the quintessential feel-good indie rock. Spanning from 2007 to 2025 their discography transports you back to the feeling of the 2010’s, making you feel like the star of your own coming of age movie. The group packed The House of Blues on a Thursday night in Cleveland, OH as they take their “Oh the Ocean Tour” across North America. The Wombats performing at The Hous
Madison Cozzens
Feb 16


Motion City Soundtrack & Say Anything Bring Nostalgia Roaring Back to Life
The Fillmore Detroit has a way of making every show feel larger than itself, and on February 10, it became the gathering place for fans of Motion City Soundtrack, many of whom had carried these songs with them for years. Its towering ceilings and ornate gold detailing framed the room with a sense of permanence, a reminder that countless performances had lived and ended within those same walls.

LJ Portnoy
Feb 13
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