Mike Vanek Sucks

 #MIKEVANEKSUCKS The Blog Review: Suburban Paranoia "Never Dies" By Mike Vanek During this pandemic, bands have been forced to find new ways to reach out to their fans and one way is to play live virtually. One band that has taken this method and ran with it is the Bay Area's Suburban Paranoia. Suburban Paranoia has both played virtual concerts and has broadcasted live from their practice space and I have really enjoyed watching this band from the comfort of my own home as they support their record released last year entitled "Never Dies" and this is one of my favorite records I've heard in a really long time!! Suburban Paranoia started in 1990 as a punk/metal band attacking the Bay Area metal scene and dealt with the trials and tribulations of being in one of the most active and competitive metal scenes in America the SF Bay Area metal scene. Led by guitarist and vocalist Daniel Arruda the band faced multiple-member & sound changes leaving Dan as the on...

 #MIKEVANEKSUCKS The Blog Review: The Bandemic Showcase By MikeVanek Living 2000 miles from your friends and family can really suck especially during this Covid situation. And if you are a metal musician or fan this time has been super lame with no shows to play or attend and for all my people that work shows this has been super tough and they scramble to pay bills. Well, lots of bands have been hosting virtual shows, and a bunch of my friends in Modesto California to the opportunity to do the same. The Bandemic showcase was presented on Facebook live the weekend of October 24th at the Glitchkill practice shed in Ceres California and it was a banger!! Since I had to work at 5:45 the Following morning I was not able to watch the show live but I was able to watch it the next morning while I did my chores at work. As I turned on the replay feed you could hear the banter in the background as they set up and sound checked and I felt like I was back home in Modesto chilling with my frien...

 #MIKEVANEKSUCKS The Blog Review: Blind Illusion, Straight As The Crowbar Flies By Mike Vanek When I was an early teenager listening to Bay Area metal I spent the weekend with my family in my hometown of El Sobrante California and my Uncle John turned me onto a band called Blind Illusion which featured a very young Les Claypool from Primus. These guys were awesome when I was younger my Uncle proclaimed as he was sitting behind his drum kit. My Uncle was my hero so any band he told me about I jumped at the opportunity to learn about them. As the years went on I became addicted to the Blind Illusion's album "The Sane Asylum and it became one of my favorite albums of all time and especially the talented guitar work and lyrics of one Mr. Mark Biederman.  The godfathers of technical progressive metal or Hippie stoner metal Blind Illusion set the standard for how a progressive metal band should sound.  Fast forward a bunch of years to when I was booking shows for 209Productions...

 Review: Talking Shop with the Boss and The Box podcast By Mike Vanek Every Friday night, as I walk in from a long day at work, there is a routine. I come home, clean up, eat dinner, pour myself a beverage, and turn on The Talking Shop with the Boss and The Box podcast! Comprised of Branden "The Boss" Blacker and LunchBox (one-word capital L capital B thank you very much... As he says...) These two dive into numerous topics with a wide array of guests that span the duo's many interests that include pro wrestling, music, self-help, and a wide array of other topics.  "The Boss and The Box" are great friends and colleagues, and they both play in their own respective bands. The Boss plays drums in the San Francisco Bay Area Thrash metal outfit SUBURBAN PARANOIA who recently released the highly awaited record "Never Dies" which is available on Spotify. The Box is the utilitarian percussionist and hype man/backing vocalist for the Modesto Area stalwarts of t...

 209Metal View The "209" Metal Scene 2000-2010 By Mike Vanek Hey there friends and neighbors. Its your old friend Mike Vanek and I still suck!! I've come out of hiding to talk about possibly the best ten years in the history of the Modesto area metal scene 2000-2010. Now I can write a book about the events that happened within these ten years but here is a quick review. This was a life changing ten years. In the year 2000 I was a new father that was obsessed with local music. Bands of the day incompassed a wide area that streched from Stockton to Merced and all towns inbetween using Modesto as a base. We had legandary bands like Built, Infestation, Rubberfinger,Epidemia, Counterbore, Burial Ground, Sundays Dilemma, Bind, Shrine, Dam, Two-O-Nine, and more but the biggest story of the day being Depswa who had formerly been known as Carcinogen. With three members from the valley this central valley favorite moved to southern California added a guitar player and a name change...