Kevin Farris joins Sound Check livestream concert series at 7 p.m. Friday

The news just broke that the local live music scene looks to be on an extended hiatus well into the summer.

So now more than ever, we need our entertainment to help keep us sane.

Mount Prospect singer-songwriter Kevin Farris aims to help scratch that itch when he joins us for Chicago Sound Check's livestream concert series on Instagram Live (instagram.com/chicagosoundcheck) at 7 p.m. Friday. Friday, May 8, sponsored by the Daily Herald, White Claw and Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Farris, a native of Arlington Heights who some may remember from the rock band Coventry, was recently seen blasting through the blind audition rounds on NBC's “The Voice” and landing a slot on Team Jonas.

Now back home, the artist and preschool music educator is facing all-too-common challenges stemming from the COVID quarantines and venue shutdowns — a summer tour canceled, as well as some scheduled local gigs.

“After ‘The Voice,' I wanted to do a big Chicago show for friends and family and people that may have tuned in and been interested in the excerpt done on me,” Farris said. “But obviously all of that has changed.”

Leaning into the new normal, the 33-year-old musician found different outlets for his creativity and his job.

“My plan is just to adapt as best I can,” he said, “because I think you have two options: You just curl up in a ball and say ‘Woe is me,' or you kind of adapt to the situation, try to maintain as much momentum as possible now. I'm choosing the latter.”

Farris has taken to some livestream performances, has moved his virtual teaching online at the request of some students and is spending time recording new music in his home studio, getting it ready to send out for mixing and mastering. He'll share some of his music, as well as chatting about his projects and his time on “The Voice,” when he joins us on Instagram Live (instagram.com/chicagosoundcheck) at 7 p.m. Friday.