Mike Orlando, Mike Portnoy: Ultimate guitar interview

How well did you know guitarist Mike Orlando before joining Adrenaline Mob?

I actually had never heard of him when this music was presented to me. Me and Russ Allen had a long relationship and we’d been friends for many years and Symphony X had toured with Dream Theater several times. So me and him had an extended relationship and had been longing to do something together. But I had never heard Mike’s stuff. I think Mike was really the unknown element for me and I was immediately blown away not only by his playing but his writing. It’s like, “Oh, my god, where has this guy been hiding all these years? How is this guy not a guitar hero yet?” The riffs he writes and his shredding ability as a player, it was just immediately obvious that this kid—not this kid, this guy—was a total star in the making and just waiting for the right vehicle to give him the exposure. And here we are and Adrenaline Mob is absolutely gonna do that for him.

Mike Orlando is a very talented guitar player. more