YouTube Channel Profile Series: ThisIsTheEndGame

Now is the time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile installment, as we continue our monthly spotlight on YouTube channels whose content is at least 50% comprised of metal, hard rock, and/or punk concerts and/or musicians, in order to showcase them and encourage viewership and subscriptions of them! This month's randomly selected channel is from a prolific local musician that will be very familiar to metal fans of the mid-late 2010s, so here's what you should know regarding this month's selection!
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ThisIsTheEndGame (http://www.youtube.com/thisistheendgame) 

Owner: Pillory frontman, Peach Thieves guitarist, Id Iota bassist, and Twistory drummer Robert Sartini, also previously known from the bands Crimson Crusade, Roadkill, Shadowthrone, and Gorrifier

Channel Timeline: Launched on July 9th, 2010; Videos posted from August of that year through July 2014

Channel Summary: Robert's channel is almost half devoted to solo guitar performances of his from the early 2010s, with remaining videos including jam session footage of Pillory and Roadkill, plus the 5 songs on Pillory's 2013 debut EP "Cringe at the Cross". The sole video on Robert's channel that doesn't feature him performing is it's first upload, his personal ranking of Metallica's top 10 guitar solos.

Why You Should Watch: Fans will most want to check out this channel if they were fans of early thrash-era Pillory and/or Robert's early years as a prominent local musician, with his talent and potential clear even at this stage! While Robert still uses this channel for personal needs, no footage has made it's way there from his current projects, nor from any past live concerts, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Roadkill - Speed Therapy (Original): Before launching Pillory, Robert and drummer Jarrod Sachro performed together in a two man metal band named Roadkill, with four videos from mid-2011 jam sessions being posted to this channel at the time. These include a cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" and three original songs, namely "2083... E.D.I.", a self titled original, and, as featured here, "Speed Therapy". Sort of a prototype of Pillory's early sound, Jarrod hangs well with Robert on these instrumental jams, but the chemistry isn't quite there compared to with Bret, and the rough nature of the recordings doesn't help matters. Still, these are an interesting early look at Robert in action before he became a familiar presence!



Pillory - Shattered By War: In August 2012, Pillory launched to the public with 4 jam session videos on Robert's channel, including three early originals ("Onward To Death", "Fatal Woods", and "Shattered By War"), plus a cover of Megadeth's "Hangar 18". At this stage, Robert was joined by longtime drummer Bret Shuttleworth and former Bear Hunters guitarist Andres Duchesne, who suddenly passed away just four months later. While not an optimal look at Pillory's 2012-2014 run as a thrash outfit (partially due to the lack of a bassist at that time), these instrumental jams showcase the fast paced technicality that would come through so well in the live concerts ahead, and Andres is a solid presence! Studio versions of these songs from the next year's "Cringe at the Cross" EP can also be heard on this channel.



Putrid Pile - Blood Fetish (Guitar Cover): After previously posting nine thrash metal cover videos onto his YouTube channel from 2010-2012, Robert's uploads focused on Pillory until mid-2014, when he uploaded three covers of death metal bands, including Dying Fetus' "Your Treachery Will Die With You", and two Putrid Pile songs ("Food For The Maggots" and his most popular video, "Blood Fetish".) Though not labelled as such, these were likely intended to reflect on his then-death metal solo project Gorrifier, and they do foreshadow Pillory's transition to that sub-genre after their 2015 relaunch. The more brutal and technical renditions benefit from better recording quality, and the evolution of Robert's musical skill and proficiency is impressive when comparing these to his early uploads!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! We're looking at multiple channels to end the summer with next month, as our first randomly selected channel only has one video, so we added a second channel with only two distinct videos to round things out. As such, the random choices coincidentally all focus on Kewadin Casino concerts, as we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of Jolene Barens (featuring a Theory of a Deadman video from last year) and Reckage35 (featuring videos from the Shinedown and Pop Evil shows here in 2013.) Look for these on or around August 26th, and stay tuned for this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

As an extremely busy July winds down, we have enough videos to do another local metal video showcase post on this Wednesday morning, so what's on tap? Recent concert videos of the public and private varieties from each side of the border, plus new footage from a pair of linked local artists, so read on below for what you need to know on these!

Video footage of Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom's Summerfest appearance outside of The Savoy Bar & Nightclub in the Soo this past Saturday can now be checked out online! Uploaded by attendee Michael Cole on Sunday (and joining his videos of Infathom's Nick Cam Jam set in our area last fall), he shot 21 videos during the concert, so what can be seen within? All covers, the videos (in rough upload order) include renditions of Puddle of Mudd's "She Hates Me", Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy", Black Stone Cherry's "Lonely Train", Papa Roach's "Lifeline", "She Loves Me Not", and "Between Angels & Insects" (the latter two uploaded in one video), Three Days Grace's "(I Hate) Everything About You", Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness", Pantera's "Domination", Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", Creed's "My Sacrifice", Alter Bridge's "Open Your Eyes", Guns 'N Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine", Bowling For Soup's "1985", Buckcherry's "Lit Up", Avenged Sevenfold' "Gunslinger", System of a Down's "Toxicity", Seasons After's "Gettin' Even", and A Day To Remember's "Right Back At It Again", plus a between-song jam, so click each link to see each performance!

Note that the Creed & Alter Bridge videos are also combined into one video, and followed each other likely due to the original bands sharing mostly the same lineup, sans lead singer. Better quality videos than we usually see from The Savoy just from the proximity to the band alone, these videos must capture the vast majority of Infathom's show, and their talent and chemistry is evident, though some songs sound a bit empty and tinny without a second guitar, and Dillion Semasky's vocals do tire on some more aggressive tracks.  Infathom fans (especially ones who don't see their full solo gigs often) will definitely enjoy these videos, so check them out above, and here's Infathom covering two Papa Roach songs!



Next up, remember how we shared two videos from a recent private metal concert on the site on Friday featuring out of town metal bands? Well, we can complete that July 21st trifecta, as a video of local openers AlgomA is now viewable via singer/bassist Marty Chase's YouTube channel last week (though AlgomA's own channel has it's own copy too.) Filmed at the exact same high angle as his Disabler & Bushwhacker videos, this captures AlgomA playing their newer original "Phthisis" followed by "Electric Fence", so click each link to go direct to that specific song! Just as intense as fans will have come to expect from AlgomA, the guys sound extra brutal and make the most of their familiar surroundings, though the audio remains a bit muffled. Check out AlgomA live at "Six Two OH" below!



We'll close today with two new videos featuring Pillory frontman Robert Sartini, including this clip of his newest band Shadowthrone playing a new original song! Uploaded to guitarist Sabrina Strange's YouTube channel last week, the song is entitled "Hatred Flows For The Harlot", which was also recently uploaded in audio form to the band's Reverbnation page. Though instrumental at present, intended lyrics are included in the info section on YouTube, and the song has a doomy groove to it at this early stage! The video's slightly grainy looking though, and you can't see much of Sabrina at this angle. Check out Shadowthrone's new song above and below!



Finally is Robert's newest solo guitar cover video, which is of another Putrid Pile cover, specifically their song "Food For The Maggots", as uploaded to his personal YouTube channel on Monday! Not explicitly labelled to his Gorrifier solo project (which appears to be original-centric), Robert described his equipment and tuning well in the info section, and remarked that he learned this song by ear. It turned out well, and it's got a nice brutal tone, sounding very close to the original track! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more news from his active projects as we hear it!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review in our likely next post! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Internet Radio Station, New Videos, And The Suicide Kings + Karaoke?

I'm back from St. Joseph Island a day earlier than expected, so we have a new news post for you guys today covering stuff missed over the break! In this post, we have new videos from both sides of the border, an intriguing new live karaoke project from some familiar faces, and first, news concerning a new addition to our local radio roster that you might find intriguing, so read on below for what you need to know, and make sure to read our Jack Spades EP review and 5150DOA YouTube Channel Profile that both went up as auto-posts over the last few days!

If you've been following SooToday recently, you may have noticed that two of their recent polls related to music, specifically one poll about if you'd listen to a local internet radio station, and a follow-up relating to readers' musical preferences (country & rock ran away with almost 60% of the votes combined.) Well, the polls weren't just hypothetical, as SooToday's Facebook page has revealed that their parent company Village Media is currently developing an online streaming radio station called VM Radio! Plans are for it to have a local focus and planned airtime for local original music, so if you're interested in submitting your own music for consideration on this station, drop them off at 642 Queen Street East (or via the mailing address on Facebook), or e-mail digital copies to arts@sootoday.com. No word on a launch date, programming details, or anything similar yet, but we'll keep you posted, especially in regards to possible hard rock/metal inclusion!

This won't be the first internet radio station founded in the Soo (Energy Rock Radio launched here before moving to British Columbia), but a local news-backed station that could serve as an alternative to the current FM stations would be a nice addition! Myself, I'd like to see a variety for everyone so that it attracts as wide an audience as possible, but keep an eye out for how VM Radio shapes up in the coming months!

Next up, while not technically a new local band in the traditional sense, all 4 members of local hard rock band The Suicide Kings (Mike Gaetano, Steven Flint, Mitch Sirie, and Ben Boudreau) have announced a new live music project named URawk that will serve as the hosts of Sault Ontario's first ever karaoke night with a live backing band rather than pre-recorded tracks! Covering genres from metal to country, they have a wide setlist ready for fans to come on stage and sing along with, while you can also request songs for the guys to learn in advance of one of their live appearances, and cash prizes are also planned. Current plans involve Urawk hosting live karaoke nights at The Rednecks Saloon (the former Nicolet Tavern) each Thursday at 10:00 PM for the foreseeable future, though no word yet on if we'll see them at other venues or on other days. Their debut night will be on Thursday, June 26th, and their wide ranging setlist (which has a number of metal songs, but doesn't emphasize them) is sure to grow, especially if URawk takes off!

No word yet on what roles Mike will serve with URawk, especially as the emphasis is on karaoke singers to sing with the band, but Mike is a guitar player too, so he could take on that role if need be. I've heard of the live band karaoke concept in bigger cities, and I'm very curious to see how well it goes, as this could be a way for many local music fans to let out their inner rock star without the band commitment, or maybe test the waters to get involved in a band further! You should know how talented The Suicide Kings are, and hopefully they bring the same intensity and focus to URawk, so keep their debut in mind next month!

We'll close today with new videos, including a new preview video relating to Sault Michigan-area label Werehold Records' next Friday the 13th music posting spree next month, this time courtesy of label owner & Life's Eclipse frontman Jason Mills! Posted to the label's YouTube channel on Friday, this is a 39 second clip of Jason playing guitar for a new Life's Eclipse original that will be unveiled on June 13th, playing overtop backing programmed drums. Short, but it's a nice tease for the new material to come, so give it a look!



Finally, Pillory/Crimson Crusade guitarist Robert Sartini posted another solo guitar cover onto his YouTube channel on Wednesday! This time, he covered Dying Fetus' "Your Treachery Will Die With You", and though you can barely hear his guitar over the original backing track, he definitely knows this brutal death metal track well, and it shows in the clip! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from his channel and band work!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week, plus this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Kiss'd), New Videos, And More!!

Before we head off to TONIGHT'S Jack Spades EP release show, we have a new news post for you guys today, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent notes (including a concert cancellation), a new cover video, recent coverage of a major all ages show, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for across the river this summer, so here's what you need to know!

Continuing the recent influx of Charlevoix, Michigan metal musician Jeff Hudson's bands into Eastern Upper Peninsula concert dates, his Northern Michigan Kiss tribute band Kiss'd will hit The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, July 4th and Saturday, July 5th! Note that these shows are still to be announced on Kewadin's entertainment page, but I imagine it's just a little behind. Joining already-announced 2014 dates for Jeff's other bands Scarkazm, Audio Circus, and (of course) Peril at our regional Kewadin branches, these will actually be Kiss'd's first announced shows on their Facebook page since 2012, though I'm not sure if they've played a show unadvertised there in the interim. Featuring Jeff on vocals and bass as "Paul Stanley", Kiss'd have a faithful sound that fans of Kiss should take to if their older videos are any indication, though the vocals aren't always close ringers with the original songs. Be sure to check them out in July though! You must be 21 to attend, there's no announced cover charge, and there are nightly start times of 10:30 & 9:00 PM, so check the above links for more updates on how to get Kiss'd!

Next up, we have some recent local coverage of last weekend's fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall to share on here! Posted to the YouTube channel of local event promotion and entertainment website Sault Online on Tuesday, this features video footage of Sudbury unplugged hard rockers Aggressive Acoustic covering Monster Magnet's "Space Lord" during soundcheck, which bookend a minute long interview clip with promoter Steve Mozarowski outside of the hall, so what is discussed there? Steve talks about how he started the annual event in 2011 as a RedD Monkey tour fundraiser, though it has since transitioned into a showcase for youth-centered local talent, while he'll also look into grants for next year's event and the possibility of free admission. Aside from the windy conditions impairing the interview, it's a solid promotional sample for the event, and the Aggressive Acoustic footage is well shot! I wonder what became of the Brutaly Fatal video footage that the same Sault Online correspondent filmed that evening?

Also to note: Steve described RedD Monkey as "broke up" in the video, though official Facebook statements only go so far as to say they're on a hiatus, so we'll go on that until/unless something else is stated. As well, the video description incorrectly lists both Ashes To Dust & Pillory as playing that night, misspells Aggressive Acoustic, and accidentally calls Haggith "Haggard", but hopefully that all gets fixed! Nice to see some new local media coverage of the Swampfest, so check out the full video below!



Also today, Pillory frontman and Crimson Crusade guitarist Robert Sartini posted a new cover video onto his YouTube channel on Wednesday! His first video there in 5 months (and first solo cover video since last August), this is a guitar rendition of Wisconsin death metal band Putrid Pile's "Blood Fetish" that he learned by ear. Though I'm not too familiar with Putrid Pile, this a solid rendition, but I think the original backing track is a bit high in the video. This should tide Pillory fans over while we wait for public news from their camp, so give Robert's new video a look below!



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

• Former(?) Social Suicide guitarist Anthony Boudreau is looking for a high school-age guitarist who can play anything from old school rock to progressive metal for his new local band project. If you're interested in trying out, message Anthony at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from May 7th!
• The Die Mannequin concert scheduled for June 14th at The Rockstar Bar has been cancelled, as per updates to the Facebook event page by promoter J.D. Pearce on Tuesday. A reason wasn't announced there beyond J.D. saying that it was "out of my hands", but while this is disappointing, does the survival of the event page lend hope for a possible rescheduling? We'll have to wait and see!
• A 14 year old local metal guitarist named Jordan Attoni is looking to jam in a local metal project. He has played guitar for 4 years, and is influenced by bands like AC/DC, Metallica, and Avenged Sevenfold, so if you're interested in trying out or getting more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!

That's all for today, but I'll see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for Jack Spades' EP release show! Thanks everyone!

A Big New Outdoor Concert's Band Search, A Notable Band's Likely Status, And Much More!!

Here's some more news for this Sunday morning, and there's some notable stuff to address and cover! Today, we've got updates to one of our monthly feature series, a bunch of assorted news and notes, videos of a local metal guitarist, and the likely status of a local metal band, but first, here's some information on a planned major concert event that YOU can apply to play on!

Are you or your band interested in playing at a multi-band outdoor concert in the Sault Ontario area next summer? Applications are being taken right now for some sort of concert event to be held in June 2013, as per postings by organizer Rita Slater on our Facebook page, and a related "Sault Ste. Marie Outdoor Concert" Facebook page that she's launched. Rita is the general manager of Laird International Raceway and the organizer of the relaunched Hot Rides Cornfest that was held there this month & last August, and from what I can gather, this event (which may also be a festival) would likely take place in Laird as well, though it's not planned to be country music-centric like Cornfest is. Details are otherwise scant on this planned event, but headlining bands will apparently be announced later this year, and she's hoping to find 10-12 local acts to perform. If you or your band are interested in playing this outdoor concert event in Laird next June, e-mail Rita A.S.A.P. at theboomboomshow@hotmail.ca! I know the new Cornfest has been successful, but a new music festival in the area with rock integration (and hopefully some metal) would be neat, especially in June rather than later months where it'd have more competition. I'd say take Rita up on this offer to apply for this event, you never know how big it could be, so send your e-mails A.S.A.P., and stay tuned for updates on this event!

Next up, I wanted to note a band that we're regrettably moving to the inactive band links on the SMS, that being local classic metal quintet Sativa Rose. Though we're not at the one year-inactivity threshold for them (they were last visibly active in December via some concert video uploads), an immediate future for Sativa Rose is unlikely due to members Andrew Angelic & Adam Veale's planned move to London for college early next month. Nothing official has ever came out regarding Sativa Rose's status, but with Andrew & Adam focusing on the also-moving Valentine's Day Massacre, guitarist Anthony Orazietti now in Winkstinger, and drummer Alex Palmer living out of town himself right now (I think), the writing seems to be on the wall. It's disappointing to see Sativa Rose fall into inactivity, especially knowing their musical talent and the unrealized potential that their final lineup (including singer Marisa Valois) had following that lineup's first & last show in November. No matter what, they gave us a lot of great shows and originals from their summer 2010 debut through last fall, and classic metal fans had a lot to like and headbang with! Best of luck to Marisa, Andrew, Anthony, Adam, and Alex in the future, and maybe Sativa Rose will pop up again in some form down the road!

Thirdly today, remember how we shared videos from new Sault Ontario thrash metal band Pillory and their 2011 predecessors Roadkill on Thursday? Well, guitarist Robert Sartini has posted 10 solo thrash covers aside from his recent band work on his YouTube channel as well! With one exception, these were all filmed last year, and they include covers of Metallica's "Jump In The Fire" and the solo from "Disposable Heroes", and Viking's "Case of the Stubborns", but the rest are all Megadeth, including versions of "In My Darkest Hour", "Set The World Afire", "Victory", "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", and the solo from it in a separate video, so click each link to see Robert in action! He has skill at metal guitar work for sure, but his guitar is tuned a bit weirdly on some of the videos, and there are some rough patches. He does have talent though, and I'm curious to hear more from Robert in Pillory or solo uploads, so check out his cover of "Holy Wars" below, and see more at the above links!



Fourthly, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band or musician name:

• Local classic metal quartet Late & Loud have quietly uploaded their entire upcoming debut EP to their Reverbnation page! It's good to hear all of these songs in full, but as always, I'll hold on full thoughts until it's hopeful release. Check all five tracks out at the above links, and stay tuned for their long awaited return at the end of the month when they open for Skull Fist!
  
• Former Bear Hunters/Skull After Betrayl guitarist Mike Vincent is looking for a hardcore/metalcore vocalist for his new project, which will apparently cover bands like August Burns Red and Whitechapel. This could be interesting if it gets to the level of Mike's older bands, but I don't know a whole lot on them yet. If you're interested, message Mike at this location or find his post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from August 6th!
• Also new on the Musicians Wanted group, local hardcore band With Blood Builds Character are officially looking for a drummer (they had temporarily enlisted Travis St. Amour for their debut show.) Frontman Jeremy Hannah indicated in a post late last month on the group that they're hoping to tour in January, so make note of that. If you're a technical metal drummer and are interested in joining W.B.B.C., message Jeremy at this location or read more at the above links!
  

And finally for today, here's some updates to our YouTube Channel Profiles, to make that monthly feature series more accurate and current! On the profile of YouTube user AshTraynor's channel (which is centric towards Kinross hard rockers Banned), I updated references to their current lineup (namely the return of Alex Schrovenwever as their new second guitarist), and made lineup adjustments accordingly, along with some date fixing. On the StateOfMisery2011 channel profile, I updated it to reflect State of Misery's latest breakup from earlier this summer, and finally, I edited the GardenofBedlamBand channel profile to note the current amount and usage of newer band channels, as it's been replaced twice over in the last 3 years. That's all for that latest batch of updates, but as more updates come up relating to our monthly feature series, I'll let you guys know so you don't miss anything that's added, removed, or switched! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly, including our next YouTube Channel Profiles and our Dead & Divine concert preview in a few days! Thanks everyone!