YouTube Channel Profile: halfamanvideo's Channel

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we continue our monthly spotlight feature on local metal, hard rock, and/or punk-centric YouTube channels, as randomly picked from our YouTube subscriptions! This month's choice sends us to Sault Michigan and area for a look at the channel from a fan favourite local band from a decade or so back (one that desfinitely deserved more recognition), so here's what you should know! 

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halfamanvideo's Channel (http://youtube.com/halfamanvideo)

Owner: A member of 2009-2013 Brimley, Michigan groove metal band Half A Man, exact identity unclear (my guess is singer/guitarist Erik Rintamaki)

Channel Timeline: Launched on Februiary 16th, 2011; Videos uploaded from that day until December 27th, 2012

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Half A Man, it features 17 videos from the latter half of their active run, including a mixture of live concert videos, rehearsal footage, and audio recordings.
 
Why You Should Watch: As the best YouTube outlet for Half A Man videos, this channel is definitely worth a watch for fans of one of the most prominent original E.U.P. metal bands of the 2010s, and you'll get a nice sampling of their solid originals and live presence here! Note that this channel has not been actively used since the band broke up in 2013, in case that changes your mind on subscribing. As well, a few more videos from this era of the band can be seen on Erik's personal YouTube channel.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

"Drunk": As live concert videos go, the best quality ones are actually their first two on Half A Man's channel, from their concert at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird, now Bird's Eye Outfitters) on February 3rd, 2011, where they played "Drunk" & "Slow Rock 75". The band's classic lineup is represented here, with Erik (ex-Lower S.E.S./Set To Random) joined by guitarist Denny Breslin (ex-Bent Rollercoaster), bassist Gary Croad (now on drums with Project 906), and drummer Mikey Bishop (Summon, Bludgeoned, et al).  Despite the filmer's distance, very engaged fans, and Denny often being stuck behind a speaker,, these are cleaner visually & better lit than the later concert videos on offer! Half A Man had a nice Black Label Society-inspired sound with a good crunch to it that definitely set them apart in their heyday! Two different studio copies of "Drunk" can also be heard on this channel.

 

Half A Man Sweet Leaf Cover.wmv: The most popular video on Half A Man's channel is their studio cover of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf", as uploaded with accompanying slideshow in February 2012. This was recorded following Denny's departure the previous summer, which reduced them to a trio (as a result, I jokingly called them ⅜ths A Man at the time.) Well done cover with some doomy qualities, no doubt helped by Erik's deep singing voice! Note that the slideshow features still images of Dillion Semasky (from the Munising metal band Infathom), who briefly served as Half A Man's lead singer from December 2011-April 2012, but he does not perform on the cover itself. Click here to see Dillion cover Down's "Bury Me In Smoke" with them in a jam session, courtesy of Erik's YouTube channel.

HALF A MAN LEMMAFEST PT3: Half A Man's last four uploads are of audio recordings of most of the penultimate concert set, when they were the opening band at the second annual LemmaFest in June 2012 outside of Dondee Lanes in Sault Ste. Marie, which was the summer concert festival in Michael Lemma's memory. I opted to go with the third video here for it's inclusion of their fan favourite original "Die In Disgrace" and two then-new & rarely played songs of theirs, "What If" &" Reborn", but you can watch parts 1, 2, and 4 here, here, and here. Great audio quality on these gritty original tunes, but it's a shame that the crowd isn't as full as it would be for later bands that day. Look for another well made slideshow too, though the other videos will have more actual LemmaFest shots.

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month, this series will feature multiple channels for the first time in 2021, as out first randomly selected channel only has one local band video. As such, we'll be looking at channels from YouTube users Themarkylion (featuring a Detroit song) and Buzz Ineau (featuring a handful of acoustic performances.) Look for these around March 26th, and for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fluid 5ive), New Videos, Solo Project Revivals, And More!!

Let's get one more post on the site before the weekend wraps up, and it includes some assorted recent updates, a returning solo project or two, new videos, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the end of next month! Here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will apparently be playing a special matinee concert at The New American Pub on Saturday, November 30th! Surprisingly announced with almost two months notice yesterday via the venue's Facebook event page, this will be Fluid 5ive's second publically advertised concert of the fall, after rocking The Water Tower Pub this past Friday, though like that show, we have not seen any public advertising by the band proper. As best as I can tell, Fluid 5ive have not played a public concert at The New A before, so if you're eager to see this veteran hard rock act at a popular downtown concert venue, keep next month's show in mind! This one-nighter has a special 4:00 PM start time, seemingly hinting that they're booking two bands that day, though I'm not immediately certain who's playing in the regular 9:00 PM slot. There is no cover charge, and visit the above links for more information as it rolls in!

Next up, here's another new video from prolific local/Thompson, Manitoba solo artist Mike Haggith's Facebook page! Alongside a handful of new solo concert announcements in Thompson this fall, Mike posted this video from a new jam space (unclear if it's his or shared) that he christened on September 28th, alongside his Between The Ditches bandmate Justin Fuciarelli and fellow area musician Tony Whalen. The video features Mike and company playing the third unveiled song from his upcoming album "If Ever Comes The Day", entitled "MorningStar"(it's subtitled "Acoustic", perhaps hinting that the studio copy isn't.) Mike hinted in the description that the song has "never been more relevant than right now", so read into that all you want if you choose. I'll hold full comment pending our review of the full CD, but the guys sound good together, which you can see for yourself below!

Also today, we have a surprise band revival to note on here, as local/Elliot Lake punk solo project Ashoka At The Show is back! When the former Mayadevi said that "something new is coming soon", who knew they meant 15 months?! On September 16th, project leader Darren MacDonald announced on their Facebook page that he was starting a new YouTube channel to succeed his prior 184Films channel that he couldn't re-log into. In his introductory video, Darren promised new videos daily, including both musical performances and a video gaming series, so if you're interested in seeing him play NHL 20 with the Halifax Buccaneers, you know where to go! Regarding Ashoka At The Show proper, these mark Darren's first music postings credited to the band since February 2017, and include unplugged covers of Rise Against's "Hero Of War", Tony Sly's "Therapy", and No Use For A Name's "Sleeping Between Trucks", plus his new original song "Fault."

All seemingly home recordings, the recording quality is nice given the solo nature, and it's good to see that his singing and guitar talents are still present after the layoff! The covers and "Fault" work out well all around, and while his promise for "daily" videos hasn't been true since Wednesday, hopefully he has more in the pipeline. Give Darren's new videos a look above & below, and Ashoka At The Show are back in our active band links!



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

• Also resurfacing for the first time since June 2018 are Sault Michigan hard rock solo project Hubbard, who ended their own hiatus earlier today with a couple of Facebook photos of their gear-in studio, along with a caption simply reading "Something's happening..." The 415E side project barely seemed to get off the ground for public updates last summer, so hopefully their apparent return will yield more content in 2019 & beyond! See above for updates, and Hubbard are also back in our active band links!
• After a six year hiatus, LemmaFest will apparently return in 2020! The annual Michael Lemma tribute concert festival ran each June from 2011-2014 outside of Dondee Lanes, and while details are not plentiful yet, their Facebook page indicates that LemmaFest V will be held as a downtown battle of the bands, hopefully on June 27th. If things hold up, it'll be very interesting to see how things shake down, so follow above for continuing updates!
• A special "industry night" gala at The Water Tower Pub in Sault Ontario will be held on Thursday, October 17th at 5:00 PM, entitled "The Mastering of a Music City". The event will help launch Music City Sault Ste. Marie (details forthcoming), and will feature keynote speakers & a panel discussion with music industry executives and local arts & culture sector representatives. This poster also credits Treble Charger's Greig Nori as hosting the event. If you're interested in attending or learning more about Music City Sault Ste. Marie, click here to register for limited complimentary tickets!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: The Highest Of Fives, Cary Orsborne, And 6Immortal6Fears6

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, as we continue our monthly spotlight of 1-3 YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk music and concerts, in order to encourage viewership and new subscriptions from recent readers. As usual, this month channels were randomly selected, but with the first only having one surviving channel, we kept selecting until we had enough for a full post. You'll find an original song, live videos, and a full CD this month, so here's what you should know!
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The Highest of Fives (http://www.youtube.com/deving94)

Owner: Former Highest of Fives drummer/guitarist Devin Anderson, also known from his prior work in local hard rock bands like Free Refill & 415E, and currently with the Big Rapids, Michigan progressive rock band The Balsam Brothers

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 4th, 2007; Only surviving video posted on February 13th, 2014

Channel Summary: In 2012, Devin repurposed his existing personal use channel as the official channel for The Highest of Fives, his 2011-2014 hard rock band & film production collective. Numerous comedic skits & original songs were posted there towards a debut album & short film (both named "Bang!"), but neither was released, and all but one of their videos were quietly taken down after they dissolved. The sole survivor is their original song "Take My Time", featuring Devin alongside singer Mitch Goetz & bassist Marcel "Crusty Puck" Grengs, with other members not present thanks to their intentionally fluid lineup structure. This "tasty jam" has a very 1990s alt-rock vibe with a solid bass-line & good production, and it's a shame that the "Bang!" album was never completed! You can see more from The Highest of Fives at singer/guitarist Travis Theel's YouTube channel.


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Cary Orsborne (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKSZpzh5akwWqd2h_9looaw)

Owner: Sault Michigan-area resident and past local race car driver Cary Orsborne

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 17th, 2013; Videos posted six days later

Channel Summary: Cary's only videos are of defunct Brimley metal band Half A Man's final public concert appearance, when they headlined the third LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes in June 2013. Five videos (including one with no music) were uploaded, where you can see them play "Die In Disgrace", their Michael Lemma tribute "Goodbye", and Machine Head's "Davidian", plus two songs in their most popular video, namely "Freedom Ride" & "Drunk". Half A Man are represented here by their late-period trio lineup, including singer/guitarist Erik Rintamaki (yes, of Yooperlites fame), bassist Gary Croad, and prolific extreme metal drummer Mikey Bishop. The low contrast & lack of zooming don't help the visual quality, but Half A Man's gritty Black Label Society-esque sound holds up really well on these videos, and this was a strong way for them to go out! See more from Half A Man and LemmaFest III at Erik's YouTube channel.


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6Immortal6Fears6 (http://www.youtube.com/6immortal6fears6)

Owner: YouTube user 6Immortal6Fears6, who I don't believe is locally based

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 23rd, 2008; Videos uploaded from February 25th through March 4th, 2009

Channel Summary: This channel's only uploads are of the 5 individual songs on local/Windsor black metal band Woods of Ypres' 2002 debut EP "Against The Seasons: Cold Winter Songs From The Dead Summer Heat", including "Intro: The Shams of Optimism", "Awaiting The Inevitable", "Crossing The 45th Parallel", "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", and the most popular here, "A Meeting Place & Time". Of course, Woods of Ypres were represented here by drummer David Gold alongside guitarist/vocalist Brian McManus & bassist/singer Aaron Palmer. Owing to their nearly decade-long presence on this channel, these are among the most popular YouTube copies of these songs, despite other channels existing with more than this album. Though Woods of Ypres would look very different in forthcoming releases, "Woods I" remains a fan favourite among black metal loyalists, and their relatable aggression remains intact!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we will return to a single band profile for the first time since July, as our latest random selection is of veteran local metal/punk drummer Chris Thompson's YouTube channel, featuring 23 videos of his old hard rock band Half Past! Look for that on or around November 26th, and stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: DivisionOfSanity's Channel

It's now time for our last monthly feature post of the summer, courtesy of this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels with at least half of their posted content being relevant to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists & shows, so we can spotlight their content and encourage readers to subscribe to them! This month's random channel features a defunct band from the Sault Michigan area that showcased a unique sound during their brief run in the early 2010s, so check out this month's profile below!
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DivisionOfSanity's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/divisionofsanity)

Owner: Former Division of Sanity singer/guitarist and local solo artist Caine VanderMolen

Channel Timeline: Launched on February 21st, 2013; Videos posted from the following month until July 2014

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for defunct Sault Michigan hard rock trio Division of Sanity, their postings include an introductory video, three live concert videos, five studio demos, four vlog entries from Caine, a jam session clip where Caine & Half Stupid/Plastic alum Zac Crook jammed the sampled songs from Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" in their separate original forms, and the planned first installment of a "T-Fat Talks" webseries where Caine and ex-drummer Nick Morgan talked about random topics.

Why You Should Watch: Give Division of Sanity's channel a watch primarily as it's by far the best remaining source of the band's material and news, especially with the quiet deletion of their Facebook page in the past year! However, their channel only features video footage from one late concert of theirs, and it hasn't been visibly updated since July 2014, shortly before the band fell inactive, in case that affects whether you subscribe or not.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

1st Vlog -New SD Card-: Four of Division of Sanity's first nine videos are solo vlogs hosted by Caine VanderMolen to bring fans up to date on their current activity, and while intended to be weekly, the series only ran infrequently between March and May of 2013. All are brief, with none exceeding two minutes, but you can watch the other three here, here, and here. The first and longest vlog features Caine discussing his recent purchase of a larger SD card, plans to record jam footage and post more original material, and more, ending with a portion of their song "Time" in it's early acoustic form. Nothing shocking here, but they do provide much of D.O.S.' now minimal surviving public postings!



Seasons featuring Bob on drums: Division of Sanity posted five studio demos to their YouTube channel through February 2014, four of which included "The Start Again Feel", "Time", their own self-titled song, and the instrumental "Just Listen (Slow Song)", all harbouring an acoustic style sans drums. The other song, entitled "Seasons", featured Creepy Little Coffee People/I.S.O.M. frontman Bob Helsten on guest drums, joining Caine and bassist Myke Young (ex- Exiled). By far Division of Sanity's most popular video since it's upload in April 2013, this is a lighter, more indie rock-inspired number than they were known for live, but it's well mixed and performed, and you get a good sense of Caine's deep, John Mayer-esque vocals! For much more audio recordings (and select covers) from Division of Sanity, visit their Soundcloud page & Caine's old solo YouTube channel.



Lemma Fest-Division Of Sanity-Division Of Sanity: This channel's last three videos come from Division of Sanity's set at the (to date) final LemmaFest from June 2014 outside of Dondee Lanes, also one of their own final concert appearances. Shot by prolific local filmmaker Wayne Kozeyah of W.K. Media, he filmed Division of Sanity playing "Seasons", "Isn't What I Said", and as embedded below, their own self-titled song. Now featuring Gabe Nunez on drums, this is among Division of Sanity's heavier songs, and it's a well played grungy track that shows a lot of potential, and while the vocals may be an acquired taste for some, I'd like to see them come back in the future if the cards fall the right way! Check out more of Wayne's excellently filmed videos from the final LemmaFest at his YouTube channel, including his summative video of the festival which has extra overhead angles of this song, plus their song "Glare" that wasn't featured on the band's own channel.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll be looking at two videos due to the first randomly selected channel only having two videos total, both distinct ones at that, so we added one with only one video type to round things out. With that said, we'll be looking at former State of Misery frontman Steve Rhodes' channel (featuring two videos from his later local metal bands) and Billy Bastards guitarist Paul Michael Stos' YouTube channel (featuring six videos from one of their headlining gigs), so look for them on or around September 26th! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

New Van Halen Covers By Local Guitarists, Plus Lots Of Assorted Updates!!

(Updated at 3:11 PM) Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert, as Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom (featuring former Half A Man singer Dillon Semasky) apparently played at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley on March 12th, marking their first E.U.P. concert appearance since 2014. I profusely apologize for missing it, Pickles is still not a common venue for our coverage, but hopefully it was a blast, and we will keep a better eye out for Infathom's next trips east! Now, today's post features some assorted recent updates, and first, some Van Halen cover videos from two local guitarists, starting with two instrumental renditions by 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, as posted to his YouTube channel yesterday! Including covers of "Panama" and (as embedded below) "Jump", both feature Chris handling guitar, bass, and drums on multiple camera angles.

These covers are very strongly done by this huge local talent, who has proven his Van Halen fandom is not in vain time & time again, but the overhead camera angle is not a great view for when he plays guitar. Still, give Chris' solid new Van Halen covers a look above & below!



Next up, here's the first cover video from former Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's YouTube channel in over a year, and fittingly, it's also of a Van Halen cover (in this case, "Panama" as well!) Playing along to what sounds like the original track minus the original guitar, Alex has a good grasp on the song, but the camera angles are a little odd. Still, it's nice to see a new performance video from Alex at last, so give it a look below!



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

• In their first public posting of the year, reunited Sault Michigan acoustic hard rock band The Creepy Little Coffee People revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that they made a guest appearance during an open mic night at The Merchant's Bar this past Thursday. This isn't their first live performance in such an event since reuniting, but it's the first to get public word that I've found. Hopefully we hear more from The C.L.C.P. soon!
• Sault Ontario alternative hard rock trio The Din played a set at the Fishbowl Festival's closing party last night at Outspoken Brewing on Queen Street, and photos from their set are available on their Facebook page! The closing party was a private event for volunteers and participants of the month-long festival, hence why we didn't plug it here (or know about The Din's involvement beforehand), but hopefully it was a blast, especially at the unique venue, and hopefully The Fishbowl Festival returns for 2017!
• Local alt-hard rock duo Infinity Grinder re-emerged for the first time this year via a bunch of new instrumental song postings on their SoundCloud page in the past month, including an extended track named "Quong" and a 9-track "Green Room Session" featuring Terrence and Brad jamming new originals alongside guest keyboardist "Rudeger Picklefeather" (which I presume is an alias, but I don't know his real identity.) The songs are strong and entertaining, but vocals would be a nice touch. Hopefully we hear much more from Infinity Grinder soon!
• The planned LemmaFest V meeting yesterday was cancelled for unannounced reasons, and will be rescheduled, as per the official Facebook page earlier today. Despite that, there is already visible interest to perform at the returning Sault Michigan festival from bands like Munising's Infathom, a possible Scofflaw reunion, and a local metal band named Stoned Ape Evolution, who have been together since 2014, wear masks on stage, and feature local musicians John Napoletano and Melvin Willis in their lineup, but don't have a known online page that I've found. The anticipation builds, so stay tuned for more LemmaFest 2016 updates!
• Former Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent is looking to put together another new local metal band, preferably a death metal band with him on drums (as you've seen with Faceityoureametalband and Troubled Mind), though he's open to playing guitar if the band plays "an amazing genre". If you're interested in jamming with Mike, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday!
• Apologies for the delay in mentioning these, but four new episodes of the 7L arts/music podcast have went up on their Soundcloud page in the past month! None are fully devoted to metal, hard rock, or punk topics, but host Teddy Syrette talks to friend Emily Youngsen about dreams, Cafe Natura owner Kelly Barton, local musician/writer Jeff Hinich, and a few local rappers in each. Musical performances by The Din (credited as "fill in blank") and Pillory frontman Robert Sartini (who actually fits nicely in an acoustic setting) are also included in the first two. All are fun listens, so check them out above, and stay tuned for more from 7L!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our extended preview of Wednesday's VM Radio Battle of the Bands finals TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan-Area Videos, Plus Lots Of Assorted News & Notes!!

Today's post is half devoted to assorted short items, but we'll kick things off with some new videos from Sault Michigan-area artists, starting with our first live concert footage from new local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, courtesy of their St. Patrick's Day concert at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley on Thursday! Filmed by drummer Will Storey's mother Cherie Rosing-Rye and shared by the band onto their Facebook page earlier today, this is of their cover of Metallica's "Fuel", and while it only captures under 2 minutes of it, you get a good sense of their talent, though Will is mainly the focus during Joe Jenkins' guitar solo, the vertical camera angle doesn't help, and the audio's very staticy. Not a bad rendition though, and I like the St. Patrick's Day hats! Check it out below, and don't miss Project 906's next shows at The Dondee!



Next up, here's the latest solo videos from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, courtesy of his YouTube channel last week! One is of him covering Van Halen's "Top of the World" on drums, and solidly handling himself in the well angled & edited clip, but the other (embedded below) is of Chris "messing around", which basically translates to him shredding some solid Van Halen solos, riffs, and licks for 11 minutes that, if the comments are any indication, would leave Eddie himself very proud! Chris is a huge talent, so check out his newest cover videos a look above & below!




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

• Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque is looking to start a grunge cover band, with the aim being to cover bands like Nirvana, The Foo Fighters, and Alice In Chains, and he does have a jam space available. This might be fun, so message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Sunday if you want more details!
• Local post punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus have changed the name of their upcoming debut CD from "Loomings" to "Meditations", as per their newest post on their Facebook page. A reason for the name change wasn't publically announced, but they had teased the new title as far back as January. The new name works, so stay tuned for more on Gnaeus (including on their drummer position) when publically announced!
• After previously looking to form a local Slayer tribute band, local guitarist Lee Catling is aiming to jam thrash or "fast punk" with other musicians. He hopes to play rhythm guitar over lead guitar, and is willing to learn anything. If you're interested in jamming with Lee, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• Sault Michigan concert festival LemmaFest is reportedly coming back this June after a year's hiatus! The Mike Lemma tribute outside of Dondee Lanes did not take place last summer due to legal concerns for one of the promoters, but their Facebook page confirms that planning is underway, and a meeting to flesh out organization, performers, and other ideas will take place at The Merchant's Bar tomorrow at 2:00 PM. It's great to see LemmaFest back for it's fifth go-around, so check the above links or attend tomorrow's meeting for more details!
• After 9 months of public inactivity (unless they did indeed play at last fall's Jason Michaud benefit), local punk trio Redundant have confirmed on their Facebook page that they are back, are writing new songs, planning new studio work, and booking new shows, with a few light photos of the guys also being shared afterwards. 2015 was a very quiet year for Justin, James, and Rick, so hopefully we hear a lot more from Redundant in the coming months, as they are a fun band who have been missed lately!
• Courtesy of a Jack Daniels-influenced poster on Thursday, local grind/thrash quartet Them have announced a few new singles that they're working on for their planned debut EP via their Facebook page, including "Slaughter House Blues" and "March Into Regression", the latter being an apparent re-purposing of the name of frontman Tyler St. Amour's old death metal/hardcore band from the early 2010s (who were also known as Bring the Misery, among other names.) Nice to hear more from Them, and stay tuned for updates on their next originals!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

River Jacks & Mourning Wood Concert Previews, A New AlgomA Interview, And More!!

We're back on this Wednesday morning with a new news post, so what's on tap? Assorted recent updates referencing summer concerts, a new interview from a popular local metal band, and two mid-week concert previews, so here's what you need to know!

The second concert in J.D. Pearce & Tidal Records' Gonqshow concert series at The Algonquin Pub goes down TONIGHT with Calgary punk sextet The River Jacks making their local debut as the headliners! A message-driven and focused band who mix folk rock and hard hitting punk into a strong and entertaining package that fans of The Dropkick Murphys should take to, so don't miss them TONIGHT during their Canadian tour! Note that the Soo date falls when they have no fellow touring acts joining them. The local opening bands (both of which making their Algonquin Pub debuts) include VM Radio Battle winning-post punk quartet Gnaeus and new local pop punk quartet Stereo North (featuring T-Rex Manning & Starlit Sins alumni), and both should fit in well for this Gonqshow entry, so don't be late! This 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time and a $5 cover charge, so for more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's The River Jacks live last year!

Next up, we'll preview the likely next installment of Mourning Wood's weekly jam night series at The Rednecks Saloon, as the local classic/hard rock trio are presumably back there TOMORROW NIGHT for the eleventh straight week! I will give the caveat though that I saw no personal Facebook postings referencing last Thursday's jam night, but unless something is said to the contrary, we won't assume the worst for the series. Fresh off of a Saturday double-header at both Rednecks and The New A, this talented cover band should be ready to rock the former Nicolet Tavern once again tomorrow night with the same Thursday jam theme as before, so if you can play an instrument and want to jump on stage to play with Mourning Wood, here's your chance! Like usual, there's no announced cover, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:30 PM start time, so visit the above links for more info, and here's the guys last year!



Also, here's a new-ish interview with local doom metal trio AlgomA, courtesy of Italian metal website Metalhead.it! Conducted by Matteo Piotto with singer/bassist Kevin Campbell, and posted online on April 15th at this link, the interview is preceded by a brief review of AlgomA's CD "Reclaimed By The Forest" (which Matteo called "one of the most obscure and disturbing albums" of 2014), and don't worry, that's a positive remark! In the interview, Matteo asks Kevin about how sales of the CD are going, their lyrical and musical inspirations, their past local band experience, how they got Adam Geyer to do their album artwork, and their upcoming tour plans, and more. In terms of new stuff, Kevin did reveal that they're apparently opening for Toronto crossover metal band Teethmarks with Destroilet in the Soo on July 4th, which hasn't been publically confirmed yet otherwise, but we'll keep you guys posted.

He also referenced the band's June tour plans in the interview, and though he didn't detail shows specifically there, one new confirmation will see AlgomA headline in Hamilton on June 24th, so click here for more details. Solid and informative interview, and Kevin is friendly and well-spoken throughout, so give his interview a read at the above links!

Finally for today, here's some assorted shorter updates from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Is the annual Sault Michigan memorial concert festival LemmaFest coming back for year 5? In the form we're used to, it's not looking likely, as one of the main promoters is reportedly dealing with legal concerns, hence why there have been no announcements for the usual late June timeframe. However, musicians and supporters of the Mike Lemma memorial event are showing interest in putting on LemmaFest later in the year, so visit the event's Facebook page to join the discussion, and we'll keep you posted!
• A venue is to be announced, but local independent label PaperClip Productions are dipping into the concert promotion game for a show on August 10th that will feature Alberta metal bands Lie Among Us & Eternal Prophecy alongside local openers/label acts Haggith and, in their first show since reuniting, The Revolution. We don't call concerts on here until a venue is publically advertised, but click here for full current details on this intriguing Monday nighter, and stay tuned for updates!
• The planned Of Tall Tales-headlined Gonqshow concert at The Algonquin Pub appears to have been completely cancelled, as per it's removal from the Facebook event page. Originally planned to take place on July 18th, it was later changed to have a date to be announced, but no word on why it's no longer listed there. Of Tall Tales are a solid band, hopefully they come here at some point!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews and more news to come! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Hard Rock Band, Plus New LemmaFest Videos!!

In the last post of our sixth year of existence, we're 100% in Sault Michigan for tonight, as we have a "new" band to profile and add to our full coverage, plus lots of videos at their most recent show from them and other bands, so read on below for what you need to know, and check out this weekend's concert previews (including some late notice gigs and a band name change) in the post below this one!

We have a new area hard rock band to add to our active band links, and they are the Sault Michigan trio Division of Sanity! Active since the spring of 2012, it took us so long to add them on here partly because most of their posted material was acoustic, and I was looking for some more evidence that they'd play hard rock either in studio or live, and we got that via their set at LemmaFest at the Dondee last month, but we'll touch on that in a bit! Division of Sanity's current lineup features singer/guitarist Caine VanderMolen (a recent local solo musician), guitarist/bassist Myke Young, and drummer Gabe Nunez, while a drummer named Nick Morgan played with the band in 2012, and Power Slug drummer Bob Helsten guested on some of their demos in 2013. A $3 demo CD is available through the band (and presumably at their live shows too), but it's contents aren't clear online. Caine's solo gigs aside, Division of Sanity's first show (I think) was at the Soo's annual Arts & Music Festival last August, but they only began regular area concert sets this summer.

We'll cover some of their announced upcoming gigs next week, but how about Division of Sanity's sound? As you may have seen at LemmaFest, Division of Sanity's live form is a hard/modern rock, possibly most distinctive by Caine's deep raspy singing voice, which reminds me of John Mayer at times, though everything is softer and lighter on the band's older acoustic demos. It will be interesting to see how Division of Sanity progress, including on if some more of their hinted metal ties come to the forefront! Older demos of theirs can be streamed at the band's YouTube channel, their BandPage on Facebook, and on Caine's SoundCloud page (the latter of which featuring select covers), and while their sound varies, there's talent present throughout! Their YouTube channel also features some interesting vlogs from Caine from last year, as well as some other content we'll share in the coming weeks, but now, to the LemmaFest videos!

Filmed by Wayne Kozeyah and uploaded to the D.O.S. YouTube channel yesterday, the videos include their originals "Seasons", "Isn't What I Said", and (as embedded below) their self titled song, and while the guys could be a bit livelier on stage, these showcase what I assume is their optimal live sound, so check everything out above and below, and stay tuned for more on Division of Sanity in the near future!

Also from Wayne Kozeyah, he uploaded this video onto his YouTube channel on Tuesday, which features video footage of 4 of the bands at LemmaFest last month! Nothing was included here from Infathom, The Bottom Line, Caitlin LeBlanc, or Mike Kowalski's sets, but the other bands are all featured, so what's present? In order, the video starts with two covers that we've already seen from Wayne's camera(s), those being alt-rock trio Plastic covering Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" and The Misfits' "Return of the Fly" (as previously seen on their channel.) After Mr. Fister's cover of Black Sabbath's "Fairies Wear Boots" (also first seen here), we get a new cover from the Bucksaw successors' set, that being of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak" that to me actually outshines the Sabbath cover, and sounds tighter overall! The third portion features Division of Sanity's self-titled song featured above, but here, it features an overhead camera angle to capture more of the crowd than Mr. Fister's did, which is a double edged sword as it highlights how few fans were close to the stage.

The second Division of Sanity song that Wayne included here actually isn't linked above, rather a different original named "Glare", which has a faster edge to it than the other videos that Wayne shot of their set, so give that song a look too if you're new to this band! The video closes with footage of Nightmare Grin (complete with the same camera angles) covering Guns N' Roses' "You Could Be Mine" & Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", complete with a highlighted fan dancing near the end. Nice to get higher quality footage of Ryan, Bart, and company here, and while the GNR cover is slightly out of Ryan's vocal range, there's a great spirit and energy on both covers, and it will be interesting to see what this band has in store next if they're not a one-off project! If this encompasses all of the bands that Wayne shot at LemmaFest, then he did a bang-up job with an awesome camera, and hopefully he keeps up the great filming work in the future, perhaps at LemmaFest 5? Check out the full 29 minute video below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for something big tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Two More Band Breakups, Plus New Sault Michigan Videos!!

Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian readers! Ironically, things fell into place where today's post is 100% dedicated to Sault Michigan-area updates, but don't worry, there's some big Canadian stuff to come in July! Today, we have a podcast episode find that you might want to see, our first glimpse at one of the surprise bands from LemmaFest, and like yesterday, we're leading off with two more bands that we're adding to our inactive links, so here's what you need to know!

One of the bands that we're now considering as inactive is Brimley metal trio Half A Man, as they have not issued a new Facebook page update concerning the band since June 28th of last year (when they shared an SMS post referencing their 2013 LemmaFest set), while later updates have been strictly to promote open mic nights that frontman Erik Rintamaki put on. Of course, if I'm wrong on Half A Man being inactive, we'll correct this! Launched in late 2009, Half A Man quickly became one of the most prominent original metal bands in the Sault Michigan area, featuring alumni of known bands like Lower S.E.S., Bludgeoned, Bent Rollercoaster, Drayton Fever, and Infathom in their various lineups. Fans may remember them from a number of prominent early 2010s headlining dates and festival appearances, as well as circulating a demo CD, undertaking some notable studio sessions, and even appearing live on Rock 101! However, band activity slowed in 2012 & 2013, and Half A Man were only seen live at those years' LemmaFests.

If they are done, it's definitely disappointing, as Half A Man's gritty Black Label Society-esque sound was a welcome addition to the local scene in the last few years, and their live shows and original material lived up to their talents and experience! You can still see Erik occasionally with Train Wreck, but hopefully everyone else stays active musically. Best of luck to Erik, Gary, Mikey, and other former members in the future, and fingers crossed they come back down the road!

The other band that we're now listing as inactive is Sault Michigan hard rock trio Scofflaw, as they too have not issued an online update in over a year, and have also not played a known live concert since last year's LemmaFest. While there hasn't been a public announcement concerning their status, frontman Jeff Barnes remarked on a photo comment on his personal Facebook page last month that arthritis in his hands was a factor in Scofflaw not playing this year's installment, while the photo itself was captioned in part: "One last look. Scofflaw was your best entertainment value." Also featuring Mr. Fister bassist Barney Gravelle and ex-Blind Baby drummer Ivan Schliska, Scofflaw developed a loyal fanbase during their run, which saw them play a number of memorable concerts since the late 2000s, including at The Soo Theatre's Rock Starz event in 2008, each of the first 3 LemmaFests, and assorted other gigs at venues like The Merchant's Bar during their peak.

Scofflaw were a unique and entertaining trio that fans of Sykotyk Rampage and grunge/alternative fans should really take to, with raspy vocals, punk rhythms, and lots of reckless abandon! Hopefully this isn't the absolute end for Scofflaw, but hopefully everyone keeps at some music work, and best of luck to Jeff, Barney, and Ivan in the future! For reference, I've also changed their link on here to their MySpace page, as it now has more information than their Facebook page due to MySpace's photo & video restorations there.

We'll close today with new videos, including our long awaited first glimpse at a band that did play at LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes last month, that being Nightmare Grin! While we knew two members going in (RedStone Riot's Ryan Harrison and ex-I.S.O.M. drummer Bart Rennels), there were still some unanswered questions, but attendee Joe Harrison (a relation of Ryan's presumably) was on hand to film two videos of their set for Facebook, which he shared on the LemmaFest Facebook page over the weekend! So, are they a heavier band? Looks like it, as the videos are covers of Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You" and, as embedded below, Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band", so check them out above & below! In terms of the lineup, Ryan (who's grown an impressive beard since we last saw him) appears to have returned to his old Riot! By Night role as singer for Nightmare Grin, though I am yet unable to determine the identities of the guitarist and bassist, who weren't tagged on Facebook with Ryan & Bart when these went up, but we'll let you know if we hear anything.

It's yet unclear too whether Nightmare Grin were a one-off band or will continue for more gigs, but they have a good sound on these videos, with a hard rock grit and a solid stage presence, and everyone has talent on display, with Ryan a nice fit on vocals! Hopefully we learn more on Nightmare Grin in the coming weeks, but check out their Grand Funk Railroad cover below, and see more above! (Also, note that comments on shares of these videos imply that Wayne Kozeyah filmed bands all day for an upcoming project, we'll have to see what comes of that!)



Finally for today, here's a video podcast from New Year's Eve in December that I'm surprised we haven't featured on the site until now! Uploaded to the aforementioned Wayne Kozeyah's YouTube channel, this is from a local series called Muckleash's Podcast, that was active through at least January, though not visibly since. This episode features host Malcolm Sutton (and I believe Wayne from off-camera) interviewing Scofflaw bassist Barney Gravelle, and it's an interesting watch! The 16 minute clip features Barney talking largely about his guitar playing & work with that instrument, including his early experiences with guitar, the first songs that he learned, and teaching music to his niece and nephew, before ending with a solo acoustic guitar composition. Perhaps most surprising about this interview is that Barney barely even talks about his recent local band work (I didn't even catch a mention of Scofflaw), though he did allude to early battle of the bands experience. Solid listen though, and it'd be nice to see Malcolm revive his podcasts, so check out this installment below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!