Monday, February 27, 2023

YouTube Channel Profile Series: A Dire Setback Band

It's now time for our latest YouTube Channel Profile, continuing our (usually) monthly look at YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists/concerts, all as randomly selected from our YouTube subscriptions! Now that we're back on schedule for this series for posting these on/around the 26th, we have a small but substantive channel from a very prominent local punk band, so here's what you should know on it!

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A Dire Setback Band (http://youtube.com/@adiresetbackband8012) 

Owner: A member of local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback, exact identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 2nd, 2017; Videos uploaded from September 2019 through October of last year

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for A Dire Setback, it features a live video, a music video, and a studio recording from their debut album cycle and onward. Its fourth video (and last so far) features a comedy bluegrass song written by bassist Matthew Quinn & performed for his co-workers at his day job, but it otherwise not related to the band despite being posted on their channel.

Why You Should Watch: There's sadly not much here, but for official A Dire Setback content, the channel is still actively used, and hopefully they have a busier 2023 to supplement their existing videos, which are quite entertaining for fans of modern punk rock! Note that the channel was launched late in original lead singer Larry Babic's tenure with A.D.S., but nothing featuring him is currently hosted there.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

A Dire Setback - Kicking and Screaming // Music Video // Pop Punk Rock: A Dire Setback's earliest surviving upload is their official music video for their song "Kicking & Screaming", which was the first single for their self-titled 2020 debut album. Posted there in September 2019, this was filmed by Poindexter Productions and edited by Celeste Maurer. The video proper features singer/guitarist Chris Nielsen and his significant other reflecting on their crumbling relationship, framed in a dilapidated building that feels their respective wrath (Matt and drummer Nick Kainula are not seen on camera). Effective and well made video that fits the lyrics of the song better than many examples of music videos by local rock bands!


A Dire Setback - Drop Dead: The second advance single from "A Dire Setback" was "Drop Dead" (née "Wasting Away"), which didn't get a music video of its own, but this YouTube upload from January 2020 features an audio visualizer bar along the edge of the wall in the image. Fun and fast paced original that will be familiar to A.D.S. fans from their beginnings onward, this catchy punk rocker still holds up, and click here to check out their full album from that March!


A Dire Setback Vibe 2022 - Highway Tune: The most recent A Dire Setback video on their channel is their only live performance video, featuring them (with Matt on lead vocals) covering Greta Van Fleet's "Highway Tune" at the annual Northern Vibe Festival in nearby Ophir in August of last year. The opening band on Friday the 26th, this was A Dire Setback's first live concert set since the 2021 installment of this festival one year prior. I'm not a Greta Van Fleet fan, but this is a closer match to their sound than some of their other covered band choices, and Matt doesn't try to mimic Led Zeppelin vocals in the process! The visual quality is well angled and clear, but the large stage doesn't suit a three piece band very well for the viewers' sake. If you want more of them in concert, click here for multiple live videos of A Dire Setback pre-pandemic!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return for another randomly selected channel profile on or around March 26th when we look at YouTube user MrEvilgobi, featuring a mixture of live and studio material from local bands, and even some out of town musicians, so look for that next month, and for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

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