YouTube Channel Profile Series: The Highest Of Fives, Cary Orsborne, And 6Immortal6Fears6

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, as we continue our monthly spotlight of 1-3 YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk music and concerts, in order to encourage viewership and new subscriptions from recent readers. As usual, this month channels were randomly selected, but with the first only having one surviving channel, we kept selecting until we had enough for a full post. You'll find an original song, live videos, and a full CD this month, so here's what you should know!
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The Highest of Fives (http://www.youtube.com/deving94)

Owner: Former Highest of Fives drummer/guitarist Devin Anderson, also known from his prior work in local hard rock bands like Free Refill & 415E, and currently with the Big Rapids, Michigan progressive rock band The Balsam Brothers

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 4th, 2007; Only surviving video posted on February 13th, 2014

Channel Summary: In 2012, Devin repurposed his existing personal use channel as the official channel for The Highest of Fives, his 2011-2014 hard rock band & film production collective. Numerous comedic skits & original songs were posted there towards a debut album & short film (both named "Bang!"), but neither was released, and all but one of their videos were quietly taken down after they dissolved. The sole survivor is their original song "Take My Time", featuring Devin alongside singer Mitch Goetz & bassist Marcel "Crusty Puck" Grengs, with other members not present thanks to their intentionally fluid lineup structure. This "tasty jam" has a very 1990s alt-rock vibe with a solid bass-line & good production, and it's a shame that the "Bang!" album was never completed! You can see more from The Highest of Fives at singer/guitarist Travis Theel's YouTube channel.


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Cary Orsborne (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKSZpzh5akwWqd2h_9looaw)

Owner: Sault Michigan-area resident and past local race car driver Cary Orsborne

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 17th, 2013; Videos posted six days later

Channel Summary: Cary's only videos are of defunct Brimley metal band Half A Man's final public concert appearance, when they headlined the third LemmaFest outside of Dondee Lanes in June 2013. Five videos (including one with no music) were uploaded, where you can see them play "Die In Disgrace", their Michael Lemma tribute "Goodbye", and Machine Head's "Davidian", plus two songs in their most popular video, namely "Freedom Ride" & "Drunk". Half A Man are represented here by their late-period trio lineup, including singer/guitarist Erik Rintamaki (yes, of Yooperlites fame), bassist Gary Croad, and prolific extreme metal drummer Mikey Bishop. The low contrast & lack of zooming don't help the visual quality, but Half A Man's gritty Black Label Society-esque sound holds up really well on these videos, and this was a strong way for them to go out! See more from Half A Man and LemmaFest III at Erik's YouTube channel.


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6Immortal6Fears6 (http://www.youtube.com/6immortal6fears6)

Owner: YouTube user 6Immortal6Fears6, who I don't believe is locally based

Channel Timeline: Launched on April 23rd, 2008; Videos uploaded from February 25th through March 4th, 2009

Channel Summary: This channel's only uploads are of the 5 individual songs on local/Windsor black metal band Woods of Ypres' 2002 debut EP "Against The Seasons: Cold Winter Songs From The Dead Summer Heat", including "Intro: The Shams of Optimism", "Awaiting The Inevitable", "Crossing The 45th Parallel", "The Sea of Immeasurable Loss", and the most popular here, "A Meeting Place & Time". Of course, Woods of Ypres were represented here by drummer David Gold alongside guitarist/vocalist Brian McManus & bassist/singer Aaron Palmer. Owing to their nearly decade-long presence on this channel, these are among the most popular YouTube copies of these songs, despite other channels existing with more than this album. Though Woods of Ypres would look very different in forthcoming releases, "Woods I" remains a fan favourite among black metal loyalists, and their relatable aggression remains intact!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we will return to a single band profile for the first time since July, as our latest random selection is of veteran local metal/punk drummer Chris Thompson's YouTube channel, featuring 23 videos of his old hard rock band Half Past! Look for that on or around November 26th, and stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next week! Thanks everyone!