Sound check: PlayOn Fest relives concerts by Cardi B, Weezer, Coldplay and more

Hot streams

• PlayOn Fest: Music is NOT cancelled, and you can virtually enjoy incredible performances as PlayOn Fest relives favorite concerts all weekend. Catch spectacular performances from around the world, including Alt-J, Bebe Rexha, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Green Day, Cardi B, Ed Sheeran, Fitz and the Tantrums, Janelle Monáe, Panic! At the Disco, Slipknot, The Flaming Lips, Twenty One Pilots, Weezer and much more. The concerts begin with LL Cool J at 11 a.m. Friday at youtube.com/SONGKICK and benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.

• Block By Blockwest — A Minecraft Music Festival featuring Sir Sly, Cherry Glazerr, Citizen, The Wrecks, Courier Club, Heart Attack Man, Cannibal Kids and more: 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in Minecraft, on Discord, and on YouTube and Facebook. More info at blockbyblockwest.com.

• Relief Aid: An Online Concert Benefiting Relief Coalition: From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 25, local artists will perform live from their homes to raise funds to support Relief Coalition, an organization working with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to supply food and goods to those in need in the Aurora and Naperville areas. Artists on the bill include Leroy Winn, Dave Eno, SamIam The MC, Olivia Ports, Dan Spielman, Downtown Charlie Brown and Thomas Linsk. Watch for event updates and attend the show on Facebook.

• Fredo Fridays with Fredo Disco: 8 p.m. Friday, April 24, at instagram.com/fredo.disco

• The Ike Reilly Family Quarantine Hour Livestream: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at facebook.com/ikereilly

• Evanston Space's All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Show with Dave Specter and John Kattke: 7 p.m. Monday, April 27, at facebook.com/evanstonspace

Cool new tracks

• Three Chicago-area bands banded together to drop a new split EP this week. The three-song release is a product of ongoing friendships and musical comraderie on the DIY scene. Superkick kicks off the “Super Dumb Camp” EP with “Doomburg,” a high-energy post-punk-flavored dancer. Dumb House, the newest kid on the block of the three bands, bangs on the indie middle track, “Doom Daze.” And Camp Edwards revels in its signature lo-fi emo glory with “Beer Pong @ Brad's.” Three different sounds that sound good together. Read all about it on Chicago Sound Check at chicagosoundcheck.com.

• In need of an escape? Friday, Palatine's Ember Oceans releases the first single off the band's upcoming album — “Cheap Flights (Hawaii),” a strikingly relevant song in these locked-down times. The indie-rock band wrote the single the first week of the Chicago-area quarantine. “We really tried to just sort of capture the moment ... I think that it harkens back to our earlier days of just kind of jamming in the garage,” said Parker Simonaitis, the band's drummer. The single — which blends Ember Ocean's earlier bright and playful tunes and its recent mature, groove-based jams — will be out on all streaming services and Chicago Sound Check Friday.

• Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor and local music junkie. Email him at bshamie@dailyherald.com, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter (@thatshamieguy) or Instagram (@chicagosoundcheck). Brian also keeps tabs on the Chicago-area music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.