YouTube Channel Profile Series: Destroilet's Channel

Here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again shine a spotlight on a randomly selected YouTube channel whose public videos are at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and/or concerts! This month's channel takes us to another single-band offering, this time one of the most prominent local hardcore punk bands of the 2010s, so here's what you should know in this month's profile!

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Destroilet's Channel (http://youtube.com/destroilet)

Owner: A member of 2009-2021 local hardcore punk band Destroilet, exact identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on October 18th, 2009; Videos uploaded from the beginning of 2010 through October 2013

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Destroilet, it captures their early run via five (generally short) concert videos and two uploads of songs from their 2012 self-titled album.

Why You Should Watch: Fans of Destroilet's ferocious hardcore punk attack will want to check out their content here, and while venue lighting isn't always ideal, you do get a sense of what made them special to subgenre fans of the era! Note that the channel was not used after 2013, prior to the release of the "Fed Up!" split, their brief 2014-15 run as a sextet, and their late-era slowdown in gigs, but numerous fan videos from their mid-late 2010s run can be found elsewhere, and drummer Matt Waples would later post songs of theirs on his own YouTube channel.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

DESTROILET - TENNESSEE DRIVER: The first four videos on Destroilet's channel come from their debut live set in December 2009, when they opened for the similarly named local/Toronto hardcore punk quartet Detroit (fronted by their future co-vocalist Brenton Ellis) at their CD release party at Coch's Corner. This was back when Coch's was located in the Days Inn on Bay Street, now the Holiday Inn Express. Destroilet were exclusively filmed here doing covers, including The Dayglo Abortions' "My Erection" and fellow locals Fistmagnet's "Evil God Hater" from a more distant filmer. Another attendee much closer to the band filmed part of GG Allin's "Murder For The Mission" and, as featured here, "Tennessee Driver" by Hank Williams III's band Assjack. Despite some tinny audio, this is good as you could expect local digital camera video from a concert 15 years ago to be, and Destroilet are already showing their intense attack at this early stage, no doubt helped by members' prior local band work!

Destroilet - Cockteaser Pleaser (4 songs): After putting out a self-titled six-song EP in April 2011, Destroilet opted to re-release it in December 2012 with six more new songs. To promote the reissue, "Eternal Fire" was posted on YouTube later that month, followed by this teaser upload of four of the seven original cuts in 2013 (it also had five covers). In order, you'll hear "Truly Infected", "R.O.Y.C.", and "Eternal Fire" again, followed by "End Me", which is the only song here that was on the original 2011 EP. Featuring Matt alongside late frontman Mike Hull, guitarists John Conway and Christian Foisy, and bassist Adam Larocque, this sampler is a good way to introduce new fans to their studio material, especially with "Truly Infected" leading off! All sixteen of Destroilet's released studio songs, including the four new cuts on 2015's "Fed Up!" split, can be heard on YouTube here and here.

Destroilet - Eternal Fire: The last and most popular video on this channel is a music video for the aforementioned "Eternal Fire", as filmed/edited by Fred Kember with the 705 Video Magazine. This was filmed across multiple cameras when Destroilet opened for The Bunchofuckingoofs at the former Roosevelt Hotel (now Jay's Piston Broke Pub) in August 2013, before being uploaded on Devil's Night that year. While the vocals aren't always lined up with the studio track, this was well put together and captures Destroilet at their relative local peak nicely with a raucous crowd! Of course, Mike was in his element here too with another intense performance with constant motion, and he is definitely still missed in the local scene!

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I hope you guy liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, our next random channel selection is of local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp, so look for that on or around November 26th, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: WeAreTheBearHunters' Channel

After a few days' delay during a very busy month, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again look at a YouTube channel whose video uploads are at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk musicians/concerts! This installment's randomly selected channel takes us to to one of the most prominent local extreme metal band of the 2010s, so here's what you should know!

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WeAreTheBearHunters' Channel (http://youtube.com/@wearethebearhunters)

Owner: A member of local death metal band The Bear Hunters, exact identity unclear (my best guess is guitarist Mitch Sirie)

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 22nd, 2011; Videos uploaded from that day until December 2018

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for The Bear Hunters, it features 33 videos, all but four of which being live videos from three concerts of theirs from the early 2010s, including an Oddfellows Hall headlining date in October 2013. The channel is bookended by three audio demos (including their live favouite "Squirrel Buddy", as later adopted by Mitch's solo project Sir Hell) and their only music video to date.

Why You Should Watch: If you were there for and enjoyed The Bear Hunters' early run as a quintet, you should be very interested in seeing the ample live footage on their channel, and the demo tracks are an interesting look at songs in progress before they saw their final form! Their music video is also a quality realization of earlier activity, though be advised that it's this channel's only upload since 2014, and with the band teasing this summer that they plan to disband after a final concert and album, who is to say that this channel will see any further content.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

The Bear Hunters - Casualties of War (live at the Odd Fellows Hall, 01/28/2011): On January 28th, 2011, The Bear Hunters joined four other local bands for a show at the former Oddfellows Hall in honour of then-rhythm guitarist Mike Vincent's 20th birthday party, with their entire set filmed by yours truly at the band's request! Due to camera limitations at the time, I did have to split some songs in half. The songs recorded include their own "Dominate", covers of Slipknot's "Psychosocial", Amon Amarth's "Guardians Of Asgaard" and "Pursuit Of Vikings", Arch Enemy's "End Of The Line", and Metallica's "Master Of Puppets" (parts 1 and 2), their originals "Bloodthirst" (parts 1 and 2), "Condemned" (parts 1 and 2), "Overthrown", "Succumb To Eternity", "Casualties Of War" (the longest of the single video originals), and "Collapse The Sun", before closing with a cover of System Of A Down's "Fuck The System". The video quality isn't amazing, and singer Nik Deubel is often hard to hear, but this full set is a neat watch, both for Mike's presence and to see where The Bear Hunters basically began, especially via many covers that didn't stick around in their set long-term!

The Bear Hunters - Karma: The Bear Hunters' other concert videos here come following Mike's exit from the band in May 2011, with Bring The Fallen frontman Josh Stephney replacing him. Josh debuted with the band at The Roosevelt Hotel (now Jay's Piston Broke Pub) when they headlined the eighteenth Thursday metal night there on June 2nd. While I was present for this show too, someone else filmed their full set this time, including "Overthrown", "Condemned", "Bloodthirst", "Casualties Of War", "Karma", "Succumb To Eternity", their cover of "Guardians Of Asgaard", "Dominate", "Collapse The Sun", and "Render This Void". A more distant but higher quality angle captured The Bear Hunters in strong early form here, with much more audible growling from Nik to boot, and Josh acquitted himself well on night #1, so fans of prime Bear Hunters should like how brutal they were sounding at this point!

The Bear Hunters - I Fear No God: After Josh moved out of town in 2014 and left the band outright in 2016, The Bear Hunters pressed on as a quartet, whereupon they released their second album "The Dead Testament" in November 2020. However, the advance single and music video for "I Fear No God" was released back in December 2018, becoming their last and most popular YouTube upload (so far?). Also featuring ex-Jack Spades bandmates Justin Lam & Johnny Belanger on bass and drums, The Bear Hunters filmed the music video at Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn, where they'd eventually play a formal set at a private event last summer. Filmed by Johnny's Golden Scoundrels bandmate Josh Penno at Spacebag Productions, it features the guys entering the church and performing among candles for mood lighting. This is an expertly shot and edited video that captures the late-era four-piece Bear Hunters at full power!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series should be more on schedule next month for a post closer to August 26th, when our next randomly selected channel to profile will be DogRun Stray's channel, featuring lots of Chase Wigmore's original music from a few years back! Look for that then, and for much more news and notes this week as we end a very busy July! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & The 16 Musicians Of Christmas) And A Full Concert Video!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in this past weekend's concert previews, as Sault Michigan hard rock/classic metal band Tarnished played at The Merchants Bar this past Saturday night. The band only announced the show on their Facebook page at 3:04 PM that day, and true to their usual form, The Merch's Facebook page did not advertise this show in advance whatsoever. I profusely apologize for missing this show in our previews, but hopefully Alex, Parker, and Josh melted those faces as promised on Saturday, and I would have covered the gig on the site had it even had one day's notice!

Now, let's dive into some new videos and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and leading off with the latter, do you recall how LopLops Lounge in Sault Ontario used to host a "12 Musicians of Christmas" event every December from 2005-2018? Well, it's back, and has grown to 16 Musicians of Christmas for its return on Friday, December 29th! This event's past installments didn't immediately strike me as SMS-amenable, owing to LopLops' usual music range leaning to folk/indie artists, but this year's will have some familiar faces for punk fans, as Bookclub/ex-Inner City Surfers bandmates Dustin Jones & Mikey Hawdon are among this year's roster!  Dustin's ex-Rising Tide bandmates Liam Seymour & Chris Johns will also be taking part, as will Treble Charger/Pointless guitarist Bill Priddle, Wyld Stallyns saxophonist Josh Norling, and ex-Generations guitarist Brandon Ruch. Those seven artists alone is a stacked lineup!

The other nine Musicians of Christmas are Frank Deresti, Al Wood, Lindsay Pugh, Cliff Alloy, Shannon Moan, Juliana Regan, Hannah Lindsay, Andree-Ann Dechesne, and Chris Belsito, and the skill between them is also quite high! If past installments of The 12 Musicians of Christmas are anything to go by, musicians will get a three song mini-set of their very own where they will be backed up by select other performers scheduled for the evening, so expect lots of intriguing collaborations throughout. Despite being scheduled for after Christmas, this should be another fun holiday season attraction, so keep it in mind for later this month! This show has a 7:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and a high ticket price of $50 plus taxes/processing fees (a high entry fee is on par with past installments of this special event). and you can buy yours at this link or presumably at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this special event!

Next up, remember how local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck were slated to play at the Delta Hotel's New Year's Eve party on Sunday, December 31st? Well, that has been cancelled for publically unannounced reasons, but fans need not worry, as they have been re-booked for Reggie's Place's New Year's Eve party instead! No word on other holiday frills for attendees who might want to stop by to ring in 2024, but while this will no doubt be less extravagant than what the Delta had planned, it will also be much cheaper at Reggie's than the Delta's $100 ticket price ($100 cheaper, in fact!), so general attendees who just want to rock out with Soundcheck can do so at Reggie's at month's/year's end! This new concert on the 31st has no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a presumed 9:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Soundcheck soon!

We'll close today with our long overdue look at new Sault Michigan hardcore punk quartet The Sole Aggressors' live debut at Bird's Eye Outfitters on August 12th, as per their YouTube channel! Filmed on a stationary camera in front of the stage, this notably features their full lineup, as singer Henry Boucher was not present for their first place set at last month's LSSU Battle of the Bands. The 46 minute set features The Sole Aggressors opening with covers of Black Flag's "Drinking & Driving", "Jealous Again", and "Depression", before covering The Misfits' "Where Eagles Dare". They next played an original song named "Reject", and after covering The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop", they tackled three more originals, namely "No Part", "Streets", and "Kill Thy Neighbour". The Sole Aggressors next covered Black Flag's "Six Pack", followed by another original named "Fool". Three final covers came next, including...

...The Dead Milkmen's "Punk Rock Girl", Minor Threat's "I Don't Wanna Hear It", and an encore of "Six Pack", before closing with an original named "State Of The World". Well recorded video that captures this talented young band well, and while Henry's vocals are not overly loud or rangy yet, the attitude and presence is there, and again, it's great seeing a punk band of any kind in Sault Michigan! Give their full concert video a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Generations, Double Down, And Silent 9!!)

Quite a backlog is developing on the SMS that I blame partially on holiday season commitments (I'm not even in town writing this), so let's try and remedy some of that today with a post solely devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! All involve veteran cover rock bands playing what could end up being their last shows of the year, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have announced their first shows for early 2024, but before then, you can see them at least one more time this month! The band did announce that their final 2023 dates would be private events, but that isn't true in one case, as they will return to The Algonquin Hotel (likely upstairs at The Rockstar Bar) on Friday, December 15th! The event is not a standard concert, rather a fundraising pub for Soo City United girls soccer teams (specifically the teams for next season whose players have 2010 or 2011 birth years). Despite Silent 9 saying that this is private, the Facebook event page is public, and prospective attendees are welcome to buy a ticket to support the local girls soccer program. The holiday theme is via an ugly sweater party, so bring your ugliest Christmas sweater to fit in for the festivities! No word on if there will be a contest for the ugliest one of all or not.

This is presumably a 19+ event, and tickets are on sale for $35 (if you're unable to attend, but wish to support the teams, they recommend $20 donations). Scan the QR code on the poster to be sent to a ticket sale page! This event is not entirely new territory for Silent 9, as they played at the Searchmont Ski Runners' fall social at The Rockstar Bar (which has been opening sporadically for one-off bookings this year) in October, and this appears to be along those lines. Hopefully it goes swimmingly for Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve in a couple of weeks, see above for more details, and look for more on Silent 9's 2024 schedule soon!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will end their recent break from the stage when they return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only on Friday, December 29th! First announced by Shooters in this updated concert calendar posting on their Facebook page on Tuesday, this will be Generations' first show since playing at Jay's early last month, and their first gig at Shooters since mid-October. No word on why they're in the midst of a near two months-long break, but if you want to see the band (sans guitarist Tony Kajnar) before then in bluesier confines, all will be at Soo Blaster one week from Friday as part of this year's Blues For Food fundraiser! Pierre and Tony S. are joining past Generations fill-in guitarist Mike McDonald as part of the one-off Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers, with Valerie and fellow fill-in guitarist Michael Yurich among the guest performers. Click here for details on that special event!

Meanwhile, Generations' Shooters show is a one-nighter due to the Dennis Street nightclub's continuation of DJs on most Saturdays. Expect a 9:00 PM-ish start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. If you;ve missed seeing Generations' classic and hard rock cover selection as of late, keep their final show of the year in mind later this month, and do consider attending Blues For Food if you want to support both St. Vincent's Place and the Soup Kitchen at this needy time of year!

Also that same weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for concerts on December 29th & 30th! These were announced in a concert calendar post on the venue's Facebook page on Thursday, despite Double Down announcing on their Facebook page on November 21st that their shows at Reggie's on November 24th-25th were their "last gig(s) of 2023". I have no idea whether the Esquire Club bookings came late or if they're incorrect/now cancelled, but if someone publically confirms that Double Down are not playing there at month's end, we will let you know! The band's full lineup will presumably be present if things are a go, as bassist Brad Stephen had to miss their Reggie's concerts this past weekend for unannounced reasons. Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre (who played in 100 Gran with singer/guitarist Joel Syrette) filled in for both shows.

Dan's a very skilled bassist with hard rock experience, so I'm sure he fit in just fine with Double Down at Reggie's! If Double Down are playing at The Esquire Club at month's end, it will be their first ever weekend there, after dropping out of planned gigs there in September, but note that the band never promoted the bookings online. We'll let you know if things get clarified the other way, but expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details!

Finally for today, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will cap off 2023 by toplining a  New Year's Eve party on Sunday, December 31st at... the Delta Hotel?! Concerts at the waterfront hotel at 208 St. Mary's River Drive are not completely uncommon, as the then-Holiday Inn hosted Bon Soo's Battle of the Bands back in 2007, but it is definitely not a venue used with any regularity for public concerts. On the side of New Year's parties, Soundcheck are no strangers to rocking out on December 31st, having done so at Shooters last year (back when Shooters booked bands on most Saturdays), but this will hew closer to the New Year's party that Soundcheck toplined at The Water Tower Pub in 2019. This ain't just a concert, as paid attendees will get a full course dinner, cocktails, a cash bar, and discount rates on hotel rooms if you are so inclined. Needless to say, attendees will be ringing in 2024 in style!

This 19+ event starts at 5:00 PM with Soundcheck's set beginning and 8:00 PM, and semi-formal/dress attire is encouraged given the locale and amenities. As such, the ticket price is a whopping $100, and limited tickets are available, so contact the Delta A.S.A.P. if this interests you! Granted, this will be above the price range for many, but if you want to go all out for the holiday, this would be a fancy way to do it, and Soundcheck's hard and classic rock covers would be a fine soundtrack throughout! Visit the above links for more details, and look for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard), The Future Of Reggie's West, And PROV3RB5 Updates!!

For our first post of the month, we're diving into two topics that each kinda branch into some interesting subtopics, one being updates from a local original metal project, and the other being LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming weeks! Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard have announced a batch of upcoming concerts taking place in the next month+ via this photo on their Facebook page earlier today, so what should know here? Not counting the Esquire Club dates and Toystock (which were already announced by the venue & organizers respectively), seven newly confirmed shows lie ahead, but we'll save the one on SATURDAY NIGHT for this weekend's concert previews to avoid redundant coverage. Otherwise, Bone Yard will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for concerts on Friday, November 11th (yes, Remembrance Day, no word on any memorial tie-ins) and Saturday, November 12th, before returning there three weeks later on December 2nd & 3rd! Next weekend's shows will be Bone Yard's first at the downtown Reggie's in over a month, and hopefully Greg, Alex, and Warren deliver more solid weekends of southern rock and heavier covers ahead!

All four dates have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, so visit the above links for more details! The other two brand new Bone Yard shows will take place on Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th when they perform at.... Jay's Piston Broke Pub?! As it turns out, this is the brand new name for Reggie's West (née The Roosevelt Hotel) at 306 Korah Road, which did indeed get sold by Reggie Daigle to new ownership, as Soundcheck confirmed in their promotion for their gigs there this past weekend. Reggie's West's Facebook page hadn't been updated in almost two weeks before today, but Jay Scott is the new owner of the venue, and rather than stick to the existing name like Reggie's Place did or throw back to The Roosevelt Hotel, Jay's going with new vehicle-themed branding. Full disclosure, there is a Piston Broke Pub already in Brantford, no word on if it was an inspiration, but it is locally unique compared to other bars.

Unlike the sea change of 2014 when Reggie bought The Rosie, things look like the status quo for Jay's as far as bands go (cosmetic changes aside), with Jus' Chillin playing first this Friday & Saturday night, followed by Fort Creek next weekend, and Thursday jam nights will reportedly continue as well. Of course, I hope things go well at the pub in this new era! Sad to see Reggie divest himself of both of his bars (he sold Reggie's Place to separate owners in 2020), but hopefully he's doing well and it was just time to step back. Bone Yard will rock Jay's at 9:30 PM on the 9th & 10th with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's the latest from local/Toronto progressive metal project PROV3RB5, who we haven't talked about on here in way too long, so what's new to report from them? Over the summer, much of their updates on their Facebook page were about milestones for views and followers, plus the reach that their first three singles were getting from djent-friendly outlets, including video reviews from JMR Music Reviews and I Built The Sky guitarist Rohan Stevenson. In August, a band member(s?) guested on "Distant", a new song by Minnesota progressive metal solo project Stelliferous, whose leader Kevin Xiong previously guested on PROV3RB5's third single "Particles". The links are obvious as such, but the technical prog metal attack will absolutely appeal to genre fans! The Chinese company Dimension Music also interviewed them for this article.

Benjamin & Bryan are asked about the meaning of the band name, how they formed, their lyrical messages, how the music scenes in Canada & China differed (Ben lived in China for five years), and their future plans, among other topics. Not the best formatted review, but there are good insights that many fans won't have known, so give it a look above! Last month, they announced plans to re-issue their first three songs as instrumentals with no vocals (original singer Josh Ratliff left the band in April), and those evolved into what they're calling their debut EP, entitled "What Dreams May Come", which was posted onto Spotify & Apple Music earlier today! Links for both can be found at this Distrokid page. While streaming platforms are emphasized (i.e. no Bandcamp or Amazon availability yet), you can buy "What Dreams May Come" on iTunes for $2.97, so it is on sale!

As such, I can confirm that this EP will be reviewed on the SMS this month! Originally, I had pencilled in Chase Wigmore's new album, which was slated to be released on Saturday, but he has since confirmed that it was postponed, more on that in the coming days. Give "What Dreams May Come" a listen above, stay tuned for more proficient prog metal from PROV3RB5, and check out this new teaser video featuring the instrumental version of "Sea of Tranquility"! Alas, I can't embed it here because Facebook content matched the song to PROV3RB5' own streaming copies of it. That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

The Future Of The Canadian Motor Hotel, LSSU's Internet Radio Reboot, And New Videos!!

At last, here's our first proper news post of June 2021, and there's definitely some stuff to talk about here! Half of this post is devoted to Sault Michigan topics, including a local internet radio station's big changes from earlier this year, and some new videos from a prominent local band, but let's start in Sault Ontario for some big updates on the future of a popular local venue!

The Canadian Motor Hotel has been sold to new ownership, and big changes are underway at the property. As per this SooToday article by Darren Taylor yesterday, The Canadian was sold by the Marrelli family in April (following the death of owner Carmen Marrelli in November) to developer Jim Brogno from Realty Executives Castle Alliance. Jim has renamed the hotel to The Canuck, and he has big expansion plans in progress, including new signage, adding a second story of hotel rooms, expanding The Upper Deck Bar & Grill (which may be renamed), a new chef, take-out pizza, and more Molson beer offerings. As for the downstairs Canadian Nightclub, the article heavily implies that Jim isn't planning to maintain it as a separate bar and concert venue, and is quoted there "I’m thinking a gym club would actually be a great fit." Jim hopes to re-open The Canuck in mid-June once this lockdown ends.

If this is the end for The Canadian Nightclub as a concert venue, it's definitely very disappointing, as it was a centrally located spot for mid-sized concerts, sometimes even all ages, and many shows there had a strong level of buzz, most recently the cancelled First Jason show there from last year. Personally, The Canadian was my first 19+ concert venue back in 2008, and it's where I judged a couple of major battles of the bands, so I'll always have a soft spot for it. That said, I understand that if the main difference between the upstairs and downstairs floors is a concert stage, and the pandemic has thrown live music into total disarray, I do understand that turning the nightclub into a gym or something else that can generate revenue short term is a better move financially. Besides, maybe The Upper Deck's expansion would lead to more live music (they did host acoustic acts already.)

In any event, it is great to see that The Canuck still has committed local ownership with a strong plan for the future, and I do wish Jim and the old/new staff the best of luck in growing the property into the 2020s! Of course, if we hear anything there regarding the future of live music on any floor of The Canuck, we will let you know!

Next up, Lake Superior State University's campus internet radio station has had another big overhaul! After five years of operation on the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System's Student Radio Network via Backbone Radio, the former WLSO 90.1 FM moved it's internet radio operations over to a brand new station in March, as announced on Instagram. Officially renamed Laker Radio rather than The 46th Parallel (or Superior) Radio, this new station was launched via Live365, and airs a completely different rotation than they had through Backbone, with much more of a focus on a mainstream music variety comparable in range to The Moose FM in Elliot Lake. As I was writing this, The Offspring and Blink-182 songs played in succession, which was a definite surprise, but the rotation is clearly on autoplay right now (albeit with student bumpers) and those songs were bookended by tracks from The Lumineers, Chuck Ragan, The Doors, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

Musically, I did prefer their station on Backbone Radio, which favoured independent & underground music, and had more of a music discovery element, whereas the Live365 rotation is mostly artists I already know & usually don't like. Hearing a couple of punk songs in succession was neat, and maybe LSSU will invest in proper programs again in the fall semester, as they do need something to help the station stand out. They're not on FM anymore, and the competition in internet radio is VAST. At least the Live365 player is more reliable & nicer looking, and it doesn't crash on station identifications, but hear Laker Radio for yourselves at this link or above!

We'll close today by staying in Sault Michigan for a pair of new videos from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel, both as uploaded on Tuesday! Like their preceding "Military Theme Song Medley" video last week, one was made up clearly as a tie-in to Memorial Day (if posted a day late), and it features another cut from their 2012 CD "The Dawn's Early Light" set to suitably patriotic video clips & photos. In this case, it's for "Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier", and the somber yet uplifting imagery is a fitting match as you'd expect! Embedded below is the other video from that day, which is not from any of their released albums, and it features their song "Sword Of Odin". This is supposed to be themed around a fictional story inspired by Viking lore, but the track as uploaded is instrumental. Like their other recent videos, this features assorted clips that match the theme.

In this case, you'll mostly see nature footage, but it also includes a few alluding to vikings and bonfires. "Sword Of Odin" is by no means a traditional "viking metal" song (don't go into it expecting Amon Amarth), but it has an ominous & atmospheric quality that would befit the story it's intended to score. if only there were vocals! Give Theatre of Night's new videos a watch above & below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Tuesday! Thanks everyone!

Local Battle Of The Bands Footage From 1989, Plus A Drummer Switch!!

The rate of new updates is thankfully starting to slowly improve as we inch towards the end of the second lockdown in Ontario, so let's break our "one post every three days" trend with a new post tonight! This includes confirmation of a drummer change in a local band that was previously rumoured by said drummer's old band publically, but first, here's a surprise archive concert video discovery from almost 32 years ago!

A few weeks back, I covered a video of Toronto classic rock cover band Ground Zero's one-off Rotaryfest reunion set in 2013, courtesy of ex-Tripod The Dog/Screwge drummer Brian Egglesfield's YouTube channel, but that wasn't all for uploads of his with a hard rock tie, as in 2016, he posted a video there from the finals of a multi-night battle of the bands at the former Eastgate Hotel back in 1989! This is very much before my time (I was only born that year), and the VHS camcorder quality is obvious, so if I am lacking or incorrect on details obvious to other readers, I apologize in advance. I truly wasn't there! Brian's video captures two of the three bands competing in the finals (omitting Swing Shift, who played second), and the MC thanked bands who were eliminated in prior weeks, including Silence, Deciever, Silent Rage, Fallacy, Night Crawler, Anxiety, and Valhalla (again, I'm sorry if I misheard or misspelled any names here.)

After the MC introduced the judges, the battle finals proper began with Tommygun (also spelled as Tommy Gun on the poster), whose set included covers of The Scorpions' "Blackout", The Cult's "Rain" & "Love Removal Machine", The Pursuit Of Happiness' "Hard To Laugh", Aerosmith's version of The Beatles' "I'm Down", Free's "All Right Now", U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" & "In The Name Of Love", Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", and AC/DC's "Sin City". Really strong & varied set, and Tommygun's frontman had great stage presence to go along with his singing! Again, Swing Shift's set was not included here, if Brian(?) filmed them at all. Spy Vs. Spy's set begins after the MC's introduction, and this band has more literature online than Tommy Gun, so I can say a little more about them, largely thanks to drummer Glen Thomas discussing them online (thanks, Glen!)

As best as I can gather, Spy Vs. Spy's lineup here included Glen (now of Soundcheck) alongside singer Ken Luxton and future Bigsuit bandmates Brian Oja (recently of Griphook) on guitar and George Ravlich (from Crank Sound Distribution) on bass. Spy Vs. Spy actually disbanded later that same year in 1989 due to creative differences, so at least they had a high local platform before they went out! Their set includes covers of Judas Priest's "The Hellion/Electric Eye", Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal", Kingdom Come's "Do You Like It", Tesla's "Little Suzi", Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog", "Over The Hills & Far Away", and "Good Times, Bad Times", and Guns 'N Roses' "Rocket Queen", with Rush's "Tom Sawyer" only 35 seconds in before the video ends. If bands had equal time, then that was likely their last song.

Brian did not say in the description who won this battle, and I wouldn't feel comfortable saying who I'd have voted for without seeing Swing Shift's set, but my musical tastes do lean closer to Spy Vs. Spy, who had a strong handle on these covers, with Ken's singing a good match for contemporary metal, and the crowd was into both bands! Kudos to Brian for posting this video, especially with really nice quality given the age and hardware involved, and it wasn't a chore at all to identify the covered songs! Check out Tommy Gun & Spy Vs. Spy live at The Eastgate below!

Finally for today, let's head to Sault Michigan, as local blues/hard rock cover quartet Project 906 have indeed added Gary Croad to their lineup as their new drummer, replacing Tommy Korcal (incidentally, Gary's predecessor in Tarnished as well.) Tarnished already teased Gary's new gig on their Facebook page on February 4th, but Project 906 only confirmed the news on their own Facebook page on Friday, where they noted that Tommy left due to his enlistment in the United States Army. Tommy had drummed for Project 906 since replacing Will Storey behind the kit in January 2018, and of course, we do wish him him the best of luck in his new path! That said, it doesn't sound like he just left the band, as Project 906 noted that frontman Billy Bernier has been singing and drumming with them in the interim. With no concerts to play for the past year, it looks like his double role may have primarily been during rehearsals & their long gestating EP recording plans.

 

Project 906 still hope to release said EP (let alone play proper concerts again) later this year, and given Gary's experience and skill level, he should fit in just fine with his new band! Stay tuned for updates from Project 906 (and Tarnished) when they roll in, and for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: ForAllThatIsLost Fatil

Here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our ongoing monthly spotlight of 1-3 YouTube channels whose content is at least 50% devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk videos, be they of musicians, concerts, or anything of direct relevance! This month's randomly chosen channel is one from a regional metal band who many fans still miss seeing on stage, so here's what you should know in this month's feature!
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ForAllThatIsLost Fatil (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnStCnd6WPDzXYqMDBWaKPg) 

Owner: A member of early 2010s Central Algoma death metal band For All That Is Lost's 2011-2013 four-piece lineup (exact identity unclear)

Channel Timeline: Launched on November 4th, 2012; Videos posted from the next day through the following month

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for 2010-2013 death metal standouts For All That Is Lost (or F.A.T.I.L.), this channel features 11 videos, all taken from varying live concerts during their heyday.

Why You Should Watch: This channel is worth checking out as arguably the best source for F.A.T.I.L. videos, and given that it was launched late in their run, you get a nice swath of footage from their early CASS Cafe days through to their prominent run of Sault Ontario concerts! However, the band has been broken up for over four years now (despite reunion teases on social media throughout 2014), so further updates on their channel aren't likely.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

For all that is lost: The earliest filmed but second-to-last uploaded video on this channel is of an early F.A.T.I.L. set from April 2010 at a CASS Cafe event at Central Algoma Secondary School in nearby Desbarats, where the band got their public start. Previously uploaded as a MySpace exclusive video, this features For All That Is Lost's original quintet lineup, including singer Tyler Sperry, guitarists Graeme Caughill & Allen Piche, bassist Ben Deslauriers, and My Dear Malice drummer Kameron Nicholson. Performing an untitled original & "Viscosity of Blood", this was obviously early in their run & the lack of polish shows, but it's sufficiently heavy and it does show the promise that the guys would bring to their Sault Ste. Marie debut the following year! More footage of F.A.T.I.L. and their members at CASS Cafe events can easily be found on other YouTube channels.



For All That Is Lost The Return of Dionysus: Eight time veterans of the former Roosevelt Hotel's Thursday metal night series, it's no surprise that The Rosie figures into their channel's content, including this footage from November 2011's 39th installment, where they played their original "The Return of Dionysus". Now featuring Brook Moreau as their sole guitarist (replacing Graeme in late 2010, while Allen left in mid-2011), this was filmed by myself for our review of this concert, alongside videos of Late & Loud & the future Valentine's Day Massacre. F.A.T.I.L. were still working out some of the kinks after contracting to a quartet, but the technical aggression comes through very nicely, and it's another solid example of what For All That Is Lost had to offer locally during their Sault Ste. Marie dates!



Murmaider Dethklock cover by For All That Is Lost: The most viewed video on F.A.T.I.L.'s channel is their cover of "Mermaider" by cartoon death metal band Dethklok (via the hilarious Adult Swim series Metalocalypse), as filmed during their final concert set at The Locals Attack! at The Canadian Nightclub in November 2012. Yes, For All That Is Lost were wearing white masks, that was a frequent staple of their live shows late in their run. The video quality isn't great, and it's largely filmed from a poor angle to see the band clearly, but the audio comes through well, and the guys deliver a brutal cover that headbanging fans clearly enjoyed! A video of their original "Northern Metal" from this concert was the channel's final upload a month later.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, our random selection has given us the channel of Thunder Bay musician Peter Bastedo, whose channel largely features an assortment of Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide concert footage from their early 2010s tour cycles! Look for that on or around October 26th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!