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!

New Archive Concert Videos, The End Of Docks, And More!!

Let's get a new news post up on this Tuesday evening, including some assorted recent notes, an archive concert video from a couple years back, and a recent concert venue closure, but first, here's a new video upload from a major metal show that we enjoyed over seven years ago!

Courtesy of AlgomA bassist Kevin Campbell's YouTube channel, this video is of defunct metal supergroup Heaven & Hell playing the Black Sabbath classic "Computer God" at The Essar Centre (then known as The Steelback Centre) on March 20th, 2007, and it's great to see another video from this show! Note that Kevin credits them as Black Sabbath in the video, as this was the "Mob Rules" era lineup, but they toured and recorded as Heaven & Hell. As preceded by Vinny Appice's drum solo, this is a nice video, and though Kevin wasn't too close to the stage, he used the zoom on his camera to good effect on this solid rendition of one of the better songs on the "Dehumanizer" album! I stand by this being the best concert to ever hit the arena on a musical basis (Kiss topped it theatrically), and I'll always be grateful that I got to see Ronnie James Dio live before his passing. I wonder if Kevin has any more footage from this event? Check out the full clip below!



Next up, we appear to have lost another local concert venue, as Docks Riverfront Grill re-opened earlier this month as Waterfront Legend, a new higher-end Chinese buffet restaurant. The Foster Drive location was quietly sold to new owner Imee Yeun on May 1st, and had operated as Docks briefly over the summer before the relaunch, though the venue hasn't hosted an advertised band since classic rockers Redline played there in late March. According to a new SooToday article on the overhaul from Michael Purvis, the main dining area is mostly unchanged, and the bar's still there, but there's Asian art and effects, new lighting, and buffet tables in place of the pool tables. Given the changes, it seems very unlikely that live bands will be in the cards for Waterfront Legend, which will be disappointing for old Docks regulars, as it was a nice venue that played host to numerous cover bands over the years!

We have moved Docks to our defunct local venue links under it's Facebook page (as it's website was closed), and if you like Chinese food and buffets, give Waterfront Legend a chance! I had heard rumours for a while regarding Docks' ownership and changes, and the lack of recent band bookings had also been noticeable, but hopefully old regulars there find steady places to play in the near future! Best of luck to all former Docks employees!

Also today, here's another older YouTube video of local classic/hard rock cover band Havadder, as we slowly get up to speed concerning their older videos that we never addressed on here! Courtesy of a February 2012 concert at The Nicolet Tavern (now The Rednecks Saloon), this was uploaded to the band's own YouTube channel at the time, and remains the only upload there. Featuring their 2011-2012 Turner Up-hybrid lineup, then-bassist (and recent live guest) Travis Sharpe handles lead vocals on this cover of The Foo Fighters' "These Days" alongside guitarists Jason Roy (Havadder's founder & usual frontman), Jason Nisbet, and Robert Brown, and drummer Scott McLurg. It's a well done cover shot from a good central angle of the stage, but Travis doesn't have the right force on the chorus vocals. Check it out below though, and stay tuned for more from Havadder, new and old!



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

• Likely stemming from a prior musician search in May, Social Suicide alum Anthony Boudreau is again looking for a rhythm guitarist for his new local band that would play hard rock & hair metal inspired by the likes of Avenged Sevenfold & Guns 'N Roses, with originals and covers planned. If you're interested, message Anthony at this link (or fellow member Damon King) on Facebook with media of you playing the song of your choice, and click here for more info!
• Former State of Misery drummer Nick Kainula is again looking to join a new local band, citing "any music from the '80s up" and Motley Crue as his biggest influences. Right now, he just wants to jam, but would love to play shows too. It'd be nice to see him back in an active band, but if you're interested in jamming with him, message Nick at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from September 5th!
• I have removed Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie's Sound X solo project from our band links for two reasons. One is that he hasn't posted public updates concerning the project since late last year, and the other is that the link we had for Sound X (Curt's solo music page) has not tended to focus on this project over his more active band work. Hopefully he revisits his solo work soon though, and stay tuned for more on Haggith's new CDs!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and previews soon, plus this month's poll and last month's poll results on Thursday! Thanks everyone!

Lots Of New Local Metal Videos!!!

The posts just keep on coming, and today, we'll go a bit lighter in some respects. Why, you ask? Just videos today, that's why! Two relate to a certain new band, one to a classic local band, and kicking things off, some newly uploaded video from a major local concert!

It's hard to believe that it's been three and a half days since Ronnie James Dio died, isn't it? It still doesn't seem right. Well, since the news was announced on Sunday, I've had a hunch that at some point, someone would upload a new video from Heaven and Hell's March 2007 show at the then-Steelback Centre onto YouTube or a similar site. And my hunch has proven correct! YouTube user exyurock (the same user who uploaded the video from Megadeth's set at that show on May 2nd) has uploaded a video from the show of Heaven and Hell playing the Black Sabbath classic "Lady Evil", which you can check out below! Decent quality, same camera and angle from the Megadeth video, but it turns out better audio-wise! Now I'm not inflating my opinions of the concert and song due to Dio's death, but man, he sounded good! For a then-64 year old, his voice was still incredible! I just wish the video was closer to the stage, it's hard to make out the band. Not the best Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell song from the Dio era, but it's still great, and check this clip out! Hopefully more video from this show comes online soon, now's a perfect time! Oh, and once again, R.I.P. Dio!



Next up, a double shot of WinkStinger-related videos to share with you all on this Wednesday evening! Keeping with their influx of YouTube demos, the band have uploaded a new track onto joeyvelcro's YouTube channel, entitled "Where'd We Go Wrong"! Well, in my opinion, they haven't went wrong at all, this song is pretty good! Nice and fast and heavy, these guys have tons of promise! Harsh face ripping vocals, good instrumentation, and I really like the guitar solo! These guys have music tailor-made to get some moshpits going, and I have no doubt they will! Click here to check out this song, and six others, or you can listen to "Where'd We Go Wrong" right here too!



The second WinkStinger-related video I have today may not feature the exact same group as in the same as the clips we've seen over the last while, but there is a definite link! Drummer Jonas Gasperas (also formerly of Soldiers of Misfortune) has his own YouTube channel, where he has two videos up from jam sessions with a band of some type. No indication if it's the same as WinkStinger or not, but for what it's worth, the videos were uploaded in January. One is called "chuddnugget", which is a 4:12 rough jam of a new song with no bass guitar. Doesn't sound too bad, fast and heavy, though it needs some polish. The other video is over 9 minutes long, encompassing two unnamed songs! Still no bass, but they sound good for what we get a taste of! One major problem I have is the videos are incredibly dark, I can't make out a ton. But from what I can see and hear, Jonas' drumming is at top form! WinkStinger or not, I like what I'm hearing! Click here to check out both videos, and for your convenience, here's "Songs 3 & 4" for you all to give a listen!



And finally for tonight, I have one more local album upload onto YouTube to share with you guys! And this is the third and final album from defunct local hard rockers Foothill Road! Entitled "Live: End Of The Road", it was released in 2005 to help bring some closure to the band's run. Produced by guitarist Mario Carlucci (huge thanks to him for sending me this and the rest of the band's back catalog), it includes live performances and some recording session outtakes from Foothill Road's 1990s heyday! This includes live versions of four tracks from their debut "Seventy", two jam clips, the unreleased song "Where's My Hat", and a cover of Rush's classic song "Working Man"! Good stuff, though again, I'll hold detailed criticism and compliments for an eventual review. Hopefully I can get to a "Seventy" review this year at some point, cause I'll 100% start with that first. And as was the case with their two prior albums, this is out of print, and I'm uploading this to The Sault Metal Scene's YouTube channel to share these songs with the world like they deserve! NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED! With that in mind, check out track one from "Live: End Of The Road", which is a live rendition of "Centerpiece", but click here to check out the rest of Foothill Road's last CD!



There, I think we're caught up for videos, for the most part! Tomorrow could be one of three things: A new news post, my review of "Castle Stories", or my next profiles of out of town bands with local members! Which will it be? Stay tuned to find out, but all will be covered by Monday!