YouTube Channel Profile Series: Gabe Tessaro

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, giving us another chance to spotlight a YouTube channel (randomly selected as ever) to spotlight their uploads and content for modern readers! This month's selection gives us a prominent band from the local nightclub cover circuit in their twilight, so here's what you should know!

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Gabe Tessaro (http://youtube.com/channel/UCPYbZUEmGXSDNN0haEuy0_g)

Owner: Obsession guitarist Gabe Tessaro, also previously known from bands like That's Chester, Agave Blue, and The Reptiles

Channel Timeline: Launched on October 12th, 2011; Videos uploaded from November 2015 until June 2020

Channel Summary: A personal use channel, all four of Gabe's uploads relate to his 2004-2016 classic/hard rock cover band That's Chester, mostly via live concert videos from their last year as an active band, plus a one-off virtual reunion much further down the road.

Why You Should Watch: This will be must-watch for fans of Greg-era That's Chester, especially given the melancholy nature of these performances both at the time and in hindsight, so don't miss out! More videos of them can be seen at drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel, and while Gabe's channel is personal use, he has not uploaded videos from his other local bands, nor as he actively used it in the past year.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Captain Walker/It's A Boy: In their last public gigs with their final full lineup, That's Chester served as the house band for the local stage production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop in November 2015, with frontman Greg Simpson also acting in it. Just three weeks later, guitarist Eugene Orlando suddenly passed away, and Gabe posted this video from one of the shows that same day. By far his most popular video, this has a performance of the linked early songs "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy" featuring vocals from other actors. These are well done (if not all that heavy at this point), and the high camera angle captures action on stage well, especially the poignant scene of Gabe & Eugene playing together during the second song!

IMG 1221: Gabe's next two uploads are of That's Chester's eighth & ninth appearances at Rotaryfest's main stage at Clergue Park in July 2015 & 2016, including their nighttime cover of Deep Purple's "Hush" from 2015 (their last non-Tommy show with Eugene). Featured here is the 2016 video, from what was both a Eugene tribute set and the band's farewell as an active group. This cover of April Wine's "Roller" features guest vocals from original That's Chester frontman Richard Fullerton (recently of the Ottawa rock bands Mothership & Trashed Taxi) as well as fill-in guitarist Dan Belanger, who has sat in with Gabe's bands at multiple Rotaryfests. Ric did upload an alternate stationary angle of this very performance later, but the moving camera give this some extra flavour, and the guys all perform strongly! Greg does not sing here, but he does come out at the end.

That's Chester Isolation WishYouWereHere: Though the first pandemic lockdown was over by the end of June 2020, life as we knew it was still very much in upheaval, and many fans were surprised when Greg, Gabe, bassist Aubrey Falls, and Ric reunited (if remotely) to cover Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" for both Gabe's and Ric's YouTube channels. Dedicated by Greg to "everybody out there who's missing somebody" as well as Eugene (as per Ric's upload's description), this cover is well handled with strong editing, if very melancholy given the optics of both where the world was in mid-2020 and the fact that they were playing again without Eugene. Greg handled the second guitar role in Eugene's place, and while this isn't my favourite Pink Floyd's song, the messages resonate regardless!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month, we're looking at multiple channels again, as the first that I randomly selected had just one video on offer. As such, we'll be looking at YouTube users quasarwaves (featuring a late period Gates of Winter sample clip), These Magnificent Tentacles (featuring their studio songs so far), and ironically given that I just discovered them, Steel Sour (featuring their lone jam session video). Look for these on or around November 26th, and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 421), New Videos, And More Updates!!

Before we launch our new poll on the SMS, here's one more news post on this Monday morning, including some assorted recent notes, new videos from a pair of diverse local artists, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month! Here's what you should know!

Local classic metal quintet Project 421 will play a solo headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on Friday, February 5th! Their second solo show without extra bands (but first at this venue), this joins their first solo gig at The Rednecks Saloon this Friday, and it will be their first at The Rockstar Bar since New Year's Eve. It remains to be seen how Project 421's first toe into the solo cover weekend waters goes, but it's good to see this popular band increasing their concert frequency, and hopefully there's a great turnout at The Rockstar Bar in two & a half weeks for their old school metal renditions! There is a $5 cover charge advertised for February 5th, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solid concert full of classic metal, so keep it in mind for next month, and don't miss Project 421's first solo gig at Rednecks on Friday!

Next up, here's some new video finds, including the latest from local death metal duo Brutally Fatal! The Blood Shed Productions project from Crucify The Whore and Revolution alumni had been relatively quiet since the summer, but things picked up earlier this month when they revealed on their Facebook page that they'd be recording a new EP of some type within the next two weeks. That was posted on January 7th,  but it's not publically clear if any recording sessions have begun yet. They followed that with a video upload of newly remastered versions of two songs from their 2013 release "Acidic Sky's", namely "Cold Pulse" & "Drowning In Poison", so how do they sound now? Similar but louder and cleaner, and fans should enjoy these versions! Just to clarify, remember that Brutally Fatal (then spelled with one L in "Brutaly") began as a solo project from frontman Austin McCrae, hence the minimalist bass & vocals-only sound. Check out more from Brutally Fatal above and below!



Also today, here's a new video of Leaked drummer Nic Buckner that was uploaded to Mannapool guitarist Korey Deluca's YouTube channel in October! Recorded at Deluca Sound Productions, this video is of Nic drumming along to Ryan Holliday's "Blinded" before playing a drum solo with no backing track, and he performs strongly in both settings! The description notes that Nic filmed the videos as part of an application to play with a travelling youth outreach band that would play at American schools, and while I'm unsure if he got that gig, this video is well shot and demonstrates his ability nicely! Give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or promoter name:

• Project 421 bassist Daniel Horton is looking for 3 or 4 bands to play a Valentine's Day-themed show on Friday, February 12th (venue unclear), with preference to bands who have "some dance music or upbeat tunes", maybe even love songs. In case this will have a hard rock presence, I thought I'd mention it here, so message Daniel at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post by the Tuesday deadline if you want in, or if you want to play on any other future shows that he's working on!
• A celebration of life concert for late That's Chester guitarist Eugene Orlando will be held at The Water Tower Pub on Thursday, March 3rd! Though advertised as being headlined by his classic rock band Agave Blue, the Facebook event page notes that it'll feature Eugene's longtime bandmate Gabe Tessaro alongside That's Chester frontman Greg Simpson in a joint acoustic set with special guests. It's odd that this tribute concert is taking place so late after Eugene's passing, but hopefully there's a huge response on March 3rd, and see above for updates as they roll in!
• We have moved local experimental metal project The Strange Coyotes back to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. A throwback post aside, the band hasn't issued any public updates since December 2014, and hasn't played live since November of that year, shortly into a brief reunion. The Strange Coyotes were an entertaining band that had a lot of promise and creativity, but lineup changes and lengthy hiatuses didn't help matters. Best of luck to Chase, James, and Mike in the future, and hopefully we see them back again down the road!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more as the week progresses! Thanks everyone!

Toystock IV Concert Preview, Eugene Orlando Services, And New That's Chester Videos!!

For our post on this Saturday morning, we're largely tackling a major returning seasonal concert for a preview, but we also have some new videos from a recent event that feature a recently passed fixture in the local music scene, who leads things with information on his final services. Here's what you should know!

The obituary for late That's Chester guitarist Eugene Orlando has been posted on SooToday at this link, which confirms that his funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 1:30 PM at St. Gregory's Church (71 Estelle Street, near St. Theresa Catholic School) with Father Alex Saurianthadathil presiding. Visitation will be held at The O'Sullivan Funeral Home at 215 St. James Street on Monday at 5:00 PM and Tuesday at 11:00 AM, and interment will follow the services at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Eugene was just 56 years old, and he is survived by his wife Estelle, his three daughters, his grandson, his father, and other extended family members. His family would appreciate donations to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation in his memory, and you can offer online condolences at this link. This is all still very sad for friends, bandmates, and fans of Eugene's, but I do hope everyone remembers the good times he had and brought during next week's functions. Stay tuned at post's end for more from his last live concerts, and R.I.P. Eugene!

Next up, here's our preview of the fourth annual Toystock fundraiser concert, which goes down TOMORROW with 10 bands in 10 hours once again rocking out for a great cause! Moving from The Canadian Nightclub to The Grand Gardens at 1324 Great Northern Road this year for size concerns & to encourage more families to attend, this annual seasonal concert will still provide loads of quality ALL AGES entertainment from the accumulated bands, with all proceeds going to Christmas Cheer, a great cause as always! Despite the move, expect the Stuff-A-Bus to be on site like before, as well as food & drinks, prize giveaways (including a GoPro camera as the door prize), and yes, appearances from Santa & Mrs. Claus too, so keep all of this in mind if you're planning to attend! Like in past years, Toystock is largely focused around cover bands and scattered younger talent, but only three of this year's bands are back from prior installments, so things will be suitably different for year 4, but who can you expect to see during tomorrow's festivities?

In apparent order from online materials, the headlining band will be country cover quartet Bone Yard (in their record-tying third Toystock set) at 9:00 PM, and they'll be immediately preceded by post-punk quartet Gnaeus, who should have lots of songs from their forthcoming CD "Loomings" in store! A one-off punk cover band named The Rude-Offs (featuring Destroilet's Christian Foisy, Adam Larocque, and Matt Waples, Treble Charger's Greig Nori, Bone Yard's Greg Simpson, and special guests) will take the stage at 7:00 PM for a set of punked-up Christmas carols, which should be an intriguing attraction to say the least, so make sure you stay for their set! The debuting local rock trio Under The Influence (featuring Turner Up/Wishbone alum Brent Royer alongside guitarist Mike Muto & bassist Ryan Bell) will hit the stage at 6:00 PM, but what do they play, and how do they sound? Be the first to find out!

A pair of classic/hard rock cover quartets will take the stage in the preceding blocks, they being Havadder (replacing Nikkfitt) at 5:00 PM and Mourning Wood (in their second straight Toystock set) at 4:00 PM. Blues rockers Mojo will rock the house at 3:00 PM, as preceded by all-female classic rockers Domina (who are also returning from last year) at 2:00 PM, veteran country trio The Algo Rhythms at 1:00 PM, and students from the Bocturoc Academy of Music kicking things off at 12:00 PM. Very solid lineup, so come early for all of the talent on display! It should be noted that Toystock comes just days after the sudden passing of Eugene Orlando, who was a bandmate of Bone Yard's Greg Simpson and Ric Datson in That's Chester, and was a friend and colleague of many of the night's performers. Nothing has been announced regarding a possible tribute as of this writing, but if we hear anything, we'll let you know!

Promoted by Maxx Entertainment as usual, this all day and ALL AGES concert event has admission via a donation of a toy, non-perishable food, or (if you can't donate either) money, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Once again, Toystock IV sounds like a great event for a great cause, especially at this time of year, so be sure to consider attending for this all-day lineup of local talent tomorrow (and remember, it's now at The Grand Gardens, out near The Trading Post!) I do wonder why Lucky 13 aren't on the lineup though, this is the first Toystock that they've missed... hopefully all's well with them! See above for more details, and here's Gnaeus live earlier this year!


 

We'll close today with some newly posted videos from local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester's performances during the live production of The Who's Tommy at The Machine Shop earlier this month, as per drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel in the last few days. These hold more resonance now given that they were the final live concert performances from guitarist Eugene Orlando, so take note of them on that basis as well, and at least this was quite a high note to go out on! These three newest videos include That's Chester covering The Who's "Captain Walker" & "It's A Boy",, "Underture" (both with cast members providing vocals), and as embedded below, "Amazing Journey", with Greg Simpson singing as the narrator. All preceded once again by lengthy credits, these show That's Chester in fine form as both a band and as the backing musicians for the play at hand, and "Amazing Journey" is a fitting selection to show Eugene's skill at both the guitar and keyboard! 

Vocals are muffled again on these videos, but the multi-camera angles and professionalism come through well, and while it's too soon to speculate on That's Chester's future, Eugene's diverse talents are very much on full display! Our condolences again go out to his family, friends, and bandmates at this difficult time, but give these new Tommy videos a look above & below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and updates in due course! Thanks everyone!

R.I.P. Eugene Orlando

The Sault Metal Scene sends it's deepest condolences to the family & friends of That's Chester/Agave Blue guitarist Eugene Orlando, who just passed away according to a post on That's Chester's Facebook page. Further details, including on services, have yet to be made public, and we'll let you know more when appropriate. Eugene had been a talented sight as a guitarist and keyboardist in numerous local bands (primarily cover-focused ones), including a stint with Touch of Class in the early 1990s, but will be more familiar from his recent work in Agave Blue and as a founding member of the classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester, who just played live earlier this month at The Machine Shop during their live production of The Who's Tommy. The band noted that the Tommy run had reawakened his love for playing the keyboard, and while it's a shock to learn of his passing, at least he went out on a high note to cap an 11 year run with the band!

It's way too early to know what this means for the future of his bands, including if the teased New Year's Eve show from That's Chester at The Water Tower Inn will go on as scheduled (we hadn't plugged it here yet anyway), but that's not what's important right now. I didn't know Eugene personally, but he was a prolific and dependable veteran in the local music scene that could handle multiple genres with ease, and he will be missed for sure! We'll of course acknowledge a handful of new Tommy videos on the site in the coming days, but take a look at Eugene rocking a Deep Purple classic with That's Chester at Rotaryfest a few years ago. R.I.P. Eugene!