YouTube Channel Profile: halfamanvideo's Channel

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we continue our monthly spotlight feature on local metal, hard rock, and/or punk-centric YouTube channels, as randomly picked from our YouTube subscriptions! This month's choice sends us to Sault Michigan and area for a look at the channel from a fan favourite local band from a decade or so back (one that desfinitely deserved more recognition), so here's what you should know! 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

halfamanvideo's Channel (http://youtube.com/halfamanvideo)

Owner: A member of 2009-2013 Brimley, Michigan groove metal band Half A Man, exact identity unclear (my guess is singer/guitarist Erik Rintamaki)

Channel Timeline: Launched on Februiary 16th, 2011; Videos uploaded from that day until December 27th, 2012

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Half A Man, it features 17 videos from the latter half of their active run, including a mixture of live concert videos, rehearsal footage, and audio recordings.
 
Why You Should Watch: As the best YouTube outlet for Half A Man videos, this channel is definitely worth a watch for fans of one of the most prominent original E.U.P. metal bands of the 2010s, and you'll get a nice sampling of their solid originals and live presence here! Note that this channel has not been actively used since the band broke up in 2013, in case that changes your mind on subscribing. As well, a few more videos from this era of the band can be seen on Erik's personal YouTube channel.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

"Drunk": As live concert videos go, the best quality ones are actually their first two on Half A Man's channel, from their concert at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird, now Bird's Eye Outfitters) on February 3rd, 2011, where they played "Drunk" & "Slow Rock 75". The band's classic lineup is represented here, with Erik (ex-Lower S.E.S./Set To Random) joined by guitarist Denny Breslin (ex-Bent Rollercoaster), bassist Gary Croad (now on drums with Project 906), and drummer Mikey Bishop (Summon, Bludgeoned, et al).  Despite the filmer's distance, very engaged fans, and Denny often being stuck behind a speaker,, these are cleaner visually & better lit than the later concert videos on offer! Half A Man had a nice Black Label Society-inspired sound with a good crunch to it that definitely set them apart in their heyday! Two different studio copies of "Drunk" can also be heard on this channel.

 

Half A Man Sweet Leaf Cover.wmv: The most popular video on Half A Man's channel is their studio cover of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf", as uploaded with accompanying slideshow in February 2012. This was recorded following Denny's departure the previous summer, which reduced them to a trio (as a result, I jokingly called them ⅜ths A Man at the time.) Well done cover with some doomy qualities, no doubt helped by Erik's deep singing voice! Note that the slideshow features still images of Dillion Semasky (from the Munising metal band Infathom), who briefly served as Half A Man's lead singer from December 2011-April 2012, but he does not perform on the cover itself. Click here to see Dillion cover Down's "Bury Me In Smoke" with them in a jam session, courtesy of Erik's YouTube channel.

HALF A MAN LEMMAFEST PT3: Half A Man's last four uploads are of audio recordings of most of the penultimate concert set, when they were the opening band at the second annual LemmaFest in June 2012 outside of Dondee Lanes in Sault Ste. Marie, which was the summer concert festival in Michael Lemma's memory. I opted to go with the third video here for it's inclusion of their fan favourite original "Die In Disgrace" and two then-new & rarely played songs of theirs, "What If" &" Reborn", but you can watch parts 1, 2, and 4 here, here, and here. Great audio quality on these gritty original tunes, but it's a shame that the crowd isn't as full as it would be for later bands that day. Look for another well made slideshow too, though the other videos will have more actual LemmaFest shots.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month, this series will feature multiple channels for the first time in 2021, as out first randomly selected channel only has one local band video. As such, we'll be looking at channels from YouTube users Themarkylion (featuring a Detroit song) and Buzz Ineau (featuring a handful of acoustic performances.) Look for these around March 26th, and for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!