Twinmusix got to speak to Tino from Of Mice & Men.
TM - Hi this is Amelia and Elizabeth from Twinmusix and we are here with Tino from Of Mice & Men, thank you for having this interview with us today we appreciate it.
TO - Thank you.
TM - What can fans expect from your new album "Another Miracle" ?
TO - We have our new album "Another Miracle" coming out soon. You would think it was out tomorrow, so I am a little terrified of how next week is going to be. If you have been enjoying our new song, I hope you enjoy our other great songs on our new album. I feel it is a great mix of heavy metal, melodic metal and it is what people have come to know and love about the band, but done on a elevated platform. This is the third album that we have produced and I feel like it will be a Home Run. It is not only the Sonic quality of the album, but with the context of the music, the song writing and the overall vibes of the album. I think it flows well and I am really proud of it.
TM - What was your writing and recording process for "Another Miracle"?
TO - It has always been the same since we have been self-producing our own music. We are always writing new music and we are always crafting new songs. When it comes time to buckle down and put things together, we decide which songs we feel the strongest about and which songs we resonate with. We create a body of work that is reflective of how we feel at the time because all our music is about our experiences as humans. In turn we think our fans have come to know and appreciate that and they are able to find their own meaning in the music.
We write about our understanding of the world around us and our lives and the things that we go through. A lot of people go through the same feelings and I think that is what has gravitated us to this style of music. I think it is something that our fans can really sink their teeth into.
TM - What is your favourite song on this new album "Another Miracle"?
TO - It depends what mood I am in, if I am in a viby melodic mood I'd like a song like "Wake Up or Safe and Sound".
If I am in a kick ass mood i would like a song like "Troubled Water or Hourglass". There is a vibe for almost everybody and for the scope of human emotion. I encourage our new fans to pick up our new album on November 14th and put it on front to back and listen to it in the track list order that we have it in.
TM - How did you come up with your Album cover for "Another Miracle" and Who designed it?
TO - "Matthias Löwenstein" from "Season Zero". He is a German artist and he took a more traditional sketch, painting and art approach. We did on our last two self-produced albums and I think it really fits the evolution of the format of the evaluation of not only taking those to album sonically but then visually. It takes to a whole new level of what we feel and what we did in the music side. I thought it was only natural to have the art side of it reflected in a more modern three-dimensional way. We like our artwork to be open to interpretation to anyone who is looking at it.
TM - What can fans expect from your Australian tour?
TO - We are happy we got to announce it and we are excited to play some shows with the electric band "Crystal Lake". We are so pumped and we have been fans of them for a long time. The bill is going to be absolutely scaving. The fans can expect us to bring a very diverse setlist and we hope that fans get to hear their favourite songs. We will also play our personal favourite songs as well as new songs from our new album. We want everyone to come out and have a good time.
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs what band would it be, what song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?
TO - I would like "Nine Inch Nails" to cover "Troubled Water" off our new album "Another Miracle" in their style. I think it would be bad ass. It already has a synth computer-generated sound, and there are some loops in that song that are pretty cool. I think it would be cool to get a whole new take on it from the master minds of "Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross".
TM - Who was the first band or Artist you saw live and can you tell us a story?
TO - I think it was the band "Cake", they have the songs "The Distance, Frank Sinatra and Short Skirt/Long Jacket". My dad took me for my thirteenth or fourteenth birthday and it was the first concert I had ever seen in a rock Club. That was a game changer for me because I got to be right up close. I was inspired and enamoured by the performances and at the time I was a saxophone player before I learnt all the other instruments. I remember seeing them with a Horn section on stage and getting to hear the music right up in my face. It was a life-changing experience for me at the legendary venue called "SOMA" in San Diego that I like to call my second home.
TM - Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?
TO - I just want to say thank you. We are a band that has been around for 16 years and we are on our 9th album and the reason we are still able to do that is because we have our amazing fans that still listen to our music and that are still connecting with it and requesting us to play. They are coming out in droves and buying tickets early and selling out our shows. We feel so privileged and grateful to have a great connection with our audience's and it's really because of our fans that we are able to make these trips. When we come to Australia, we are going to play songs from our discography, so we look forward to seeing everyone.
TM - Thank you for having this interview with us today we appreciate it.
TO - Thanks for having me.