Riot V’s Mike Flyntz interview

Mike Flyntz is one of the good guys in the music business: he has been playing for a few decades now and he’s one of the driving forces behind Riot V, one of the most long-lasting underground Metal bands in the entire business. The band, originally called just Riot, was led by guitarist Mark Reale until his death by a disease in 2011, while working in their album Immortal Soul. Mike and the band’s bassist, Donnie Van Stavern, have carried on with the band as a tribute to their fallen friend and to keep the Riot flag flying high. As usual, we sat down with Mike and we discussed many different topics about Riot V and his own personal career, so here’s hoping you enjoy it.

Hello, Mike, it’s a pleasure to have you. How’s 2019 treating you so far?

Hello and thank you for your interest and support for Riot V. 2019 is going well so far. For me each year always starts with a birthday on the 24th. Donnie Van Stavern’s birthday is a few days later.

I’ll be upfront: what is Riot V’s current state of affairs? What do you have in store for
us this year?

We are starting out our touring with a few shows on the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise. This is our third time aboard. We have been starting the writing process for our 3rd Riot V release which we hope to deliver by the end of the year. We are planning some more tours and festivals for the rest of the year.

How do you guys feel about the overall reception that your latest album, Armor of Light, had with your fans and critics?

The reception was wonderful. The record charted very high in multiple countries. We surprised a lot of people by playing so much of the new album on tour this previous year. We even opened some shows in March in Japan with new songs before the record was released. We were shocked to see the fans singing the chorus’s by the 3rd time around. I think we played six songs off Armor of Light on our last European tour with Primal Fear. The fans sung along like they were classics.

What is the biggest challenge of being a musician after so many years in the business?

One of the biggest challenges is the financial side. Most bands on our level are not making money. I think it has become well known that most of the bands in our scene have other sources of income. The money that we make on shows and merch usually just covers expenses. This makes it very difficult for musicians to tour when they have jobs and families and need to support them. Riot V has tried to find a working situation that fits everyone’s needs and responsibilities but it is not easy.

Does it get harder to write songs?

Writing songs for me comes and goes. Sometimes music pours out of me and sometimes I have nothing. It is a very personal thing. I don’t think it has anything to do with getting older. I thing we are writing as well as ever.

Obviously the bands’ biggest loss was with the decease of the great Mark Reale. Even now, we still lament his death. How much of an impact did Mark’s death had on the band’s structure and how it worked?

We are still devastated by the loss of Mark Reale. He is always in our thoughts and conversations. “How would Mark do this?” and “What would Mark say?” are very common expressions from all of us. I still ask his father for advice all the time. He taught Donnie and I how to write songs and would always ask for everyone’s input. He was a great songwriter and always asked others on their opinions. He loved writing with a partner.

Did you take a more prominent role after Mark’s death?

Yes but like Mark I try to include all band members and get their ideas. I was kind of forced to take over during the recording of Immortal Soul. Mark was very sick and couldn’t be there. I did what I had to do.

As a big fan of the band, I have to ask: how was Mark on a personal level?

Mark was very quirky and private. Although once he got to know you he would talk and talk. He loved to laugh. I could always do or say something that would put him into a laughing fit for up to 30 minutes or so. He also loved films. We would watch old movies together when we traveled. He watched “West Side Story” and “A Hard Day’s Night” over and over again. We also would run together. After we got to a hotel we would put on our running clothes and go for a jog around town.

Thank you for answering. Going back to a musical level, how do you feel about the band’s latest albums? Are you satisfied or do you think you could have done something differently?

I think every musician would always do something different and change things. There is a lot of things I would have done differently on the last record. I stepped back a little on the production side and let Donnie do more with a “newer metal sounding” record. We will see what happens with the new music.

Todd Michael Hall has been singing with the band for a few years now. He has a great background with several projects. Considering that Riot has many vocalists in its catalog, how much influence does the singer have on you guys as songwriters?

Usually we write for the singer. Mark loved doing that. This is different with Todd because I feel he can do anything. There is no limit to his vocal range. I also love writing vocal melodies. With Todd I write anything I want and he can sing it. I am very lucky.

And considering that the band’s vocalists all had different styles, can we expect more variety in the set lists in the coming tours?

Yes. We will try to add different songs from the past but we are trying to push the Riot V music.

All of you guys have part-time jobs to support yourself. How do you tend to juggle these two aspects of your life to keep things stable?

VERY DIFFICULT. The members of Riot V are extremely hard working maniacs. You have to be or it would never work.

What motivates you to keep going as a musician?

The love of playing and the love of a well written song that puts goose bumps up your spine. It’s a magical feeling when you communicate with music. Nothing tops it. That’s why I’m still here.

If you could play in any band for at least one show, what band would it be and why?

Seriously Riot is it for me as far as an original music. I love the songs so much. If I had to pick one other band it would Queen for a night.

I know that you teach music in a school. Is that something that you enjoy? What can you take from teaching and apply to your role as a musician?

I honestly love to teach. I get excited like I’m performing a show. One of my lessons is a show. I read a Randy Rhoads interview when I was a kid and he said how important it is to teach. I immediately started teaching as a teenager. I could spend an hour on this but that would be a separate interview. Ha Ha

You have obviously done many songs with Riot. Do you have any personal favorites that you enjoy playing?

Angel Eyes and Take Me Back are my favorites. Fall From The Sky is up there too. Bloodstreets puts me on the verge of tears every night. One of Mark’s masterpiece’s.

Riot has released many albums that have been very well-received by the public, you have toured with the band in multiple countries, done festivals and withstood many different eras and obstacles. Is there something that you’re most proud of with the band?

The longevity. It is an honor to carry on the Riot legacy. These songs are some of the greatest heavy rock/heavy metal songs written. I’m old school when it comes to great songs with great vocalists and I’m blessed to have that in my 30 years with Riot.

What would you say to an aspiring musician?

Work hard every day. Practice nonstop. Learn the business end. Learn to write a song by analyzing other great songs. Get another form of income.

Ha Ha

One final question: I recently read a review of one of your albums that was quite interesting. And the writer said that you guys were better than Judas Priest. What do you think of that?

That is an extreme honor to be put in the same category as Judas Priest. Better? I do not know if it is possible to be better than Judas Priest. They are one of the great innovative Heavy Metal bands of all time and Sad Wings of Destiny is one of my favorite albums of all time. One of the biggest highlights of my career was to follow Judas Priest after they finished at Rockfest Barcelona a few years ago. We started with Thundersteel. I think Riot
V and Judas Priest were a great combination.

Thank you so much for this, Mike. It has been an honor. Any final message for our readers? Where can we follow you and Riot V on social media?

Thank You for the support and for keeping Riot and Riot V alive.

http://areyoureadytoriot.com/