INTERVIEW: Of Virtue
Michigan may resemble a soft mitten in shape, but bands like Of Virtue show that underneath is a balled fist waiting to punch your state in the face.
(Just give me that Pulitzer right now.)
25 million streams. Billboard chart appearances. Brutally crushing breakdowns. Everything that Of Virtue does, they do well and they do heavy. With Damon Tate and Mike Valadez on guitar, Tate and Tyler Ennis on vocals, and Ryan Trinh pulling it all together on drums, this is a band on the forefront of the Michigan metalcore scene. Gearing up for their upcoming US tour, I got a chance to interview the band about everything from rowboat mosh pits to *NSYNC to upcoming festival dates in an interview that Rolling Stone wishes they had the credibility to nab:
312 Noise: From bands like Black Dahlia Murder to I Prevail to Taproot to We Came As Romans, Michigan is responsible for some of the best and most varied metalcore sounds of the 2000’s. What makes the Wolverine State such fertile ground for metal?
Of Virtue: There are a variety of reasons in my opinion! A major one would be our state having all 4 seasons. Growing up here you had music to match every mood. My favorite artists could have something to turn down the windows in the summer or chill out and vibe when the weather got cold.
In some ways as well, it feels like we have a chip on our shoulder musically. We are the birthplace of Motown, electronic music as we know it and some of the largest hip hop acts of all time and yet we still don’t get the credit like an LA, Chicago, New York etc. There are so many talented people here that you really have to go above and beyond yourself to make it in MI music scenes.
312: You’re hitting the road for 2 weeks in March. This is going to be the first time a lot of your fans get to see songs off of Omen live. Which song off last year’s album is your favorite to perform live?
OV: There are 2 actually! 'Hypocrite' has been a staple for us now because of the high energy it brings to our sets and of course, 'Sinner'. It’s awesome to see the shift in dynamic when we play that song. The verses are moody and when the chorus kicks in, the crowd is singing along with us in full effect really driving that big rock feel home.
312: If I said “Think about a memorable mosh pit at an Of Virtue show”, what’s the show that first pops into your head?
OV: Oh man…there is one that makes me laugh instantly. We played the after show at UK Tech Fest in 2018 and during the breakdown of 'Surrounded', the crowd split up and started doing the row boat! In a sea of almost a thousand people it was pretty wild and made all of us smile, so that would be a solid choice.
312: Who are some influences for the band that might surprise people to hear you mention?
OV: It would probably be more non metal than anything else! Prince or Michael Jackson ring bells because of their abilities to not only be talented musicians but excellent visual performers.
312: How do you split up who controls the music while you’re on the road? Anything on your road playlist that would shock your fans?
OV: Whoever is driving / co-piloting controls the music! Sometimes we’ll play DJ and people can have requests but most of the time it’s easier to have the people in the front steer the ship.
We play everything from hip hop to EDM to metal, etc. Maybe a surprise would be some classic rock like Bruce Springsteen, pop stuff like *NSYNC or The Chronic from Dr. Dre may surprise some folks. Again, we all grew up with different backgrounds and when we are on the road together we get to learn about everyone’s individual journeys.
312: When it comes to food, what’s an underrated city that you always look forward to coming back to?
OV: Houston, TX is one of the best places for food and whenever we see it on the schedule, it’s game time. So many hidden gems there - from Peruvian to Vietnamese to classic Texas BBQ, they have every single taste you can imagine. Needless to say, we are leaving there a little bit heavier than when we arrive!
312: Your upcoming tour only takes you through mid-March. That leaves a lot of open calendar for 2024. New music coming? More live dates? Festivals?
OV: After we get back from Europe we join Dead By April in March, then we are taking a short trip over the Philippines to take part in this years’ Pulp Summer Slam festival where we will join Parkway Drive, Story Of The Year, Fit For An Autopsy, La Dispute and many others for a sick one dream festival. Following that, in April through May, we will be joining our friends in Imminence and Catch Your Breath on the second leg of the “From Sweden with Love” tour across the US. We’ll have a one-off with Nothing More in Cleveland, scoot onto the inaugural “Rock Lansing” festival in our hometown and then head over to Capulet Festival in Connecticut in late June! So far that’s all we have, but we’re always working on more and we hope to see you at a show soon!
Dates and tickets for Of Virtue's tour can be found here.