YouTube Channel Profile Series: 1djminer & wabaanimkii's Channels

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile Series entry, as we look at 1-3 YouTube channels featuring half or more of their videos with a local focus, be they on artists or concerts, in order to spotlight them for local readers and encourage new subscriptions. This month, our first randomly selected channel only had two distinct local hard rock-relevant video types, so we added a second channel with only one video to fill things out. We have some interesting content on both sides of the border today, including footage from a huge show here over a decade ago, so here's what you should know!
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1djminer's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/1djminer)

Owner: YouTube user 1djminer, identity and hometown unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on February 14th, 2007; Videos posted from January 25th, 2008 through March 5th, 2011

Channel Summary: This channel is solely devoted to live concert videos shot by 1djminer during the three year span it was actively used for video postings. While six of the 11 videos are from the first Three Days Grace concert at The Steelback Center (now GFL Memorial Gardens) on January 24th, 2008, the last five are from out of town concerts featuring Avril Lavigne, Matthew Good, and Bon Jovi.

Why You Should Watch: As one of the best public sources for this early Steelback Center concert featuring two massive names in modern hard rock, this is well worth checking out, while the latter out of town videos generally hold up for fans of those artists! Note however that 1djminer did not film opening act Econoline Crush, and there are a lot more videos from both this and Three Days Grace's 2009 show here on other YouTube channels, including this one that only focuses on their live shows at any location. Also, 1djminer has not visibly used this YouTube channel in over eight years.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Seether and 3 Days Grace - Broken-SSM: By far the channel's most popular video with over 1,000 views, this video is of co-headlining South Africa hard rock band Seether playing their hit ballad "Broken" at the Gardens in 2008, with then-3DG lead singer Adam Gontier playing Amy Lee for the occasion. The video quality's acceptable given the age, but the audio takes a sharp hit when the song gets heavier, unfortunately starting during Adam's solo verse. Nice to see footage of the local cover, which is well done, and videos of this particular version of "Broken" at other shows can be found elsewhere on YouTube! Other Seether videos shot by 1djminer are of them playing "Fine Again", "Remedy", and "Gasoline", though all have similarly distorted audio.

  

3 Days Grace - SSM (ROOSTER) Alice in chains cover: Regarding Three Days Grace's headlining set that night, 1djminer did film them playing (part of) "Pain", but the distorted, scratchy audio of the Seether videos recurs there. However, he did film Adam covering Alice In Chains' "Rooster" solo during their set, and the softer song and acoustic guitar fit the camera specs a lot better! A bit of a shaky angle, but Adam's rendition is really nice, and it was a fun surprise to see at this show 12 years back!

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Wabaanimkii's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/wabaanimkii)

Owner: YouTube user Wabaanimkii, identity unclear, though that is a recorded last name in Northern Michigan

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 1st, 2007; Videos posted on June 11th, 2013 & August 8th, 2016

Channel Summary: Aside from a silent parody short about a hunter, Wabaanimkii's only surviving video is of inactive Sault Michigan alt-metal band The Karstens covering The Deli Creeps' "Bend Up" during a set at Downtown Days in August 2016, playing at an outdoor stage at the corner of Ashmun Street and East Portage Avenue. Complete with a guitarist joining in mid-song, this is very nicely shot on a beautiful day, and while this isn't the heaviest song from The Karstens' repertoire, it's great to see unexpected covers like this in the E.U.P.! Note that prior Karstens covers of Buckethead and Flipper songs have since been taken down from this channel for unannounced reasons, though you can see more videos of them live elsewhere, including at the band's own YouTube channel.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This series will return on or around November 26th when we profile another randomly selected YouTube channel, this time the channel from former Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus, featuring lots of content from his old local band's run and his more recent solo work! Stay tuned for that, and for more news this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), Carried Away Concert Preview, And New Sault Michigan Videos!!

Due to a very SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, I'm bumping this month's YouTube Channel Profile to tomorrow, so don't worry, it is coming! However, I don't want to let this concert slide, so that's leading off this post, alongside a weeknight concert preview, and some new videos from the Sault Michigan area, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will indeed return to La Terrazza Franzisi in Richards Landing TODAY for a matinee concert! Profuse apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show publically via it's Facebook event page this morning, though he had alluded to a Sunday gig on St. Joseph Island last week via his personal Facebook page without naming the venue. Over two weeks following his public debut at this riverfront restaurant, Tym is back for another daytime concert with more hard and classic rock favourites expected for patrons, so if you're on St. Joseph Island or are up for a Sunday drive, keep this one in mind for later TODAY! An early start time of 4:00 PM is advertised for TODAY at La Terrazza Franzisi, and there are no announced cover charges or age limits, but keep in mind that this a formal sit-down restaurant. Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live in concert a few years back!



Next up, here's our preview of a special TUESDAY NIGHT concert, as Toronto pop punk quartet Carried Away will rock Sault Ste. Marie for the first time as headliners at The Rockstar Bar! Heading out to Western Canada for the first time, this energetic, alternative-influenced band should deliver a fun set of catchy originals, so if you ca swing coming out on a Tuesday, don't miss out on Carried Away in a couple of nights! Two local opening bands will kick off the proceedings, including new local alternative quartet Man Feelings, whose lineup features former Bizotic keytarist B.J. Swire, among others. You can see a video of them in action on their Facebook page, and while the song isn't heavy, it's well performed, and it'll be interesting to see how Man Feelings do in their debut appearance! Rising local surf rock quartet The Dynowaves (now featuring fellow Bizotic alum Louise Lamothe) will look to keep the momentum rolling following their Northern Vibe Festival set, so come early for their locally original stylings!

Promoted by former A Dire Setback singer Larry Babic and photographer Josh Pace in their first 2018 booking, this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge, and while the 8:00 PM advertised start time seems early, remember that this is a Tuesday nighter. Punk and alternative fans with accommodating schedules should definitely consider a trip to The Rockstar Bar for all of this high impact action, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Carried Away live!



Also today, we have some new videos from the Seether-headlined concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino earlier this month, courtesy of attendee Jeff Hagan's YouTube channel this morning! Despite posting his 10 Years video shortly afterward, we had to wait almost two weeks for his videos of Seether proper, but better late than never! As he did at the Alter Bridge show here, Jeff filmed most of Seether's set via abbreviated videos, including of their songs "Stoke The Fire", "Gasoline", "Let You Down", "Words As Weapons", "Country Song", "Fine Again", and "Remedy", plus a cover of Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box". Embedded below is Seether playing their classic ballad "Broken", albeit not the duet version, though Shaun does let the crowd sing parts. Filmed from the same sharp angle on his 10 Years clip, the audio makes up for the deep lighting here, but again, these are not full songs, with none exceeding 2:30 in length. Kudos to Jeff for getting so much, and give these a look above & below! (No, he didn't post anything of The Dead Deads.)



Finally, here's a new song from local classical metal project Theatre of Night, as shared by keyboardist Craig Harrison from his personal Facebook page to their Facebook group earlier this month! Entitled "Dark Acoustic Revenge" (which is a hint as to how this track sounds), this is a well composed song with particularly elegant guitar work by Steve Giles, and the thunder and lightning effects on the band logo are a nice touch! Give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night as it rolls in!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Seether Concert Video Showcase!!

As promised, today's post is totally dedicated to videos from last week's Seether-headlined concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as we finally have enough videos for a dedicate post surrounding it! Buzz online from the concert has been positive, and you can view meetl-and-greet photos on Allstar Promotions' Facebook page, but if you want to see for yourself, Christopher Paci's back at it with 17 more videos from last week's concert! Massive kudos to him once again, be sure to check out his excellent YouTube channel for dozens of major local concert videos he was kind enough to share! We'll start with videos of South African hard rock favourites Seether, who he filmed playing their songs "Fake It", "Betray & Degrade", "Broken", "Fine Again", "Country Song", "Words as Weapons", "Let You Down", "Stoke The Fire", and as embedded below, their closer "Remedy". Mostly filmed from a reasonably close (if sharp) angle, you get a good look at Seether in action on these clips!

The videos have typically solid sound, but it's easier to hear frontman Shaun Morgan on softer songs, and I''m surprised he's off to the left rather than being more central on stage. Fans were very receptive on the bigger hits, and rightfully so, as you can see above and below!



Christopher also got five videos of opening Tennessee hard rock quintet 10 Years last week, including their songs "Novacaine", "Through the Iris", "Burnout", "Shoot It Out", and as embedded below, their biggest hit and closing song "Wasteland". These videos get more of a central (if more crowded) angle, and 10 Years mostly sound good, but Jesse Hasek's vocals sound really strained at times. Nice to see 10 Years back in Sault Ste. Marie, so give their videos a look above and below as well!



Chris' other three videos are of Nashville hard rock quartet The Dead Deads' opening set, filming them playing their songs "Super Tiny", "Ghosts", and as embedded below, their closing (and new) song "Starry Sky". Not a bad sound from this talented hard rock band, it's easy to see how they got a good reception to kick off the night, so give Chris' clips of them a look too!



Finally, this video actually comes from The Dead Deads' official YouTube channel, with a band associate filming frontwoman Leticia "Meta Dead" Wolf and Seether's Shaun Morgan (plus their touring guitarist Corey Lowery) covering Damien Rice's "Volcano" last week. Filmed in eerie-looking black and white, this isn't a song that I'm familiar with, but it's well performed, and Shaun & Leticia match up nicely. If only Meta Dead filled in the Amy Lee role on "Broken"! Give this clip a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Seether, Sugar Island Music Festival, And Project 906 Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the second half of this weekend's concert previews, all concerning Sault Michigan-area events today and tomorrow! Nothing short notice to touch on that I know of, so here's what you should know!

We'll start today's concert preview post in Sault Ste. Marie, where local hard rock/blues quartet Project 906 will return to The Superior Cafe for a headlining concert TONIGHT! This will be more familiar territory for this fan favourite quartet, who have not played the Superior Cafe/Bird's Eye Outfitters complex since the spring. Venue advertising notes that Traverse City's Right Brain Brewery will be holding a "tap takeover" at the venue tonight, so if you're up for some regional beer, keep that angle in mind also! Project 906's set proper is at 8:00 PM, I'd assume this is 21+ given the above theme, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on TONIGHT's hard rock action, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live! (Note that the band will also be playing a special set at a Tahquamenon Motorcycle Club motorcross event in Newberry on September 8th, but that's outside of our coverage range.)



Next up, let's head east to Sugar Island for the 18th annual Sugar Island Music Festival, where Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned will return as night #1 and #2 headliners TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! These sets will keep the Traynors-led band's 8 year streak of Sugar Island Fest appearances going strong, and with prime night-closing timeslots to boot, so make sure to stay late to see Banned in action! Of course, the festival will see local crafts, food and drinks, a dance floor, kids entertainment, a bean bag toss tournament, and more fun & merriment all weekend long, so visit the official website for full non-musical details! Traditionally a folk, country, and acoustic-centric festival full of online page-less acts, you can get full scheduling details above as well, but tonight's bill will see Banned preceded by The Schutz Boys, Hillsdale jam band All Arms, 2 Cents, Jack Grim & Clownsack alum Fran Blackwood, Davey MacLeod, and Dave Morrison "and friends".

Dave Morrison aside, all of Friday's bands are returning on Saturday, alongside 3½ Men, Joel Choate, Gentleman George Snider and friends, Chicago folk duo February Sky (with special guests Moose River), Flex, and an open mic block, but the big surprise here is Birch Run, Michigan progressive death metal band Abstract Aura, who will make their apparent local concert debut tomorrow at 8:00 PM! Abstract Aura may seem like an out of left field inclusion this year, but guitarist Travis McInerney appears to have connections in the E.U.P., given that he played the open mic block in 2012 (source here.) They're a brutal technical outfit from what I've heard, and while it'd be interesting to hear how Abstract Aura do in Sugar Island, take this with a slight grain of salt, as they announced a break last week due to their recent drummer vacancy. Sunday's hard rock-free lineup runs from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM, and largely features returning acts from prior days.

Banned are on at 9:30 PM tonight and tomorrow, with the music beginning at 5:00 PM & 11:00 AM respectively.  As usual, admission is via purchase of a $10 souvenir button that will get you in all 3 days, but kids under 12 (with an adult) remain FREE. Camping rates are $15 for the weekend, and there are no 1-2 day festival passes. Buttons are available at Ed's Bayview Store, The Hilltop Bar & Grill, or the Westshore Convenience Store in Sugar Island, and at Crooked Music in Sault Ste. Marie, or presumably at the door. This sounds like another great and varied Sugar Island Festival, so see the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!

Finally for today, here's the main event of the weekend, as South African hard rock trio Seether will return to our area TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie! Fans will recall seeing this platinum selling mainstay on Rock 101 and the Billboard rock charts when they opened for Three Days Grace in Sault Ontario 10 years ago. Since then, Seether have gotten even bigger with hit songs like "Tonight", "Words as Weapons", and "Let You Down", so their grunge influenced hard rock onslaught should be more than welcomed by the sizable crowd tomorrow! Knoxville, Tennessee hard rock quartet 10 Years will also return to our area tomorrow night, 8 years after they opened for Sevendust at the same venue. This band recently had their biggest rock radio hit since "Wasteland" 12 years ago with "Novocaine", and their modern and hard hitting sound will be a nice compliment! Nashville hard rock quartet The Dead Deads (replacing LTNT) will open in their local concert debut tomorrow as well.

This 3/4ths female group have an energetic and creative sound with punk and sci-fi influences, and they should deliver a solid set to kick things off! General floor seating is still available via $46 tickets, which you can buy at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. This is an ALL AGES event (brought to you by Allstar Promotions), with an advertised 7:00 PM start time. This should be a huge concert for modern hard rock fans, with numerous familiar songs to be had, so visit the above links for complete details, and here's Seether live here in 2008!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Seether, Don't Look Back, And The Sky's The Limit!!)

Finally, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to tackle on this Wednesday morning, and there's some big ones to touch on from the last few days, so here's what you should know for these three concerts!

In the first of two new hard rock show announcements for The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, classic rock diehards will want to note the local debut of Arizona-based Boston tribute band Don't Look Back, as they'll hit the Soo Kewadin on Saturday, April 7th! Of course, local fans saw the real hard/progressive rock legends here in 2008, but this looks like the next best thing for fans of their classic hits like "More Than A Feeling", "Smokin'", and "Foreplay/Long Time", with Don't Look Back self-describing themselves as "an incredible re-creation" of Boston as they were in the 1970s. From what I've seen, they have the sound and the look down pretty well, so definitely keep Don't Look Back in mind for the Boston experience next weekend! Tickets are a very affordable $12.50, and there are plenty of seats available for this tribute show, so head to this link, the in person box office, or 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up. Don't look back on Don't Look Back, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, the third annual Sky's The Limit mental health fundraiser/awareness concert will take place on Thursday, May 10th at The W.W. Baldwin Auditorium at The Tech in Sault Ontario! Though curiously not advertised online yet, physical posters are floating around (I photographed this one at a Food Basics bulletin board), and there, it's confirmed that local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will perform as this year's pre-determined headliners! After playing the first two installments via the performer auditions, now they'll be the featured attraction in their first announced show of 2018, so keep them in mind for later this spring! Christian rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow will also return for his own third year as an announced performer, so keep an eye out for his rhymes as well in May! As was the case in 2016 & last year, the night's remaining performers will be chosen following a private audition at The Tech on Thursday, April 19th at 6:00 PM, so for more details on the audition in person or via e-mail (if you live outside of town), visit this link for the official contact phone number and e-mail address!

Presented by Algoma Family Services as part of Children's Mental Health Week once again, The Sky's The Limit III has a 7:00 PM start time, it is ALL AGES, and tickets are $5 for individual attendees or $20 for families, so keep that in mind if you have a party of five+. I'm surprised that the online press isn't as big yet for this year, but this event has always been held for a great cause, and hopefully there's another solid turnout for the music and the mental health awareness alike in May! Visit the above links for more details!

At last, here's the big one, as South African hard rock/post-grunge trio Seether will return to the Sault Ste. Marie area for a headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Saturday, August 11th! A extremely familiar band to Rock 101 listeners thanks to hit singles like "Broken", "Fake It", and "Betray & Degrade" (among many others), this will be Seether's first local appearance in over a decade, following January 2008's Three Days Grace concert in Sault Ontario. It's awesome to have Seether back in our neck of the woods at last, and they've only gotten bigger since the last time, so look for more hard rocking fan favourites at this already highly anticipated concert this summer! Knoxville, Tennessee hard rock quintet 10 Years will also join Seether for this concert, in their own first Sault Michigan appearance since opening for Sevendust here in October 2010. Though still best known for their chart topping song "Wasteland", they've recently had success with their single "Novacaine", and it'll be great to have them back in the Soo in a few months' time as well!

A third band is to be announced, no idea on if they'll be local or another touring act. Presented by Allstar Promotions in their second Dreammaker's Theater show of 2018, this stop on Seether's Poison the Parish World Tour will take place at 7:00 PM on August 11th, while this is an ALL AGES event, and tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY at 10:00 AM at this link, at the in person box office, and/or at 1-800-KEWADIN. The cost is $46, which is high as Allstar events go, but keep in mind how big Seether in particular are, and expectations are that this show will sell out quick, so get your tickets A.S.A.P.! No word yet though on potential VIP ticket prices or a possible meet & greet session. This should be a huge concert for the summer season, and it's been a long time coming for both Seether and 10 Years to return to the Soo, so check the above links for more details in advance of Friday's on-sale date! Also, a trailer video for this show was posted to the promoters' Facebook page on Monday, so what should you know on it?

Clearly dragging out the reveals for dramatic effect, the trailer features clips from Seether's music videos for "Remedy" & "Rise Above This", as well as both of 10 Years' biggest hits, along with imagery of the poster, and a radio dial rapidly shifting about. Effective promotion, so give it a look below, and remember, tickets go on sale FRIDAY MORNING!



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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: WoodsOfYpresVEVO, reneepaigefecteau, and sonorri's Channels

As promised, today marks this month's latest YouTube Channel Profiles, where we once again look at & profile up to 3 YouTube channels with at least a 50% concentration of local metal-relevant videos! This month, we're looking at the 3 channel maximum due to the first channel we randomly selected having just one video, so we added more until we had a full installment. What videos lie in these channels? Why should you watch or subscribe? What else should you know on each? Read on below to find out, and if anything's wrong or missing, please let me know!
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WoodsOfYpresVEVO's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/woodsofypresvevo)

Owner: Major label music video website/company Vevo (though the individual identity of this channel's creator is unknown)

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 19th, 2011; Only video posted on August 1st of that year

Channel Summary: Vevo are a familiar sight for YouTube users who frequently watch music videos online, but there wasn't a direct connection to the local metal scene until mid-2011, when a Vevo account was started for blackened doom metal standouts Woods of Ypres to host their music videos under their branding. Only their last video for "I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery" was uploaded there, which is now the most viewed version of the video on YouTube (even more than the band's official copy from 6 months prior.) Had Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold's not passed away in December 2011, future music videos of theirs would likely have been posted there, but with events happening how they did, the channel hasn't been updated in over a year. As a video source, it's redundant due to multiple other more active channels featuring it, but this epic doom ballad from 2010's "Woods IV" is still a great & haunting song & video, and it's worth checking out (unless the Vevo watermark is an irritance)

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Reneepaigefecteau's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/reneepaigefecteau)

Owner: YouTube user and likely Sault Ontario resident Renee Paige Fecteau

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 28th, 2008; Videos posted that same day

Channel Summary: One of the shortest local metal-relevant channels by average video runtime, Renee's two videos amount to just 39 seconds in total length. One is an 18 second video of a friend "making a fool out of himself" at a bar, although it's so dark, short, and oddly angled that it's hard to tell what he's doing. The other video is definitely fits on the SMS, and it's a live video from South African hard rock/grunge band Seether's set opening for Three Days Grace at the then-Steelback Center on January 24th, 2008! It's 21 seconds of them playing their ballad "Broken" (which ex-3DG singer Adam Gontier guested on), and while it's short with fuzzy video quality, the audio's pretty good despite the length, sounding close to the studio track! Note however that Renee has not visibly used this channel since shortly after these videos were posted, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.


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sonorri's Channel (http://youtube.com/user/sonorri)

Owner: Former Sense of Truth drummer Ryan "Kev Riain" Haryett

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 14th, 2006; Only video posted on November 24th, 2009

Channel Summary: Though still used for personal needs, Ryan only uploaded one video onto his YouTube channel, which comes from a concert that his old local hard rock band Sense of Truth played in 2009! I believe this came from their set at the Skate 4 Cancer fundraiser at The Grand Theater on May 14th, 2009, and this features their entire 2008-2011 quintet incarnation. The video features Sense of Truth covering Tool's "Stinkfist", which Ri complimented as being "the most fun I had playing a tune" (despite dropping his drumsticks late), and the flowing video quality backs up their talents well! Strong vocals from Cory Murchison and quality bass work from Curtis Beauchamp especially, and it's well filmed videos like this that make me wish Sense of Truth had stayed active following their 2011 breakup, but at least we have the similar Skeyes of Seven now!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month, we'll return to Sault Michigan for a one channel profile, as we randomly selected YouTube user Dino Capriata's channel, which features a number of videos from assorted hard rock concerts at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! Stay tuned for this profile on or around March 22nd, and stay tuned hopefully tonight for our first concert review in way too long! Thanks everyone!