Of Mice & Men’s Tino Arteaga On “Defy,” Limp Bizkit & Not Being Of Monsters & Men
A metalcore band formed in Costa Mesa, California in 2009, Of Mice & Men has released five studio albums. Its latest is Defy, as released on January 19th via Rise Records. Produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Three Days Grace, Skillet, The All-American Rejects) and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Rise Against), Defy includes “Warzone,” “Unbreakable” and “Back To Me,” which had clocked over 8.5 million Spotify streams and 6 million views from YouTube and VEVO months before the album came out.
Also of note about Of Mice & Men is that the group — which consists of vocalist/bassist Aaron Pauley, guitarists Alan Ashby and Phil Manansala and drummer Tino Arteaga — has held a #1 chart position with Billboard and has around five million social media followers. To learn more about Defy and what else Of Mice & Men has going on, I spoke with Mr. Arteaga via e-mail about the past, present and future of the quartet. More on OM&M can be found online at www.ofmiceandmenofficial.com.
Defy is your forthcoming album. You’ve already released four songs from it. How long has the album been done for?
Tino Arteaga: We finished recording in September and mixing in October so relatively recently!
Do you have a favorite song on the new album?
Tino Arteaga: I love all of the songs, to me they each individually offer something very important to the album as a whole. I do tend to identify with the thrashier stuff like “Warzone,” but then I love the vulnerability of songs like “On The Inside” or “If We We’re Ghosts.”
Blessthefall, Cane Hill and Fire From The Gods will be touring with you in the winter. How did that package come together? Anyone share management or an agent?
Tino Arteaga: Mainly we wanted to put together a eclectically-heavy bill, each band brings something fresh to the table and no band sounds the exact same. Also, we all share the same label Rise Records!
Your last two albums have reached the Top 20 on the Billboard charts beyond some #1 spots on specialty charts. Where were you when you first found out about landing a #1 spot on a chart?
Tino Arteaga: Probably on tour in the middle of nowhere. (laughs) It’s an amazing thing to see such a huge response to our music! The thing is, we just make the songs, it’s up to our amazing fans to take them to the top of the charts. We appreciate every single person listening!
Are there any projects that you have been working on outside of Of Mice & Men?
Tino Arteaga: Nope — I eat, breathe, sleep and bleed Of Mice & Men!
Has anyone come to an Of Mice & Men concert wrongly expecting Of Monsters & Men? Or better yet, is that a band you’ve ever encountered?
Tino Arteaga: Yes, actually! We just recently met an older couple who came to our show in Europe expecting to hear “Little Talks” or whatever it’s called and we ripped them a new one with “Warzone” instead!
Wikipedia says that Limp Bizkit was an influence on Of Mice & Men. Is that true?
Tino Arteaga: Absolutely! Their insane riffs, paired with the killer grooves of the drums and bass, not to mention Fred’s attitude. I’ll never forget when I first heard 3 Dolla Bill Y’all, I wanted to get a red “NY” hat!
When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?
Tino Arteaga: I love listening to music and creating new ideas. I chop and flip samples from my vinyl collection which spans all genres of music to create interesting new sonic landscapes.
Defy aside, what’s been your favorite album of 2017?
Valentino Arteaga: Technically Defy comes out in 2018, so I’m gonna say Ocean Grove’s The Rhapsody Tapes.
Is there something you wished more people knew about Of Mice & Men?
Valentino Arteaga: I wish people knew how much we truly dedicate ourselves to this music, and how much we appreciate the support we get. We are one big musical family and we feel so privileged to be surrounded by so many like-minded people!
Finally, Tino, any last words for the kids?
Tino Arteaga: THANK YOU and please pick our brand new album Defy — and by that I mean, buy the physical copy. This is gonna be one you’ll want to add to your collection. I promise you will enjoy the music paired with the packaging!
TweetAbout the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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