School : South Dakota school of mines (RC, South Dakota, United States)
Education : Some college
Smoker : No
Drinker : Yes
Gear info
bmikev has 8 pieces of equipment:
Behringer: UP100 Ultra Phase Shifter
Boss: Mt-2 Metal Zone
Acoustic: B200H with matching 4x10 cab
Morley: CLW Classic Wah
Ibanex: ax 120
DOD: FX40B
Squire by fender: Jazz Bass
Zoom: 1010
Interests
Favorite bands :
Iron Maiden, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Judas Priest, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Anthrax, Pink Floyd, Dio, Primus, Helloween, Talking Heads, Grateful Dead, Black Sabbath, Budgie, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Anvil, Mercyful Fate, Sly and the Family Stone, The Headhunters (the funk jazz band not the pop cunt-ry band), Deep Purple
Favorite guitarists :
Randy Rhoads, Glen Tippton, Kai Hansen, David Gilmore, Ritchie Blackmore
Favorite bassists :
Burke Shelley, Billy Sheehan, Bryan Beller, Charlie Mingus, Paul Jackson
Favorite books :
Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
anything from Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne or any other great Sci-fi
Favorite tv :
Arrested Development, Modern Family, Weeds, Star Trek TNG, Twilight Zone
Favorite movies :
Man from Earth, Spinal Tap, 200 motels, Star Wars, Star Trek
My first experience with a guitar when I was only a few days old. My dad took his guitar and fretted a C chord while taking my hand and strumming them across the strings. During my early childhood I would sit and listen to my mom and dad sing and play music every evening. I would also listen to them rehearsing in a gospel band. By the time I was 6 years old dad taught me how to read chord diagrams and I was learning to play Jim Croce, Bob Dylan, John Denver and other folk/country songs which my dad had the sheet music for.
When I was 12 a friend played Ozzy Osborne’s Crazy Train for me and I fell in love with the electric guitar and heavy metal. I grew my hair, pierced my ear, started a heavy metal garage band. However by the time high school came around I was talked into signing up for guitar in the jazz band, it was there that I really began to learn about the theory behind what I was playing. We won top honors at ever jazz band competition we would attend including the personal honors for best soloist on more than one occasion and being selected for all state jazz band every year. I dropped out of the heavy metal and punk thing and began playing guitar and singing in Shades of Blue a small jazz/blues combo. I also began to play the bass in a latin/funk jazz fusion combo called The Trio.
“Playing covers that ranged from Tom Petty to the Grateful Dead – with quite a few songs by Hank Williams, Hank III, and Johnny Cash thrown in for the stock show folks – Mike Vinton entertained a packed bar Friday and Saturday night at the 445 Lounge. Some bar bands fade into the background, but people seemed to pay attention to him when I attended last night; applause and cheers followed nearly every song.” - Dakota discography
Shortly after High School I relocated for a time to the east coast and played extensively with Heart of the Sun a Pink Floyd Tribute band and did a number of gigs with the popular Black Sabbath tribute band Warpig before coming home to the Black Hills were upon my return I played briefly with funk and blues rock band Soul Kitchen. Still playing solo shows with my acoustic guitar in hand I have played gigs around the area including The Uptown Bar and Grill, Saloon #10, Robinsdale, 445 lounge and many all ages events such as the Warm up Winter Acoustic show at the Dahl Fine Arts Center and the Heritage Festival.
“Mike Vinton, whose performance sounded like heavy metal done acoustic-style, sort of like Led Zeppelin’s more folk-y material. I appreciated his guitar style, elegant and intricate.” - Feedback and Distortion, Rapid City Journal
The newest projects I am working on include bass in Dark Nation a 4 piece death metal group. We are currently working on our second CD set for release sometime later in 2009. I am also embarking on a group, an old school thrash metal band called Violent Type. This band is still in the most basic of stages but will feature 2 guitars, drums, bass
Loading, please wait...