Metal View –
By Mike Vanek
Reflections of the past and future 20 years of 209 Heavy Metal and Rock Shows…
Hi & Howdy friends and neighbors!!
As you may know I was fortunate enough to win a MAMA Award for best live music promoter… Before I go on, I must congratulate Best Metal Band Winners BRUTAL INNOCENCE!! Who works hard as hell to bring you a rad metal band!!
With that said… This honor has made me reflect on the past 20 years. In the 90’s things were different… I remember rad bands… I remember venues that are no longer with us and the people that brought us the shows the shaped our scene…
Bands like IMMORTALITY, INFESTATION, CARCINOGEN, FATHOM, ALCOMY, were some of the first bands to attracted my attention. These bands made way for bands like Built, Makeshift Grey, Dam, Isolate, Butterface, Cursed/Cursed AD, Differential, Rubberfinger, and Morbius among others.
I remember the people who brought the knowledge of the way our business works. Chris Walker, Robin Steely, Dave Ussery, Jojo Rush, Bobby Hart, Meeker, Jimbo, Jeremy Penick, Ryan Birchfield, Bryan Campbell, Chris Ricci, Mike Allsup and his cousin Russ, Mike Inderbitzen, Chris Watson, Bryan Strait, Mitch Maisetti(RIP), Chris Murphy and everyone else that supports and taught us the game!!
I also like to think about the future of our scene. I think about bands like Brutal Innocence and the excitement they bring. I think about Perfect Nightmare who has the brightest future of all. Those kids are as rad as it gets!! Most of all I hope. I hope for somebody to take over the Fat Cat and reopen it to the public. I hope for people to start new bands and new music. I love our scene and will never stop putting work in our scene till the day I am no longer in this world!!
I wouldn’t be the person I am today with out the bands, the people and the scene!!
Thank you very much for 20 years of 209Metal!!
Keep one foot in the gutter & one fist in the gold!!
MV
