Metal View –
By Mike Vanek
DEATH METAL IN CERES & THE LOCAL KID DONE GOOD…
Greeting and salutations friends and neighbors!! I’m back to spread the word of 209 Area Heavy Metal. This month we have a couple topics that need to be discussed. First of all we need to take a trip to Ceres. Deep in the dark depths of Ceres California, yes a small little spot where for the last several years where extreme music has had a home in the Central Valley.
The place is The Workshop the home of Central Valley Death Metal. Ismael Alvarado has been putting on shows for as long as I can remember and he has supported bands that are not mainstream and are as underground as it gets. Teamed with his partner in crime and sound tech Jason Graff these guys have hosted hundreds of hardcore, Punk, Death Metal, Doom, and Grind bands such as The Mentors, The Meat S%&T’s, All Shall Perish, Origin, among many others. The coolest thing about the Workshop is that this is a friendly place that welcomes anyone who wants to enjoy a night of music that you can’t really see anywhere else in this area. Ismael and Jason are also in a local Death Metal band called Aborticide which is THE heaviest band in town!!
Please do me a favor and support these guys who have supported our scene for many years…
Next is a story of a local boy done good. Kosta Varvatakis is a local guy you see around our scene or around town at Oil Can Henry’s he may have changed your oil. Kosta is actually one of the best guitar players in metal today. A former member of former local heavyweights Kranial Damage, Kosta is now lead guitarist for the Bay Area Thrash powerhouse HATRIOT! HATRIOT is fronted by Bay Area Thrash legend Steve ZETRO Souza of Exodus and Legacy (Now known as TESTAMENT) and the band includes his sons Cody and Nick Souza on Bass and Drums. Hatriot has released 2 albums over the past few years and their current release “Dawn of The New Centurian” was heralded as one of the best Thrash Records of 2014. The band has traveled to Europe and has plans to go to South America with thrash legends Heathen!! Hatriot will be coming to town on February 7th at The Other Place 2003 Yosemite Blvd here in Modesto. This will be a rad show and a rare opportunity to see our good friend Kosta shred in his home town!!
Before I go I must remind you that our March column will be Titled PRO WRESTLING VIEW!! We will once again cover the local Wrestling company PRO WRESTLING BUSHIDO and the heritage of Pro Wrestling in Modesto and the highlights of local Wrestlers Bobby Hart, Daniel Torch and Savanah Riley and what they have planned when Wrestlmania Weekend comes to Northern California!! If you want to be part of the action you can see al the stars of PWB at the Grape City Con on February 8th in Lodi!!
That’s all for me this Month!! As always “KEEP ONE FOOT IN THE GUTTER AND ONE FIST IN THE GOLD!!”
MV
