Our writer Jess Berndt gets the down low on Michigan born band Of Virtue and gets to know a little about their latest single and what makes them tick.
You guys just recently dropped your brand new single ‘surrounded’.
What has the response to it been so far?
The response has been great! We have gained a lot of traction with new people being introduced to us and have had a warm welcome of our new sound from old fans. We couldn’t ask for much more than that!
Would you say Metal is a feeling/lifestyle or is it a name and a look these days?
Where we are from and for as long as we have been doing it, for us it is a lifestyle. Like anything in life, this type of music/culture comes and goes in waves with different age groups of people and there are those who will always participate for the look and aesthetic. In a more national/global sense, there seems to be a rejuvenation in the metal world and more people in it for the long haul.
What album or albums would you say changed it all for you guys and inspired you to get into the game?
Slipknot – Self-Titled/Iowa
As I Lay Dying – Shadows Are Security
Killswitch Engage – Alive or Just Breathing
Story of the Year- Page Avenue
Of Malice and the Magnum Heart – Misery Signals
The Artist in the Ambulance – Thrice
Saosin – Self-Titled
These are just a few albums that influenced us and changed the way we looked at and decided to pursue music as a reality.
What has been the greatest honour you guys have experienced as yet?
Playing one of the main stages at Warped Tour in 2011, touring across the UK/Europe for the first time, putting out albums that are known in many different countries, having people tattoo lyrics/album art on their bodies, etc. All of these are great honours that we are looking to keep expanding upon.
When would you consider the moment you guys sat back and said wow this is it, we made it, we are living our dream?
Every day that we are afforded the ability to play music for people who are willing to listen is living the dream. We were taught not to rest on our laurels as we have lofty goals for ourselves as a group.
However, it would be foolish to not acknowledge or recognize what is happening in the moment. When we interact with people at shows or online, ship merch all over the world, have requests for people to have us play in their towns
All of that is living the dream and we are honoured to have been given the time to do it.
What emotional role does each band member play in the band? Is there one of you that is like the father figure and one of you who is the naughty child?
Tyler and Mike are the naughty children! Haha. In all seriousness though, every one of us plays a vital role in the band emotionally.
Has there ever been a part of you where you thought I don’t know if we are ready for this? Or did you feel born ready?
All of us in Of Virtue have hardships we push through in our personal lives that do effect our ability to make/pursue music. Some days you want to give it all up or you feel like you are spinning your wheels in place not getting anywhere. I can’t say that we ever felt “born ready” but when the opportunities present themselves, we have put ourselves through the gauntlet and know what to do when they appear.
What has been the best advice you’ve ever received that has carried through into your music?
Listen to your heart and pay attention to your surroundings. Work smarter and harder to get anywhere you want in life.
Do you feel like your style of music needs to expand and develop as you go along with the times or do you aim to stay true to your own?
Absolutely. Metal nowadays does not sound like it does in the 80s, 90s, 00s etc. It is the constant evolution of the genre and infusion of new sounds that keeps the movement going after all these years.
Staying “true” we believe is staying true to the reasons that made you feel a connection to the music in the first place. The sound or how that message is portrayed can evolve over time but the feeling is something that can’t ever be changed.
Are you guys into any other genres of music?
Absolutely! Hip hop, pop, EDM, hard rock, R and B, you name it. Life is full of too many talented people to only listen to a few genres of music and if it sounds good to our ears, we will listen!
What are some are your favourite bands, musicians that you would recommend your fans to listen to as well?
Artists we grew up listening to like Misery Signals, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Thrice, Story of the Year, Glassjaw etc. along with some newer bands we have been digging like
PVRIS, Bring Me The Horizon, In Hearts Wake, Northlane, etc. in the heavy realm.
As a South African outlet, has your band had the chance to sell any music or ship any records to South Africa? Would you consider playing in a market like ours and why?
We have had the opportunity to ship merchandise to Johannesburg a while back which was awesome! Never in our bands career did we think people would hear us that far away. As far as playing, we would absolutely love to come and play for anyone there who is willing to have us. One of the greatest things about music is being able to connect with many different types of people and cultures across the world and South Africa would be no different \m/
Lastly, we want to ask what is in store for Of Virtue for the rest of the year?
We just started announcing festival dates for a European tour we are gearing up to do in the summer. We’ll be participating in Rockstadt Extreme in Romania w/ Converge, Misery Index etc. and FAJT Fest in Prague, Czech Republic with King 810, Crystal Lake, Betraying the Martyrs just to name a few. We have spring run in the United States slated to be announced here shortly along with news about more new music in the future!
Thank again guys for being so willing to take some time to let us get to know you better. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for you.
Thank you for having us and we look forward to the future as well!
Interviewed by: Jessie (More from Jessie)
Shots suppled by: None of the images used are property of The Metalist za
Date: 3 March 2018
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