YouTube Channel Profile Series: lukera81's Channel & THE ELEMENTS sault

Here at last are this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Once again, we're taking a look at 1-3 YouTube channels (2 this month) with at least 50% of their content relating to local metal, hard rock, or punk musicians and/or concerts, in order to spotlight their material and media for current readers and encourage subscriptions therein! This month, our random selections have taken us to a major local concert from a decade ago, and a local band's solid run of shows a couple of years back, so here's what you should know!
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lukera81's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/lukera81)

Owner: YouTube user lukera81 (real identity unknown, but his first name may be Luke)

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 23rd, 2007; Only video uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: The only video on this channel is of New York hard rock legends Kiss playing their classic song "I Love It Loud" during their outdoor headlining concert at Kewadin Casino in Sault Michigan on July 20th, 2007.  Filmed at a sharp angle to the stage, the video still has a good angle of the band and video monitor, but scratchy audio is ever present, and the "ultimate drunk Kiss fan" turns up at times to sing along (no word on if that's lukera81 or not.) Though not the best footage of this concert, it's worth checking out for Kiss fans even a decade later, but note that this channel hasn't been visibly updated since.


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THE ELEMENTS sault (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2sX8uKsYq4S0xoQfCb0j4A)

Owner: A member of local funk/hard rock band The Elements (exact identity unknown)

Channel Timeline: Launched on October 23rd, 2015; Videos posted from that day until November 1st of that year.

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for The Elements, four videos were posted there in the fall of 2015, as culled from two separate Algonquin Pub concerts from that season.

Why You Should Watch: Check this channel out for the only proven official YouTube channel from this talented hard rock/ska/funk fusion outfit, who are still playing live to this day! However, note that this channel hasn't been visibly updated since these uploads, and therefore does not have any content from 2016 and beyond, including their recent concerts with (de facto?) drummer Jonas Gasperas.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Wynona's Big Brown Beaver cover by The Elements: The Elements' first and most popular video comes from their set at a Soup Kitchen benefit concert at The Algonquin Pub earlier in October 2015, with the video featuring them covering Primus' "Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver" Featuring their original lineup of singer Rob Speers, Handsome Sandwich bandmates Jesse Cook & James White on guitar & bass, and ex-Changing Waves drummer Alex Hagerman, the cover is suitably lively & funky, but the blur effect added in post production (in combination with the dark lighting) can be very distracting. For an alternate take of this cover, watch the end of the Tuned with Donna Hopper episode on this benefit from SooToday, which was co-produced and partially filmed by the aforementioned Rob Speers!



The Elements Halloween 2015: This channel's other three videos all come from their set at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween Party at the same venue later that month, where the guys welcomed Josh Norling as a guest saxophonist for a block of (with one exception) Sublime covers. One video is of their rendition of "Wrong Way", while a longer set-closing video features their versions of "Saw Red" (with an unidentified female guest singer), "Same In The End", and their own original "G20", though an unusually high side-stage camera angle & lengthy dead air don't help matters. Embedded below is this clip of The Elements covering "Badfish" and "5446 That's My Number/Ball & Chain" from an identical angle to the "Wrong Way" clip, and you get a nice and close look at the largely costumed band paying homage to the ska punk legends! Note that their multi-song videos share the same title.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we will again look at multiple YouTube channels, as the first random selection only has one SMS-relevant video, and so did the second, so we're tripling up for June! With that said, next month's profile will be on Life's Eclipse singer David Mills' YouTube channel (featuring one instrumental song), YouTube user LudwigVaanArthans's channel (featuring one Woods of Ypres song), and meshayeah's channel (featuring two Shit Liver videos from a 2014 private event), so look for these profiles on or around June 26th, and stay tuned for more news and note soon! Thanks everyone!

The Return Of Winkstinger, Tuned Updates, And Much More!!

Another slow news period has hit as of late, but let's help remedy that now that Thanksgiving has come and passed (on the Canadian side of the border), and I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Today, we have lots of assorted recent notes, updates on a popular webseries, and first, a surprise band reunion, so here's what you should know!

Local extreme metal band Winkstinger are back! After almost two & a half years of public dormancy, they reemerged with a new Bandcamp page with live jam recordings this morning, with their Facebook page confirming that "things are happening", among other typically irreverent hype. Guitarist Jesse Cook (also of Jack Spades & The Elements) and drummer Jonas Gasperas are back from the original run, but singer Alan Wells and bassist Jason Bourcier are not back from their last full incarnation in 2013, and it remains to be seen who will fill out the new lineup. Their Bandcamp page features two new original songs in progress (one being over 7 minutes in length), though both are untitled at this stage, so give them a listen at the above links! Of course, fans will remember Winkstinger well from their original 2010-2013 run which saw them win 2012's Battle for the Blood, play numerous fun & heavy concerts (including at 6 Roosevelt Hotel metal nights), and record material for an unreleased debut EP.

Dare I say it, the new Winkstinger original jams actually sound more technical and progressive-influenced than back in their heyday, and while they did take a self-deprecating bent when describing the quality, I'd be very curious to hear these fleshed out with bass, vocals, and perhaps rhythm guitar! It's great to have Winkstinger back at last, so check out their new material above, and they're back in our active band links!

Next up, here's the latest from Local2's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper! Alongside newer episodes on Al Wood & The Woodsmen and another from Sudbury's Northern Lights Festival, the newest installment went up on Saturday, spotlighting the Soup Kitchen benefit at The Algonquin Pub earlier this month featuring (among others) the aforementioned Elements and The Bear Hunters! The main interview is with Machines Dream frontman and event promoter Craig West about the inspiration to promote the show and add the benefit side to it, why local musicians are more prone to participate in charity shows like this, and the odds that Machines Dream may do a similar event in the future. Short but respectful interview that shows Craig's good nature well, and it looks like the concert was a hit! In terms of concert footage, Machines Dream, Drew Armstrong & friends, and The Elements were filmed, but The Bear Hunters and Nikkfitt were not.

Most of the music is muted behind the interview, particularly Drew and friends (some of which being very familiar faces), but The Elements get some spotlight during the credits, covering what appears to be the ending of Primus' "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver". Another solid, if brief episode of Tuned, so give it a look at the above links!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items (including two inactive band notes) from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or website name:

• Project 421 singer Curtis McKenzie is looking for a bassist and drummer for his "sweet new project" in the making. Presumably this references the band he previously posted about that he hoped wouldn't play metal or hard rock, but just in case it fits our coverage, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
• In their newest update on their Facebook page, secretive local black metal duo Dullahan revealed that they plan to record their second "EP" soon, which they hope to be "even rawer" in production than on older recordings. They also reiterated that they'll "never" reveal their full identities, and have "no intention" of playing live (which is odd, they'd attract positive and unique attention with their sound if they did!) Stay tuned for more from Dullahan above!
• Rudyard, Michigan hard rock quintet Exiled have quietly deleted their Facebook (and sadly, only online) page, which likely indicates their breakup. Featuring Absolute, Full Throttle, and Division of Sanity alumni, Exiled played numerous regional concerts in the latter half of 2014 before announcing a break in December due to drummer Justin Lawless and his wife's impending arrival of their new baby, though no word on if that's a factor for the apparently demise. Exiled had a strong lineup, so hopefully everyone stays active in music, best of luck to Donny, Joe, Myke, Johnny, and Justin, and don't miss Joe with Ten Kings!
• We have moved Sault Michigan hard/alternative rock collective The Highest of Fives to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. Featuring Intrepid, 415E, and Free Refill alumni, the band expanded from a young cover group in 2011 to a more fluid studio project that had ambitious plans to record & release short films, an album, and music videos that were only partially complete before their Twitter page's last update over a year ago. I liked The Highest of Fives high goals and diverse skill set, and hopefully they pick things back up again at some point! Best of luck to Devin, Jack, Marcel, Mike, Mitch, and Travis in the future!
• Ex-Late & Loud frontman Jonathan Tiberi is gauging support towards bringing his current Hamilton blues/hard rock quartet Jon & His Friends to the Soo for a concert (for reference, their lineup also features Mike Agostino & Scott Brady, Jon's bandmates in Xanadu from 2013's Apocalypse: The Musical event.) It'd be nice to see Jon and the guys back home, so message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group on October 7th for more details!
• And just as a house cleaning note for the SMS, we've removed the video bars from the sides of the page, which rotated recent videos from YouTube channels that we're subscribed to. For one reason or another, they no longer work, so I deleted the widgets that ran them. If they're ever restored or replaced by the host, I'll add them back, but I just wanted to acknowledge their absence!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bear Hunters), A New Album Release, And New Videos!!

Let's get some more news onto the site on this Sunday morning, so what's on tap? New videos from two very different August concerts, and another new digital album release, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a special fundraising event next month!

A pair of heavier local bands are on the lineup for a special benefit concert at The Algonquin Pub on Saturday, October 3rd, with all proceeds going to the Soup Kitchen Community Center on James Street, which is a great cause! Though the listed headliners are sporadically seen local progressive rock quintet Machines Dream (whose frontman Craig West is promoting the show), they're actually the opening band due to logistical setup reasons, as per Craig's personal Facebook page, but it's nice to see them out of the studio after so long! The other listed bands include local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, and the recently reunited local classic rock quartet Nikkfitt, who feature Browbeat alumni Dutch Vanderploeg & James White (also of The Elements) in their lineup. Nikkfitt havn't really taken hold for a long time locally, but it's nice to see them back at it, and we'll have to see what all they play!

Admission is $5 at the door for this 19+ fundraiser concert, which is advertised to begin at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Very diverse lineup, but the Soup Kitchen could always use some help, so definitely consider checking out this concert in two weeks!

Next up, remember how local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back have been teasing recording a proper full-length album in recent months? Well, it's now out on their Bandcamp page! Entitled "ALbums" (again continuing with the extra capitals & gratuitous plurals from their late-2014 demos), it features eight songs, and was mixed and mastered by Cross Dog's Mark Rand, with frontman Jamie Vincent's AlgomA bandmate Kevin Campbell credited for assisting in production, though on Bandcamp, all names are given creative misspellings like "Naythang Sauvege". Save for "Shirt Tucker" & "Lung Bucket" (which were re-recorded), none of the songs are identical from what's on the 2014 demos' online copies, though remember that physical copies of the second demo also included "Number One Hit Single", and I can't speak for the first demo's CD versions to know if they had omitted tracks too. Digital copies are, like the demos, available on a "name your price" model, but it's yet to be established if physical copies will be on sale in some form or not.

Now, as you can now buy "ALbums" (or download it free, but support the band!), when can you expect a review of it on the SMS? Honestly, as we've already reviewed RedD Monkey's new album this month, and October will likely be set aside for the Jack Spades/Destroilet/Ripcordz split, Bad Back's album might be delayed until November for a review. It's definitely coming though, so stay tuned for more from Bad Back as it comes in!

We'll close today with new videos, including a new discovery from the short notice opening set by Shit Liver from the Golers concert at The New American Pub on August 9th! Apologies for the delay in getting this on here, we only just discovered it this weekend. Filmed by attendee Dawne Schryer and shared on the band's Facebook page the following day, it features the guys playing two predictably blistering originals, sandwiched around their comical cover of The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Going On", and while it's filmed on the vertical cell phone camera angle, you do get a nice clear (and oddly well-lit) view of Shit Liver's debut at the New A! Give this video a look below!



Finally for today, here's two new videos of pageless local classic/hard rock cover quartet RPM from their Summer Concert Series gig at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion last month! Filmed again by Sault Online's Mike Caruso and uploaded to his YouTube channel on August 22nd, the videos are of RPM covering Robert Palmer's "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" with drummer Ben Pascuzzi on vocals, and, as embedded below, Hank Williams Sr.'s "Move It On Over" (specifically, the George Thorogood version) with guitarist Dino Mazzuca on vocals. Solid quality videos on multiple cameras, but why wasn't the stationary camera more centered to the band? For most of the videos, all you can see of Lindsay Pugh is his bass head! Well done covers too, with some extra grit laid on, but the guys do still need to loosen up a bit on stage. Give their new videos a look above and below!



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

A New Local Solo Project, Crimson Crusade's EP, And New Videos!!

Tonight's news post is essentially a local metal video showcase, but it's full of big news beyond just that, so what's in store? Well, we have a commercial for a major upcoming concert, video footage from a recent show at a newer local concert venue, and all that you should know on the newest Sault Ontario metal CD release, but first, we have a new local band to introduce, so here's what you need to know (and check out our review of last night's Skeletonwitch show in the post below this one!)

Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie has returned to solo work with a new side project named Sound X! You may remember that Curtis fronted various similar bands like Restricted Illusions & 20 Pack of Marshmallows (many with Haggith guitarist Daniel Horton involved) since the late 2000s, but this is a completely new project that Curtis has been posting about on his solo Facebook page since May 22nd (it'd previously focused mostly on his Haggith work.) He's already announced plans to release a Sound X album this fall named "Three Year Relapse" featuring a mix of older originals and newer songs (including the former Haggith band song "That Cold Winter Breeze"), and this project will feature Curtis on all instruments except drums (Daniel Horton's covering that), while Haggith drummer Mike Haggith will produce and mix the material at Paperclip Productions. To that end, Curtis has posted the first Sound X song named "Disengage" onto his new YouTube channel, so how does it sound?

It sounds good so far, nice catchy alternative hard rock sound, but I worry that it might sound too similar to Haggith originals, and I'd like to see Curtis shake things up a bit to separate the two projects musically. I like where it's going though, so check out Sound X's first public song below, and as I've added them to our active Sault Ontario band links! (There's no official Sound X page yet, but Curtis' solo page fills that need in the interim.)



Next up, here's what you should know about local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade's debut EP! Released after their set at the Skeletonwitch show at The Canadian on Monday night, "Upon The Eve Of War" does still feature 5 songs (all of which are streamable online as well), and the songs are "Vanquish The Tyrant", "Left For Dead", "Crimson Crusade", "Pillage", and the last to be unveiled online, "Consumed", with a total runtime of about 20 minutes. Featuring their current lineup (including singer/guitarist Devon Lucier, guitarist Robert Sartini, bassist Riley Marshall, and drummer Robert Crossley), this was recorded in the winter at The Smoke & Oak Room Studio with producer Dave Pihlaja, and it's packaged in a slim jewel case with cover artwork as pictured, and liner notes secured in the case (though they're surprisingly minimal in content.) I won't comment on the songs in full yet though, as I plan on reviewing this in either July or August (Haggith's "Deuce" is this month, and I'm not sure whether to do this or the Woods of Ypres tribute album next month), but it will get a formal review, I promise!

I presume Crimson Crusade will have copies of "Upon The Eve Of War" on sale at future concerts for $5, but for now, stream the tracks at the band's Reverbnation page and Devon's YouTube channel, and as we haven't plugged it formally on here before today, here's the EP's last song (on the disc and in uploading order) "Consumed", so give it and the rest of the songs a listen!



Also in the realm of new videos, Local2's Mike Caruso was on hand for last Saturday's Faces of the Soup Kitchen event at the Machine Shop building at Mill Square (the former St. Mary's Paper site), and he uploaded a video of the musical performers from the event onto Local2's YouTube channel (and as part of this article), which amounts to our first footage of live acts at the Machine Shop. The video features local cover rock band Obsession covering Vanity Fair's "Hitchin' A Ride", M.D. Dunn playing what I think is an original track, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison covering Little Texas' "What Might Have Been", Frank Bock playing his rendition of "Dream A Little Dream Of Me", and Griphook frontman Jim O'Leary and friends (including Obsession's Valerie Powley) covering Nazareth's "Sunshine", so click each link to go directly to those songs! Note that Tym didn't play solo entirely on Saturday, as you can see Caveman Morrison drummer Johnny Belanger behind the kit in the video, so there was some full band performances as well.

Though not the heaviest show, it was for a great cause to both benefit the Soup Kitchen and introduce locals to what's going on at Mill Square now, and you can catch up on more of the day's events, vendors, and sights at this location! The Machine Shop looks nice and seems to have good acoustics, and I hope we see more live bands there in the future! As for the performers, all put in good sets, and it's nice hearing a Nazareth cover especially from Jim and company, so give them a listen below! (For metal/hard rock seekers, Tym's on about 6 minutes in, and Jim and friends play about 11 minutes in.)



Finally for today, here's something a little different: A commercial for Tesla's fourth concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on July 27th! 30 seconds in length, it features plugs for the show and where to buy tickets, along with live clips of them playing some of their hit songs (including "Signs" and "Love Song"), and though it's well put together, the voice over narration could be more excitable for a show of this size. Posted onto Kewadin's YouTube channel on Friday, I don't know if this is running on TV, but give this commercial a look below, and get your tickets before they're gone!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Caveman Morrison), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

In this last post of the month, we're touching on weekend concert previews for half of it (despite this being a relatively quiet weekend for metal shows), but we also have new videos and info on an impending EP release in the second half! For the record, our Skeletonwitch preview is likely coming on Sunday, as it's a bit early to talk about it now, but we have a lot to cover for this huge show, so keep an eye out for that! Now, let's start with previews of this weekend's heavier concerts, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison are among the scheduled performers at the Faces of the Soup Kitchen Community Celebration at Mill Square at the former St. Mary's Paper site TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, I only just heard about this event on Tuesday, and I didn't wanna redundantly post about it twice in a short span. This is a volunteer-organized family event featuring carnival activities, a barbeque, local vendors & artists, free guided tours of the current St. Mary's Paper site, a live play production, and a buffet dinner, with proceeds at least partially going to The Soup Kitchen (I think.) Sounds like a packed day, but for more details on the non-musical events going down tomorrow, read the SooToday press release on the event! As for the musical entertainment, Caveman Morrison (in their debut at this location) are among a diverse lineup of bands performing at 5:00 PM tomorrow, including local solo musicians M.D. Dunn and Frank Bock, Griphook frontman Jim O'Leary and friends, an act named Tyler & Tyler (not familiar with them at all), and local cover rock band Obsession headlining.

Admission is by donation for this ALL AGES event, and the bands will be on between 5:00 & 10:00 PM tomorrow, with Caveman Morrison slotted earlier in the schedule (with bands playing at the Machine Shop building that hosted the Shawn Desman concert.) For more details, check the above links! This sounds like a great event and a fun way to find out what's happening to the old St. Mary's Paper site, and with plenty of local talent on hand to entertain, why not head down? Plus, if you missed Caveman Morrison after dropping out of The Crusade, this is the next best chance to see them, so don't miss this event, and for a preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering an Ozzy Osbourne classic at The Rosie!



Now, here's a preview of the other regional hard rock show this weekend (this is a quiet weekend for metal, sadly), but it has a connection to one of the bands at the Soup Kitchen event, as Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill on Trunk Road for his first publically confirmed show there in over a month TONIGHT! Though I think Tym has played there in the interim for at least one non-public event, it's great to see his usual acoustic gigs back, and unusually, tonight's show had a lot of advance notice, so there's all the more reason to see his solo acoustic show again! Admission should be free for this 10:00 PM concert, and I imagine it's a 19+ event. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Tym back at The Road House, and his entertaining metal & hard rock covers should be fun to hear in an unplugged setting again, so keep this show in mind, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" at Bossy's last year!



We'll close this post with some new videos, starting with ones connected to some big news with local/North Shore death metal quartet Crimson Crusade! Two days ago, frontman Devon Lucier uploaded two more tracks from their debut EP "Upon the Eve of War" ("Left For Dead" and their self-titled song) onto his YouTube channel (and their Reverbnation page), which leaves just one song remaining to be unveiled, unless the guys dropped it from the final product. Again, I won't give detailed thoughts on the tracks yet as I plan to formally review the EP on the site, but when might that be? Sooner than you think, as the band revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that initial copies will be sold for $5 on MONDAY when Crimson Crusade open for Skeletonwitch at The Canadian Nightclub! If this holds up, I'll definitely buy a copy, but when would a review hit the site? Probably not until July, as I have next month reserved for Haggith's newest album "Deuce", but it's a guarantee for the summer if all goes well! For now, check out their self titled song below, and don't miss the EP release and their next show on Monday, with our preview coming this weekend!



Finally for today, here's a new music video from local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight for their original "She Screams"! Posted onto bassist Eddie Fright's YouTube channel on Tuesday (ironically the day they would have returned had The Brains' show happened), this features edited footage combining numerous Frightlight concert clips and with scenes from many famous horror movies (naturally including many scenes of women screaming.) It's well made, but the breaks with audio from the movies are sort of jarring, and would have been better served as backing samples, which is something that I'd like to see Frightlight incorporate (a'la early Rob Zombie albums.) I don't know when Frightlight are coming back to the stage, but this should help tide fans over, so check out this music video below, and stay tuned for updates on their next plans!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, including this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, our Skeletonwitch preview, and more! Thanks everyone!