YouTube Channel Profile Series: Oh!No Collective & Jonathan Spike

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, as we continue our monthly spotlight of YouTube channels with content at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk musicians, in order to give them promotion for current readers to hopefully encourage hits and subscriptions! This month's random selection gave us a channel with just three videos from two different concerts, so I picked a single-video channel to round things out with, and there's some interesting stuff here for metal and punk fans alike! Here's what you should know!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh!No Collective (http://youtube.com/channel/UCOFGm_V7b2sbcm8BR67suSw/)
 
Owner: A member of local concert promoters Oh!No Collective (formerly known as Six, Two, Oh. and Oh! Right Arm Promotions). Their exact identity isn't given, but my best guess would be co-founder Jamie Vincent

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 13th, 2019; Videos uploaded on December 9th, 2019

Channel Summary: Quietly launched prior to the agency's name change in September 2019, the Oh!No Collective channel only features three videos so far from two different concerts that they put on locally late last year.
 
Why You Should Watch: I recommend giving this channel a look to see what the Oh!No Collective was up to before the pandemic, and while they haven't posted much there yet, we may see more here when shows can safely happen again. That said, the Oh!No Facebook page has much more videos from their late 2019 concert slate to check out, including all three videos on the YouTube channel. If there were plans to re-post more Facebook videos on YouTube, then that has clearly fallen by the wayside in 2020. 

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Black Mastiff at Loplops on Oct 21 '19: The earliest video here (but last to be uploaded) is of Edmonton stoner/hard rock trio Black Mastiff headlining at LopLops Lounge on October 21st, and they can be seen here playing two songs (starting with their original "Downed By A Sound"). Their doomy southern rock has a nice groove to it in this performance, captured from two different camera angles, and while scheduling on Election Day (and a Monday) didn't help attendance whatsoever, this is a good introduction to Black Mastiff! Videos of local openers Man Feelings & Chase Wigmore were filmed for Facebook, but were not similarly uploaded to the YouTube channel.



SlumShine - Back In Blue & Blue Shift at Outspoken Brewing Dec 6 '19: Oh!No's other two videos are of local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine's headlining date at Outspoken Brewing on December 6th, including of their rendition of "Thrashmaster 10 Billion" and, in the channel's most popular video, their non-album songs "Back In Blue" and "Blue Shift". Well shot videos of Brent (pink ski mask in tow) in his element with these aggressively acoustic original songs, and the crowd sounds receptive! Despite a "special guest" also being advertised, Oh!No did not film that act for Facebook.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Spike (http://youtube.com/channel/UCgc4HhITS4PLqPbLOMqUwtQ)
 
Owner: YouTube user Jonathan Spike, who I don't believe is locally based

Channel Timeline: Launched on October 17th, 2013; Only video uploaded on March 23rd, 2014

Channel Summary: Jonathan's only video is of local/Toronto indie/punk veterans Treble Charger's music video for their hit original song "American Psycho" from their 2000 CD "Wide Awake Bored". As it turns out, this is a re-upload of the exact same copy of this video from 98Watts' channel in 2006, complete with Shrapnull Productions credits from an even earlier uploader. However, Jonathan did include song lyrics in the description, and he promised to start uploading gaming videos if he got one subscriber (which has happened, but no new videos of any kind have followed suit). Visit our profile of 98Watts channel from 2017 to read our full recap on the "American Psycho" video, but fans of Treble Charger's pop punk era won't be disappointed!


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's  YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we're back to a profile of a single channel, as our random selection is for Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's channel! Consider it a Christmas in July feature, if you go for such things. Look for this on or around July 26th, and for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

Black Mastiff Concert & Theatre Of Night Videos!!

Before we tackle this weekend's hard rock concert previews, let's cover some recent video finds from both sides of the border, starting with live footage from Monday night's Black Mastiff-headlined concert at LopLops Lounge! Promoters Oh!No Collective were on hand livestreaming all three acts for the first time post-name change, and we'll start with the featured Edmonton stoner/hard rock trio, who were filmed playing their new CD's opening song "Downed By A Sound" and another song I couldn't immediately place. Black Mastiff sound good in this performance, almost like a doomier Monster Truck, if you can make sense of that, and it's a shame there's not more fans up front. Of course, being on a Monday night AND the same day as the election doesn't help, but you can see what Black Mastiff brought to the table below, from a couple of different angles! Oh!No also shot this video of opening indie/alt-rock quartet Man Feelings playing an original song of theirs, and it has nice melody, if not the aggression of the night's other acts!

The other video from LopLops on Monday is of prolific local folk punk/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore, who recently confirmed on his Facebook page that his planned Devil's Night solo album release (and by extension, it's attached release concert) has been postponed for personal reasons, though he is more direct and blunt in his actual post. Disappointing, but fans still got to see him live this month, and you can see it for yourself in the Oh!No Collective's livestream! Captured in progress, this has Chase in full folk punk mode with melodic intensity and nice guitar work all around! That said, I wouldn't have been filming from so far away, which just accentuates the low early turnout (at least zoom the camera in or something.) Give Chase's video a look below, and stay tuned for more from him and/or Awokest soon!

We'll close today with a long overdue look at the various Facebook preview videos (all relatively short) posted by Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night in the lead-up to their third annual Christmas tour, which kicks off next month and will have a return date at The Dreammakers Theatre at the local Kewadin Casino on December 14th! The first of these videos went up on August 19th, starting with this 39 second clip of guitarist Steven Giles shredding, which serves as a nice showcase of his skills! That same day, the band posted this minute-long video of singer Rachel Mender covering Evanescence's ballad "My Immortal" karaoke-style, which isn't well framed if you want to see her front-forward, but this is more proof of her very nice vocal abilities! Neither of those videos are Christmas-related, but the band remedied that a week later with this video featuring tracking for a version of "What Child Is This?" with Rachel on vocals.

Similarly on August 31st, the band shared this video of bassist Scott Andringa laying down bass tracks in studio, which is short like the others, but he performs as well as you'd expect, and we again see a preview of the tracking on the computer. We have seen the occasional teaser video of computer tracking for actual studio copies of Christmas carols with the recent touring lineup, but are these just for the band's own rehearsal purposes, or might we actually see a "Christmas Night" reissue with Rachel, Scott, and Erik on board? In any event, the clips have a lot of promise, no matter what lies ahead! A few weeks later, Theatre of Night brought us the video we'll leave off with today, which features both Steve & Scott rehearsing/recording in studio, this time by playing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", with more tracking monitor visuals in the middle.Nice to see the guys playing off of each other so well, so give this video a look below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night's Facebook page (and group?) soon!



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

Black Mastiff Concert Preview, New Videos, And Musicians Wanted Facebook Group Updates!!

As promised, let's preview a special Monday night concert today, and to round things out, we also have some new videos from some familiar faces, and some long overdue tidbits from a popular Facebook group. With all of that said, here's what you should know!

If you're looking to blow off some steam and/or celebrate following the election, you have a great outlet to do so TONIGHT, as Edmonton stoner/hard rock trio Black Mastiff will make their local concert debut when they headline at LopLops Lounge! One of the middle stops on their tour in support of their new CD "Loser Delusions", Black Mastiff's alternative rock-tinged take on stoner rock should provide a solid night of original action at LopLops tonight, so give their smooth melodic tunes a listen to see what they bring to the table! The varied opening roster will include local indie-alt rock quartet Man Feelings in their first public concert since the summer, as well as prolific folk punk/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore, whose set you may not want to miss, especially if his teased Devil's Night concert doesn't occur. Promoted by the Oh!No Collective, this 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time (note that election polls close at 9:30 PM), and admission is either $10 or "pay what you can."

While the Monday night scheduling won't be optimal for most, this should be a fun concert if you can swing attending, with a nice mix of sounds to take in from the night's three acts. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Black Mastiff live!



Next up, here's another new video from Chase's old Strange Coyotes bandmate Mike Haggith, who shared this clip of him playing "The Nature Of The Times" in his Windsor hometown onto his Facebook page last week! Mike flew home last week for a spell, and he was able to perform there at The Dominion House Tavern at a jam night this past Tuesday, joining in with his old S.C.A.R. bandmate Dylon Rabidoux and fellow area musicians. The 7 minute video showcases a loose and casual take on the "Bridges" opening single, and even a late saxophone(!) solo, and it's worth a watch for fans of his Thompson-era output, so give it a watch below!

Also, here's a new video of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck live at Reggie's West this past weekend! This video was posted onto SaultOnline's Mike Caruso's YouTube channel on Saturday, so I presume it was filmed on Friday. The 8+ minute clip features Soundcheck covering Styx's "Too Much Time On My Hands" and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Runnin' Down A Dream" in succession, with Travis Sharpe singing lead on the former song, and Terry Eaton doing the honours on the latter. The warm lighting isn't to the video's advantage, especially the mobile closer angle, but the covers sound good, like how you'd expect from Soundcheck! Unfortunately, bassist Paul Belair is stuck behind that large pillar that's still on the stage, as old Rosie regulars will recall, but at least he shows up on the closer camera. Give this one a look below, and check out more recent live cover action on Mike's channel linked above!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all as related to musician searches on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local singer/guitarist and Soo's Got Talent semifinalist Cameron Oliver is looking for a creative bassist and drummer for his new local band project, who will "play mostly country and '80s rock." Of course, he's on guitar and vocals, and while the description isn't necessarily pointed in our direction, remember that he did cover Ozzy Osbourne's "Mama I'm Coming Home" in the second round last month. Click here or message him via his group post from September 29th if you want more details!
• Former Half Past frontman Jordan Rains is looking to start a new local band, who would play hard rock, metal, and alternative music. In this band, he would be playing guitar too, and he is looking for a bassist and drummer. Jordan showed promise in his brief Half Past stint, so if you're interested in working with him, message him at this link or on his group post from August!
• On September 4th, Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie posted on the group to say that he was looking for musicians to join him in a planned Linkin Park tribute band named Bellevue Park for "the upcoming Halloween show", with Mitch himself handling lead vocals and guitar. If he meant J.D. Pearce's annual party, then that ship has sailed, but in the off chance this is still a plan for this month/beyond, message him at this link or above for more info!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Black Mastiff & Tarnished), Plus Mid-Week Concert Previews!!

With another week of concert previews stretched earlier past Thursday, I'm starting our latest batch of preview posts early once again, so we're tackling hard rock acts playing locally today or tomorrow here, with true weekend concert previews being covered tomorrow. That said, we do have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to kick things off with, so without any further adieu, here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished will continue their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee TOMORROW and beyond at a new time! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed the continuation of their run there on their Facebook page this evening. It appears that their Facebook event page for shows through last week ended there because of the time shift, as they will now be playing "every Thursday" at 12:00 PM, not 10:30 AM, so keep TOMORROW's show in mind, as well as October 17th, 24th, and 31st, at least! Of course, their final advertised concert at the Sault Ste. Marie Farmers Market takes place TODAY as well, and while the market at Ashmun & Portage runs each Wednesday through October 23rd, this is the last date listed on the band's Facebook event page, though we'll let you know if things get extended. Look for more entertaining hard rock covers from Alex & Josh there at 4:00 PM! All of these shows are ALL AGES with no cover charges, "tips & coffee" aside.

For a preview, we have a couple of new videos of Tarnished to acknowledge here, courtesy of their Mount Pleasant road trip this past weekend! Filmed by attendee Olivia Eden and shared to the band's Facebook page, these are of Tarnished (plugged in with drums) covering Van Halen's "Eruption" and, as embedded below, The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane" at the Ascend bar at Soaring Eagle Casino. Well filmed from the front of the stage, the guys have a good handle on these covers, and Alex's voice is really good on the Scorpions cover, so give these a look above and below, and don't miss them (unplugged and minus Tommy) today & TOMORROW in the Soo!



Next up, Edmonton stoner/hard rock trio Black Mastiff will make their local concert debut on Monday, October 21st when they headline at LopLops Lounge! A fast-rising group touring in support of their upcoming CD "Loser Delusions", Black Mastiff bring an entertaining mix of sounds to the table, with their stoner base harbouring many eclectic influences, and I am honestly getting an early Mastodon vibe from some of their material, so don't bypass them after you vote on Election Day! An eclectic and varied roster of local openers will include both indie rock quartet Man Feelings and prolific folk punk/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore (no sign of a Devil's Night show yet), so look for both to set the tone well before things get heavy! This 19+ concert is presented by the Oh!No Collective, a 9:00 PM start time is advertised, and admission is $10 unless you opt for the "pay what you can" model.

The Monday night scheduling isn't ideal, but this could be a great way to celebrate/blow off steam after the election results come in, so keep this night of stoner rock and varied local alternative music in mind for later this month! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also this week, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where Tym Morrison's prolific run of acoustic hard rock concerts continues TOMORROW at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery, and at Gliss Restaurant FRIDAY & SATURDAY! The former is his second last gig at the Third Line West mill's on-site Wine Barn for the season, so if you're up for some autumn produce and wine, look for Tym's skilled covers there tomorrow at 5:00 PM! No cover charges or age limits are in effect. Meanwhile, his ongoing long-term arrangement at Gliss will see more strong entertainment from Tym this weekend, so don't bypass his Spring Street concerts either! Those shows are at 6:00 PM with no cover or age limit, but mind the locale. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and flor a preview, here's some new videos of Tym live at Gliss! Shockingly, I think these may be the first videos of Tym at Gliss (at either location) on YouTube, despite his years worth of gigs there!

Filmed by SaultOnline's Mike Caruso for his YouTube channel (which is getting stockpiled with new footage of local cover bands, more forthcoming), these videos are of Tym covering Phil Collins' "One More Night" and, as embedded below, 10cc's "I'm Not In Love." Filmed with a stationary front-facing camera and with more angled close-ups by Mike proper, the stage lighting and natural daytime placement does affect the videos' colouring, but Tym handles these classic rock ballads nicely, so give these videos a look!



Finally for today, let's head to The Rockstar Bar, where early 2010s classic metal quartet Late & Loud will reunite for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! A fundraiser for bassist Benn Garside's wedding to ex-Danger Cats bassist Jamie VanSchooneveld this weekend, this will be Late & Loud's first concert since their initial "farewell" concert in the fall of 2014, and with The Rockstar Bar arguably being their most identifiable locale from their original run, what better spot for them for Jonathan, Brendan, Benn, and Josh to hit the stage one more (last?) time! DJ Seith and his hip-hop duo project Planet Rock are this show's surprise openers, but given the wedding fundraiser angle, they'll be sure to keep the tunes spinning before things get late and/or loud! A $10 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has an early advertised start time of 8:00 PM. While Late & Loud never did find a full-time singer, their live shows were always entertaining 1980s throwbacks, and what's one more load of heavy rockin' hard metal like the good old days?

If this does prove to be their final concert, as hinted on the poster, this would be a fitting coda, so fans won't want to miss out on all of the action tomorrow if they can help it! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details! For a preview, here's Late & Loud at The Rockstar Bar back in 2013!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for proper weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!