NYC Rocks TV has has just premiered Chapter 1 of a new documentary film series on Riot, titled Immortal Soul: A Riot Tribute & Concert Film Series. Watch below.
Riot formed in the mid 1970s in Brooklyn, NYC. By 1980, the band was poised to make it big and toured with many of the heavy hitters of the day. But poor management and bad timing created the perfect storm of missed opportunities for what should have been the east coast’s Van Halen. The band continued carrying on into the 21st Century in various formations with the only constant being founder and lead guitarist/songwriter Mark Reale. A cult fan following exists today that is extremely passionate about Riot’s musical legacy and believes the band deserves significantly more recognition.
This 4-part documentary mini-series will explore the history and archives of the different eras of the band, spotlighting specific live performances from each era. The film centers around the Keep It True festival in Germany, where interviews with Riot fans young and old illustrate this passion for the band. “Immortal Soul” also features interviews with longtime Riot members Don Van Stavern and Mike Flyntz, as well as “New York Rock” author/historian Steven Blush and Keep It True Festival founder Oliver Weinsheimer. The final chapter of the series tells the origin story of the current day formation of the band, Riot V, and how they are well suited to carry on the musical legacy of founder Mark Reale for a new generation of fans.
Below you can watch the first episode, where you will notice a RockpagesTV interview we did a few years ago with Lou A. Kouvaris
