The Reality Check Experiment performing live
Philadelphia · Psychedelic Jam Band

THE REALITY
CHECK
EXPERIMENT

Four friends making weird, high-energy music and seeing where it goes. TRCE is a Philadelphia jam band built around improvisation, big segues, original songs and the idea that the show should never feel exactly the same twice.

PhiladelphiaHome base
4-pieceBand format
30K+Social audience
2026Debut studio album
The band

Built live.
Built independent.

TRCE came up by playing constantly, recording the shows, building its own scene in Philadelphia and treating every gig like part of one long story.

The Reality Check Experiment (TRCE) is a four-piece psychedelic jam band from Philadelphia. The sound pulls from rock, funk, psychedelia and improvisational music, with long-form jams and songs that can open up differently from night to night.

A big part of the band’s identity comes from The Zapp Factory, its DIY Philadelphia home base. The recurring “Zapp Tests” became a place to try new songs, experiment onstage, livestream, record multitracks and build a real repeat-show community from the ground up.

TRCE remains independently run. The band handles its own creative world, live production, recordings, content and community while touring through the Northeast and continuing to push into new markets.

Guitar · vocalsJosh Victor
Keys · vocalsQuinn Shamberger
Bass · vocalsMatt Pantos
Drums · vocalsMartin Blazik
Recent movement

What’s happening now.

A cleaner snapshot of the band’s current era — not a giant résumé.

2026 · Release

Debut studio album released in July 2026.

The first full studio statement from TRCE, following years of live releases, singles and archived Zapp Test performances.

Aug 2026 · Asbury Park

The Stone Pony with Dogs in a Pile.

TRCE opened the August 8, 2026 Stone Pony show in Asbury Park ahead of Dogs in a Pile.

Philadelphia

The Zapp Factory.

TRCE’s DIY home base and the birthplace of the recurring Zapp Test live series.

Touring

Philadelphia outward.

The band has been building repeat markets across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware and the wider Northeast through clubs, breweries, festivals and afterparties.

See it live

The show is the point.

The songs matter. The way they mutate in the room matters more.

Listen / watch

Start anywhere.

Studio tracks, full shows, Zapp Tests and live recordings all live side by side. If you want to understand the band quickly, watch a full performance instead of a thirty-second clip.

Booking · press · routing

Put TRCE
in the room.

For shows, festivals, support slots, press or routing conversations, reach out directly. The band is independently operated and actively building repeat markets throughout the Northeast and beyond.