Aug, 19, 2026
Media AlertsSpecial Events and Programs
SOUNDCHECK, a Live Music Series, Returns to Phoenix Art Museum for Second Season
Tickets on sale now for select performances highlighting local and regional musical acts.
PHOENIX (August 19, 2026) – SOUNDCHECK is back at Phoenix Art Museum. This fall, for one Friday each month, Phoenix Art Museum turns into a live-music venue for unplugged, can’t-miss performances from popular local and regional acts. The monthly performances run from 7-8 p.m. and are made possible thanks to the generosity of presenting sponsor Men’s Arts Council, with additional support from the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Arts. The SOUNDCHECK season kicks off with Meat Puppets on September 25, followed by MRCH on October 30. Tickets are now live on www.phxart.org and can be found here.
“We are very excited to bring back SOUNDCHECK during the 2026-2027 season at Phoenix Art Museum,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “This increasingly popular program gives visitors a new way to experience the Museum, with live musical performances that range from rock n’ roll and punk rock, to indie and contemporary pop. We are grateful to Men’s Arts Council and the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Arts for their ongoing support of this program and their commitment to bringing even more people together through art, music and shared experiences.”
Launched in 2025, SOUNDCHECK is a monthly live-music experience at Phoenix Art Museum. Last year’s lineup included musical guests 76th Street, The Sunflower King, The Phoenix Symphony and many more.
This year’s lineup kicks off on Friday, September 25, 2026, with Arizona Hall of Fame recipients Meat Puppets. Formed in Phoenix in the early 1980s, Meat Puppets turned punk’s creative freedom loose on country, psychedelia and Southwestern desert weirdness, making landmark albums like Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun before Kurt Cobain brought brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood onstage for Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged and introduced them to a generation. More than 40 years later, the founding trio is back together, joined by keyboardist Ron Stabinsky and guitarist Elmo Kirkwood. As drummer Derrick Bostrom puts it, “This doesn’t feel like an oldies act. It feels like the culmination.”
The second band in this year’s schedule is MRCH, on stage Friday, October 30, 2026. Indie electronic duo MRCH makes moody music you can dance to. Their songs have been featured in TV shows like The Twilight Zone, Search Party, The Vampire Diaries, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and more. As well as the upcoming film Capsized (premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August 2026), the duo has carved out a niche cinematic presence. MRCH toured independently, supporting bands including Cannons, CHVRCHES, Foster the People, Bad Suns and others.
“SOUNDCHECK brings together some of the best of what makes Phoenix so special, from incredible music and art to meaningful opportunities to connect as a community,” said Sentari Minor, board president of Men’s Arts Council. “As we kick off a new season, we’re excited to continue our partnership with Phoenix Art Museum and bring this event back for another year. It’s a celebration of local talent, creativity and community, and we look forward to welcoming everyone for another unforgettable experience.”
Tickets for Meat Puppets SOUNDCHECK performance are available here and tickets to MRCH can be purchased here.
SOUNDCHECK is included with regular-priced museum admission, giving visitors access to Phoenix Art Museum galleries in addition to live musical performances.
Additional bands in the 2026 SOUNDCHECK lineup will be announced later this fall.
High-resolution photography with image credits can be downloaded here. To request interviews, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org. For more information on the Men’s Arts Council, contact Lindsay Hansen at 480-205-6195 or lindsay@ldhconsulting.net.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art of our region and world. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, PhxArt creates spaces of exchange and belonging for all audiences through dynamic exhibitions, collections, and experiences with art. Each year, 300,000 guests on average engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern, and contemporary art and fashion design, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. PhxArt also presents live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education programs and workshops, a monthly live-music series, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.
About Men’s Arts Council
The Men’s Arts Council (MAC) of Phoenix Art Museum, founded in 1967, is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization that supports the Museum’s programs and activities through its unique events such as the Copperstate 1000 and the Copperstate Overland, a vintage off-road rally. The Men’s Arts Council’s efforts enable the organization to make annual contributions to Phoenix Art Museum’s operating budget and financially sponsor exhibitions. For more information, visit https://mensartscouncil.com/.
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