SoundCheck Hollywood Checks Into Sunset
The Sunset Strip recently welcomed a new retail resident intent on keeping the boulevard’s rock and roll spirit alive. SoundCheck Hollywood, a T-shirt and music emporium hawking apparel featuring classic and contemporary rock bands, opened its doors late last month on Rock Row, between the Viper Room and the Whisky A Go-Go.
Framed T’s and limited edition merchandise with iconic band logos and classic graphics hyping hard rockers like Metallica and King Diamond line the walls above the rows of shirts and provide a rockin’ vibe to the cool, casual spot. SoundCheck also sells rock magazines and sports a pair of very cool pinball machines showcasing Guns N’ Roses and old school WWF wrestling stars. And no quarters necessary!
Regular band meet-and-greets and in-store performances are also on the shop’s agenda. And securing a decent roster of artists shouldn’t be a problem for one of SoundCheck’s owners, Ash Avildsen, founder and president of L.A.-based Sumerian Records. Amanda Fiore, Shawn Keith, Matt Andersen and Mick Morris are partners in the retail hot spot. Local rockers The Faceless, I See Stars and Sumerian-signed Asking Alexandria stopped by to sign autographs last month during the shop’s grand opening on National Record Store Day.
On May 26, the retailer is hosting meet and greets with MMA and Strikeforce star Josh Barnett and rockers All Shall Perish. And on June 10, expect a lively line on Sunset when SoundCheck presents an in-store signing with metal monsters Fear Factory complete with an exclusive-merchandise offer tie-in.
While there’s a lot of fun distractions at this rock shop, its key selling point is its extensive array of rock T-shirts that include cool indie bands and headlining supergroups in its mix, with a Foo Fighters shirt in particular deserving its spot in a frame. And no decent rock emporium would be complete witout classic Iron Maiden shirts sporting the band’s mascot, heavy metal icon Eddie,
SoundCheck, located at 8872 Sunset Blvd., is keeping it real by including a CD section of rock music, with plans to soon expand the inventory with vinyl and DVDs. Browsing the racks is part of the fun of buying new music, and it’s great to have that option available again now that Tower Sunset is a distant memory.
The best part? The shirts are nicely priced at under $20, and there’s a “Garage Sale” rack with even cheaper but equally as rockin’ T’
