Browse current posts below or jump to a category:
Our Featured Sponsors:
Current Episode:
How It Started
Like many great ideas in music scenes everywhere, Desert Sound Check began simply — Derek sitting down with musicians and friends from the Tucson community, talking about music, life, and the stories that come with being part of the scene. He realized that what out of those conversations is something special: a peek into the life of a working musician who help shape Tucson’s music community.
Bringing the Show to Life
When Derek decided he wanted to share those conversations with a wider audience, he reached out to Erika and Kandra from Tucson Local Bands for help bringing the idea to life. Derek didn’t want to build a website or wrestle with the technical side of publishing a show — he wanted to focus on the conversations.
That’s where Tucson Local Bands stepped in.
The Desert Sound Check Brand
Kandra, who loves everything about local music, branding, and storytelling, helped shape the project from the ground up — creating the Desert Sound Check name, brand, and visual identity, and handling the video production that brings the conversations to life.
It has been a whirlwind of learning, creative exploration, and a lot of fun behind the scenes. More than anything, it has been an honor to spend time with Derek and get to know so many incredible Tucson musicians a little better through these conversations.
The Voice Behind Desert Sound Check
At the end of the day, Desert Sound Check is Derek’s show. He’s the host, the heart of the conversations, and the one guiding where the project goes next.
Behind the scenes, Tucson Local Bands is proud to help support the project so Derek can focus on what he does best: talking music. Kandra happily keeps things on track from the branding, marketing, and production side; Erika keeps all of us looking our best and makes sure the cameras are pointing the right way round; and Chris helps keep the timing on track while making sure the sound is exactly where it should be.
Founding Sponsors & Partners
Desert Sound Check is possible because of the businesses that believed in the project from the very beginning. Their financial support, professional services, and encouragement have helped us share the stories of Tucson musicians with our community.
Founding Sponsor
Alō Goods is Kandra's handcrafted personal care company. Every purchase helps support Tucson Local Bands and projects like Desert Sound Check.
Founding Sponsor
Starved Raccoon is the work of Tucson artist Joy, who transforms found and repurposed materials into one-of-a-kind art, jewelry, and home décor.
Founding Creative Partner
Kandra donated the branding, website design, and technical development that helped bring Desert Sound Check online through her branding and marketing company, Phases Design Studio. From the show’s visual identity to its website and digital structure, her work helped turn the original idea into a polished, lasting platform for Tucson’s music community.
Want to Be Part of Desert Sound Check?
Have someone in mind who should be interviewed? Want to be a guest yourself? Have ideas, expertise, or resources that could help the project grow?
Submissions are reviewed by Derek and the Tucson Local Bands organizers. We’re all volunteers with regular day jobs, and we typically get together once a quarter to talk through submissions, ideas, and next steps — so if you don’t hear back right away, please hang tight.
Want to Be Part of Desert Sound Check?
Desert Sound Check is a community project built around the Tucson music scene, and we’re always excited to meet more of the people who help make it special.
If you’d like to be a guest, suggest someone for the show, or help the project grow, we’d love to hear from you. You might want to reach out if you:
- are a Tucson musician who would like to be interviewed
- know someone in the music community who should be on the show
- have ideas, skills, or resources that could help the project grow
- just want to say hello and support the project
