SOUND CHECKS – DON’T MISS CHARLESTON’S HOTTEST LIVE MUSIC SERIES!
Nobody brings you closer to today’s rising stars than Sound Checks. We invite you to join the party, step on to the Clay Center stage, and enjoy the best music from local and national emerging artists. Be a part of the scene at Sound Checks!
2019-2020 Season
On Sale Now!
Step out of your seat and on to the stage at Sound Checks! Experience live music from local bands you love, while introducing yourself to emerging national acts!
Thank you to our season sponsors Roger L. Nicholson, Chris Blanchard, Encova, Charleston Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Saluja Law!
October kicks off five years of celebrating local musicians and emerging artists live on the Clay Center stage. Sound Checks, originally titled Sound Check Sessions, has showcased the rising stars of the music industry for half a decade.
The series, originally developed to give patrons a new experience at the Clay Center, has featured over 50 bands and performers from across the globe. Guests have been able to truly step out of their seats in the Maier Foundation Performance Hall and on to the stage for an intimate, relaxed experience.
The series brings back some fan favorite Sound Checks performers as well as local musicians – some who will be taking the Clay Center stage for the first time!
Friday, October 11 | 8pm – Bombadil with Tofujitsu
Bombadil is a trio of North Carolina and France-based vocalists, songwriters, and visual artists. The band specializes in technicolor Americana pop, with knitted three-part vocal harmony.
Bombadil’s sound is a wonderful collection of colorful folk, good-hearted lyrics, and thoughtful melodies. Their superb live show always has a full schedule of performances throughout North America and Europe. The band has received press coverage in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Paste, and their songs have been featured in the movie Trainwreck and the Hulu original series Runaways.
This event is part of FestivALL Fall, turning a season into a work of art! FestivALL Fall hosts dozens of indoor & outdoor events exposing you to a bounty of local, regional and national talent in art, theatre, dance & music.
Wednesday, November 27 | 8pm – A Funky Thanksgiving Eve with Funk You with support from Beggars Clan
Hailing from the east side Georgia town of Augusta, FUNK YOU is an outgoing burst of energy that is continually climbing their way to the top of the music scene. This “funk” oriented outfit projects multiple musical styles focusing mainly on dance driven grooves with powerful clean vocals. Incorporating intriguing musical composition, tasteful lyrics, and crowd captivating live performances, FUNK YOU is surely to make an imprint on your musical taste.
Saturday, December 28 | 8pm – Christian Lopez with Ona
Christian Lopez is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Martinsburg, West Virginia. His mother, an opera singer & music teacher, started him out at an early age, learning the piano at age 5 and guitar at age 9. He began songwriting in his early teenage years, and was touring before the age of 16. In 2013, Lopez signed a record deal with Blaster Records. Shortly thereafter, he recorded his first release, the five song EP Pilot, which was released in October 2014, followed by his first full length album “Onward” released in May 2015, produced by Grammy Winning producer, Dave Cobb. (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson)
Friday, January 24th | 8pm – Great Peacock with Tony Harrah
Spitting stories of love, loss and pain, Nashville’s Great Peacock⎯⎯ comprised of lead singer and guitarist Andrew Nelson, guitarist Blount Floyd, drummer Nick Recio and bass player Frank Keith IV ⎯⎯ challenge the very notion of genre, dismantling tradition and blurring the lines between rock ‘n roll, conventional folk music and true Americana. Having earned praise from Paste, the Nashville Scene, American Songwriter, No Depression, Relix and PopMatters, the band ignites a kind of unapologetic spark. As fixtures on the Southern festival circuit including Shakey Knees, they’ve shared stages with an abundance of equally-minded noise-makers, including Susto, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Dr. Dog, American Aquarium, Margo Price and Jonathan Tyler.