Gold-selling hard rockers OF MICE & MEN — Aaron Pauley (bass + vocals),Valentino Arteaga (drums),Alan Ashby (guitar) and Phil Manansala (guitar) — are hitting the road this spring, with support from GORE. and UNTIL I WAKE.
Tickets go on sale on January 29. All dates are below.
Pauley comments on the upcoming tour, saying, “We’re beyond stoked to be announcing these dates with UNTIL I WAKE and GORE. We want to thank all of our fans for the years of support and we can’t wait to celebrate the last 15 years of music with you all at these shows.”
OF MICE & MEN on tour with UNTIL I WAKE and GORE.:
May 06 – Dallas, TX – Echo Lounge
May 07 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre
May 09 – Saint Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
May 10 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Festival
May 11 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
May 13 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center
May 14 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
May 16 – Destin, FL – Club LA
May 17 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville Festival
May 19 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
May 20 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
May 21 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
May 23 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva
May 24 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr Smalls Theatre
Taking all creative matters into their own hands, the Southern California quartet self-produced and engineered all of the songs on “Tether”, their eighth album. Pauley mixed and mastered the album, while Arteaga designed and painted the album’s artwork. As a legion of devoted listeners worldwide has come to expect, guitarists Phil Manansala and Alan Ashby, Aaron and Tino poured their hearts and souls into every note, creating another sonic document of their lives.
“With this one, we weren’t really focused on how it sounded as much as we focused on how it felt,” Pauley explains. “And that’s a weird thing to do when all you’re working with is sound. But that was really the goal. And we walked away from making it, feeling like we’ve accomplished that.”
OF MICE & MEN take sobering looks at depression, anxiety, loneliness, and existential dread, powering through the darkness, and emphasizing the importance of creativity as a balm for mental health. A commanding tempest of sounds coalesces within OF MICE & MEN, blending the uplifting eloquence of modern active rock with the atmospheric dissonance of experimental post-rock. The band first emerged as part of a vanguard of future aggressive rock hitmakers. Over the years, they’ve distinguished themselves with musicality, creative ambition, and resilient determination.
Album eight was no less ambitious. “Tether” is anchored by a reflective meditation on what it means to draw together as friends, family men, artists, and bandmates. What does it mean to be there for the people who depend on us, knowing we can’t fully protect them from the hardships of life?
The OF MICE & MEN core since 2016 — Aaron, Alan, Tino and Phil — maintain a powerful bond with their audience and each other, no matter the obstacles. Whether a powerful anthem or atmospheric confession, their songs translate in intimate clubs and massive festivals. “It’s about creating moments for people,” Pauley says. “Music is the soundtrack to people’s lives.”