YouTube Channel Profile Series: quasarwaves, These Magnificent Tentacles - Topic, and steelsour7319's Channels

Here's this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, continuing our monthly feature spotlights of YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and/or concerts! As the first channel that we randomly selected only had one video, and the second only had four songs (one a re-recording) primarily from one EP, we're tripling up this month, but there's an interesting array of performances to take in, so here's what you should know! 

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Lee T Maines (http://youtube.com/quasarwaves)  

Owner: Former Gates of Winter frontman and Woods of Ypres guitarist Lee Maines

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 8th, 2010; Only surviving video posted on December 2nd, 2011

Channel Summary: As fans should remember, local progressive death metal band Gates of Winter slowly worked on a third album named "Perihelion" from their 2010 return from hiatus as a studio project through their last public activity in 2016, with most teaser clips from the sessions being taken down as the guys worked on perfecting the material. Alas, the album never came out, but one of the few surviving clips is Lee's only remaining video on his YouTube channel, where he played 51 seconds of the riff from a song tentatively named "Wormhole Mechanics" to test track mirroring. It's a shame that "Perihelion" was never finished, as Gates of Winter's pure technicality was excellent on their 2010s sample media, and Lee's in fine form here, but hopefully we'll hear completed songs in some form down the line!

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These Magnificent Tenatcles - Topic (http://youtube.com/channel/UCJIHHa1lrPJwMyCeErf9k8g)

Owner: An original member of local alternative/punk band These Magnificent Tentacles, identity unclear, though the uploaded music was from their run as a duo

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 23rd, 2022; All videos uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: This is an auto-generated YouTube channel made to host songs submitted by Brent & Steve to YouTube Music, thusly featuring their debut EP "Surfacing..." from the previous month and the original (but very similar) studio version of its opening song "The Abyss", which is actually the most viewed upload there. These Magnificent Tentacles have since expanded to a full five-piece band, but have been publically dormant for four months now, so it remains to be seen how fast they could put out new material for streaming services. Still, these are entertaining and varied songs that point to a promising future, and hopefully that will be realized in 2023!

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Steel Sour (http://youtube.com/steelsour7319)  

Owner: A member of 2018-2019 local hard rock band Steel Sour, identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 9th, 2019; Only video uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for this short lived group, their jam session video cover of The Tragically Hip's "New Orleans Is Sinking" was their final public act before dissolving later that year. Steel Sour featured a massive seven piece lineup (at least for this jam), including Robert Nevitt on vocals, backing vocalist Nicole Ambeault, guitarists Rick Atkins, Randy Russell, and Fred Dunn, bassist Steve Bentley (with impressive wig), and drummer James White, notably featuring multiple members of Re:Born, Lockdown, Big Mistake, and Dealing Without. Despite the manpower in this basement, the cover is lively, energetic, and doesn't feel rushed, and it's a shame that Steel Sour didn't keep going!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! To end 2022 in this series, we're doing multiple channels again, as the first randomly selected channel only has one video, and the second only has a handful of similar uploads. As such, we'll be looking at the channels of YouTube users AtYourC3rvix (featuring a live Uncanny Valley video) and mikemccleary3123 (featuring five original songs of his, some with accompanying videos or lyric tracks). Look for them on or around Boxing Day, nd stay tuned for more news & notes (and this month's CD review) in the coming days! Thanks everyone! 

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Lee Thomas Maines & When They Fall

At last, here are this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, but be sure to check out late notice concert previews and more assorted updates in this morning's post below! Like usual, this month's installment of this feature series looks at 1-2 defunct or inactive local bands, all randomly selected, in order to profile their work, run, and successes for current readers! This month's two choices include a holdover from last month after the first act then proved to have enough info to sustain a solo profile, but we have two concise looks at intriguing though short lived projects, so here's what you should know for these profiles!
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Lee Thomas Maines

Genre: Progressive Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Lee Maines (Gates of Winter), all instruments/programming

Info/Analysis: After previously manning a short-lived solo project under the name Septicon in the late 2000s, Gates of Winter frontman Lee Maines accomplished more under under his own full name from 2008-2009, where he was working on a 5 track EP that was "loaded with crushing rhythms and futuristic themes" that he hoped would "reach a new level of diversity & technicality", as influenced by acts like Meshuggah, Ihsahn, and Samael. The solo project's main activity coincided with Gates of Winter's 2009 hiatus, but after their return at year's end, Lee's solo act has fallen inactive, and he's focused on new Gates material since. Only one full solo instrumental ("Sol") made it online, which gives fans a strong prog-metal attack that showcases his multiple talents and progressive dynamics well, but it does lack vocals and a guitar solo. Give it a listen below, but of course, give Gates of Winter's newer material a listen too to hear what Lee's been doing since!


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When They Fall

Genre: Metal/Screamo

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (This information may be incorrect concerning members' full identities, as all but Devon were credited solely by their first names. If you can correct anything, let us know!

Devon Richards, vocals
Dan Linklater (The Dirty Few, The Vertically Impaired), lead guitar
Jaime Jacques (The Boatload Killers), rhythm guitar
Tyler St. Amour (Them, Fountain of Betrayal), bass
Travis St. Amour (Bring The Fallen, Fountain of Betrayal), drums  

Audio/Video: When They Fall posted no media on their MySpace (and only online) page, but said page formerly described them as influenced by "anything that gives you a kick in the pants & makes you fall to your knees while we blow your eardrums straight out of your head." Later bands from the St. Amour brothers would likely harbour influences with When They Fall's sound, particularly the early 2010s deathcore project March Into Regression. 

Info/Analysis: A short lived hardcore metal band that only used their MySpace page from August-November 2007, When They Fall formed between friends & musical acquaintances, then all in high school, for something fun to do. While their MySpace page once noted that they played "one small gig" with an unidentified singer before Devon joined, few updates of major activity otherwise survive there, aside from photos of all band members but Tyler. When They Fall dissolved by early 2008, and members have diverged in wildly different musical paths since. With no posted media, it's hard to say how When They Fall sounded, but most members have found notable success in other later bands, so be sure to follow them to see where they went!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll stay in Sault Ontario, as our next random selection has given us... Ashes To Dust, a more recent local hard rock band who you may remember from the second Swampstravaganza and various Superior Heights gigs! Look for that on or around October 10th, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone!

GarageBand Profile Mini-Series: Lee Thomas Maines

It's Saturday, and you know what that means: It's time for our second installment of our special GarageBand Profile Mini-Series! As we inch closer to the impending shutdown of GarageBand.com, I'm continuing my quest to make sure the local metal bands there don't have their material lost as a result, and today, our attention falls to a prominent local metal frontman's solo projects!

Aside from spelling/grammar edits, link/video updates, and some additional useful artist info and analysis, this is a closely transferred copy of the original GarageBand profile, with everything relevant still intact. Also note that, because this artist had two pages for basically the same project, parts of this profile are combined & others are separately labeled, depending on the content. Enjoy today's second GarageBand profile, and remember, we have four more to go over the next twelve days!
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Lee Thomas Maines (also previously under the project name Septicon)

Genre: Progressive/Melodic Death Metal
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

Bio (Lee Maines): A year after his pioneering release with Canadian metal band Gates of Winter's "Lux Aeterna", Lee Thomas Maines is beginning work on a new progressive solo project. Loaded with crushing rhythms and futuristic themes, Lee hopes to reach a new level of diversity and technicality. Currently, Lee is laying the foundation of an untitled 5 track EP, working with new gear, a new vision, and a sea of new inspiration. For the meantime, go to www.myspace.com/leethomasmaines and check out the posted Gates of Winter tracks ‘From Nothingness (demo)’ and ‘Life Force Rapture’, or visit www.gatesofwinter.com! For questions or comments, please write to leethomasmaines@live.ca.

Bio (Septicon): Septicon is my solo project, which I would eventually like to expand to a full band, when all my songs are recorded and ready for the road.

Members: Lee Maines (Everything)

Artist URL: Lee Thomas Maines on MySpace

Influenced By: Mnemic, Soilwork, In Flames, Wintersun, Dimmu Borgir, Meshuggah, Ihsahn, Strapping Young Lad, Samael

Songs: None. (Lee didn't upload solo material onto either the Lee Thomas Maines or Septicon GarageBand pages. There IS one solo Lee Maines song to share though, which you can check out after the following paragraph.)

SMS Analysis: As the singer and rhythm guitarist of Gates of Winter, Lee Maines has a good level of notoriety in the local scene, and the fact that he was briefly in Woods of Ypres can't hurt either! I'm sure we've all been hoping for some exciting things from Lee's solo projects, no matter what name they've been under. However, we haven't heard much from Lee on his solo stuff since mid-2009, likely because of his work on Gates of Winter's new album. Under the name Septicon, I can't do much other than speculate on it due to lack of material, but it likely would have been similar to his latest solo work. From what little I've heard from his solo stuff, I'm very impressed, and Gates of Winter fans will no doubt enjoy it too! No major stylistic changes, just straightforward progressive metal with lots of dynamics and great instrumentation, but it could use guitar solos and vocals. Though the project's been dormant since 2009, my fingers are crossed that Lee will find his way back to his solo material some day, cause there's too much promise there to just let it go! Check out lots more from Lee Maines at his official MySpace page!

Videos: Your best bet to finding videos of Lee Maines is to search for Gates of Winter on YouTube, there's lots of audio and video recordings there! If you find Woods of Ypres videos from late 2008, Lee will be on guitar for those, but remember that he didn't write any of their material. As for his solo projects, I couldn't find anything, so I have uploaded his only publicly unveiled solo song to YouTube! Entitled "Sol", it was ripped from his MySpace page and uploaded onto the SMS channel with the BEST POSSIBLE INTENT to spread this song to world even further like it deserves! NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!!! With that in mind, check out "Sol" below, see what you think!


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Two down, four to go in this special mini-series! Hope you guys enjoyed reading up on Lee's solo stuff! Our next entry in the GarageBand Profile Mini-Series will be posted on Tuesday, when we'll take a look at defunct local hard rock band T H E I D, formerly known as MY ID! Stay tuned for that, and much more news on The Sault Metal Scene, especially tomorrow, when I review tonight's Phatstick concert AND we celebrate the SMS' 3rd Anniversary! Big day tomorrow, hope you're here for it! Thanks everyone!