THE BAND
Origin: Phoenix, AZ
Genres: Rock, Metal
Years Active: 2012- Present
Label: Independent (Unsigned)
Riot/Gear fuses Hard Rock, Punk and Metal to create original music. From the valley of the sun, Phoenix, Arizona, Riot/Gear employs all the elements of their influences to have a unique and successful sound. The band has played with many national bands, including Rock heavyweights: Powerman 5000, Otep, Mushroomhead, and Through Fire just to name a few. Riot/Gear continues to establish themselves as one of Rock's up and coming acts.
Mike Myers - Bass Guitar, Background Vocals
From an early age Mike has always loved music, everything from Elvis and The Beatles to Megadeth and Sepultura. As Mike's musical tastes grew and grew there was something about the Bass that called to him and he always found himself focusing in on the rhythm of the Bass. As a teenager, Mike knew he wanted to play Bass and getting a guitar was just the beginning. From the moment Mike got his first Bass he spent hours and hours teaching himself how to play, listening to Cliff Burton's Anastesia (Pulling Teeth) and practicing the Bass Line over and over to listening to Sacred Reich's A Question and learning the Bass Riff to that as well.
Mike enjoys many genres of music and that has helped him mold his unique style from Heavy Bass Riffs like on the song 'Angel of Mercy' to a Rock Bass Groove in the song 'Control'. Mike never stops learning and looking for ways he can learn more from his influences and continue to create his own original music for fans to enjoy.
Ken Darling Jr. - Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards
Ken's journey to becoming a Singer is one that he didn't know he was on. Early on in Ken's life, he joined choir in 5th grade and found that he enjoyed singing very much. From 5th grade until he turned 15 Ken was active singing in choir but wanted to branch out and try something else, the guitar. Ken enjoyed playing the guitar but had a feeling he hadn't quite found his calling yet. After high school and some life changing events Ken moved to Arizona from Minnesota and started doing karaoke around the Valley. Ken started off by singing some of his favorite songs from singers in bands he liked such as Alice Cooper, Dio, and Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden. As he developed his style of singing and received praise from people for his singing of karaoke he knew he wanted to pursue being a Singer in a band. That opportunity came when he auditioned for Riot/Gear. Ken has given Riot/Gear it's signature voice and continues to be a integral part of the band.
Ken continues to hone his style of singing into being original and unique. Ken's love of music ranges from Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, and Led Zeppelin to Megadeth, Metallica, and Stone Sour. When Ken begins the writing of a song he looks to life experiences, certain points of view, and the dark thoughts that go through peoples heads in dealing with situations. Ken is continually crafting and mastering his voice and the singers he looks up to like Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, Chris Cornell, Layne Stayley, and Robert Plant all influence his style.
Hunter Walker - Lead Guitar, Background Vocals
Hunter found his love of playing Guitar at an early age. When Hunter was 12, he began to really get into Punk bands from the 70's to the 90's. Hunter would watch live videos of these bands and became interested in the Guitar. Punk Rock music really opened the door to Hunter's influences. When Hunter reached middle school, his friends were also getting into music and Hunter wanted to form a band and play music with his friends. One of the first guitars he learned on was a Stella Classical Guitar and started learning Ramones songs. From there, Hunter began listening to the Blues and bought CD's to learn this style of music. As Hunter progressed, his father helped him learn scales and that opened a new door for him. Hunter began learning more about song structures and used what he learned about scales to understand song composition. It was only a matter of time before Hunter founded his own band and showed how much he learned from his early days of Punk music to the rock and metal sounds of Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Alice in Chains, and Led Zeppelin. Hunter uses all he's learned to create his own original music in Riot/Gear.
Hunter continues to listen and learn from various types of music and musicians. Much like when he used to have a Rolling Stone magazine with the Top 100 Guitarists and would try to learn a song from each of them, Hunter is always looking to improve. Hunter doesn't gravitate towards one type of influence but he credits Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Jerry Cantrell, Eddie Van Halen, and Kirk Hammett as some of his influences. Though these aren't considered influences Hunter really likes the Guitarists in Opeth, the musicianship of Clutch, and John Mayer for his jazz influence and phrasing.
Jason Myers - Drums, Background Vocals
Jason, like his brother Mike, has been surrounded by music all his life and likes everything from The Beatles and Elvis to Def Leppard and Metallica. Jason's drumming background expands a wide range of influences, from Ringo Star of The Beatles and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin to Rick Allen of Def Leppard and Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Jason's moment when he knew he wanted to play Drums was when he heard the Hysteria album. The big Drums drew Jason in and once he heard the story about Rick Allen it inspired him to play. One of Jason's friends brother had a drum set and Jason got his first taste of playing. By playing along to his favorite songs Jason taught himself how to play. As Jason developed more skills he expanded his growing list of influences, he credits Rick Allen, John Bonham and Lars Ulrich for the foundations of his Drum playing.
Jason is always looking for ways to improve his Drum playing and looks to drummers he looks up to and respects to influence his playing. Some of his Favorite drummers are: John Bonham, Neal Peart, Danny Carey, Rick Allen, Lars Ulrich, and Vinnie Paul.
