Aug. 23, 2026

Music with Meaning: Of Mice and Men’s Secrets to Longevity and Fan Connection

Show Notes
Transcript

In this episode of The Adventures of the Pipeman on W4CY Radio, Pipeman sits down with Valentino and Aaron from Of Mice and Men at Warped Tour Montreal. The conversation dives into the resurgence of Warped Tour, the evolving landscape of promoting music with social media, the importance of musical depth, and Of Mice and Men's longevity in the scene. The band also shares updates about upcoming shows and new music.Main Topics Covered

The Return of Warped Tour and Festival Culture
Impact of Social Media on Artists
Evolution from Physical Flyers to Digital Content
Balance Between Social Platforms and Songwriting
The Art and Depth of Music in the Streaming Era
The Longevity and Legacy of Of Mice and Men
Upcoming Shows and New Releases

Key Discussions & StoriesWarped Tour’s Return & Festival Community

Valentino celebrates returning to Warped Tour, giving a shoutout to Kevin Lyman, Insomniac, and the family atmosphere, noting how Of Mice and Men feels fortunate to be part of these massive festivals. 00:45
Pipeman shares recent festival experiences from Wacken and Bloodstock, emphasizing the excitement around the return of Warped Tour. 00:37

MySpace Comeback & Shifting Platforms

The group reflects on MySpace making a comeback, with Aaron joking about "MySpace-ception" and Valentino expressing curiosity about new platforms. 01:19
A playful question emerges: "Is Tom still my friend?" referencing the iconic MySpace founder. 01:31

Social Media: Blessing and Curse

Pipeman reminisces about promoting music via flyers and tape trading, contrasting it with today’s online demands. 01:41
Valentino explains how bands must now not only make music but document and share their process online, striving to stay connected with fans. 02:02
Both Valentino and Aaron talk about the double-edged sword of social media: greater access to fans but a constant need to generate content, sometimes at the expense of music itself. 03:39

Notable Quote"Do you think Fleetwood Mac would have written Rumours if they would have been filming TikToks?" — Aaron 04:24Changes in Listening Habits & The Value of Immersion

Pipeman discusses how the digital age and attention spans have changed songwriting and music consumption: immersive listening to albums versus skipping after a few seconds.
Valentino observes a resurgence in physical media and fans’ desire for deeper connection through tangible music and album art. 05:26

Notable Quote"I think real fans, real music lovers will find the depth in the music." — Valentino 05:48Of Mice and Men’s Approach & Staying Power

The band touches on their songwriting process, emphasizing depth, multifaceted lyrics, and intention behind their work, blending old-school ethos with new platforms. 06:15
Discussion on why bands with substance—and an enduring connection with their audience—survive the rapid churn of viral trends. 07:38

Notable Quote"It's cool to be in a garage band again. That shit's going viral." — Valentino 07:13Upcoming Releases & Shows

Aaron announces headlining California shows in November, their 9th album Another Miracle, and that the band is working on their 10th album. 08:37

Notable Quotes

"It just really feels like family. We've been so fortunate to do so many years on this tour." — Valentino 00:53
"How do you even have time to make music or play live shows if you're doing social media?" — Pipe Man 01:57
"It's a bit of a gift and a curse...we want as many people listening to Of Mice and Men and to our music...these are tools." — Valentino 03:14
"If your content is so good that people are engaged with it, they're not taking that time to even listen to your music." — Aaron 03:46
"Now it's cool to be in a garage band again. That shit's going viral." — Valentino 07:13

Resources & Links Mentioned

Of Mice and Men’s 9th album: Another Miracle 08:46
Upcoming headlining California shows in November 08:37
Warped Tour, Wacken, Bloodstock festivals 00:37
MySpace comeback 01:19
Connect with Of Mice and Men on social platforms

Connect & Follow

Listen to The Adventures of the Pipeman on W4CY Radio
Follow Of Mice and Men for updates on music, shows, and more

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-adventures-of-pipeman--941822/support.

Click Here to Subscribe for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS!

Follow @pipemanradio on all socials & Pipeman Radio Requests & Info at www.linktr.ee/pipemanradio

Stream The Adventures of Pipeman daily & live Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio & Talk 4 TV.

Download, Rate & Review the Podcast at The Adventures of Pipeman, Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & All Podcast Apps.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:08.769
Hey, you're listening to The Adventure of Pumlin on W4CY.

2
00:00:08.810 --> 00:00:09.429
For you.

3
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.320
This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventures of

4
00:00:21.339 --> 00:00:24.629
Pipe Man W4CY radio, and I'm here with... Valentino.

5
00:00:24.910 --> 00:00:25.329
And Aaron.

6
00:00:25.890 --> 00:00:26.750
From Of Mice and Men.

7
00:00:27.050 --> 00:00:29.890
Yes. Here at Warped Tour Montreal.

8
00:00:29.969 --> 00:00:30.510
Wow.

9
00:00:30.769 --> 00:00:33.490
We made it. It's pretty cool that we're meeting up here,

10
00:00:33.530 --> 00:00:37.170
because we're usually meeting at the Wimmer Festivals. Yep. I

11
00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:40.200
just got back from Wacken and Bloodstock, and now I'm

12
00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:43.700
here at Warped Tour, and man, isn't this fucking amazing

13
00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:44.740
to have Warped Tour back?

14
00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:48.369
Man, it absolutely is. Big shout out to Kevin Lyman

15
00:00:48.409 --> 00:00:50.869
and the Insomniac team and everybody here. We just ran

16
00:00:50.909 --> 00:00:54.109
into so many friends coming in the gates and it

17
00:00:54.250 --> 00:00:57.189
just really feels like family. We've been so fortunate to

18
00:00:57.229 --> 00:01:00.350
do so many years on this tour. Now with these

19
00:01:00.429 --> 00:01:04.030
massive festival dates, it's just incredible that of Mice and

20
00:01:04.049 --> 00:01:05.930
Men is still a part of this and we're just

21
00:01:05.950 --> 00:01:06.790
so happy to be here.

22
00:01:07.290 --> 00:01:09.709
Well, we're happy to have you here. And I have another,

23
00:01:09.890 --> 00:01:12.930
like we have more stuff coming back. So I have

24
00:01:12.969 --> 00:01:16.909
a question is if, MySpace is going to be on

25
00:01:17.049 --> 00:01:19.489
MySpace since MySpace is coming back.

26
00:01:19.590 --> 00:01:19.909
Oh, yeah.

27
00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:23.400
We have to do a MySpace-ception.

28
00:01:23.560 --> 00:01:25.519
It has to be some sort of MySpace-ception with that.

29
00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:27.299
But I did see that MySpace is coming.

30
00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:29.560
Back, which is a trip. That's pretty wild, right?

31
00:01:29.579 --> 00:01:31.200
Yeah, time is just a flat circle.

32
00:01:31.459 --> 00:01:33.689
I just wonder if Tom's still my friend.

33
00:01:33.709 --> 00:01:37.250
I know, right? Personally, I'm excited for yet another social

34
00:01:37.290 --> 00:01:38.750
media platform to happen right now.

35
00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:43.109
Oh, I know, right? Yay! Listen, I don't think people

36
00:01:43.189 --> 00:01:45.870
realize how hard it is on artists nowadays with all

37
00:01:45.909 --> 00:01:50.640
this social media stuff. Because back in the day, you know,

38
00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:56.280
you plastered your flyers on telephone poles, tape trading. But

39
00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:57.920
this is a lot of work. Like, how do you

40
00:01:57.969 --> 00:02:00.510
even have time to make music or play live shows

41
00:02:00.549 --> 00:02:01.730
if you're doing social media?

42
00:02:01.750 --> 00:02:04.780
Yeah. Well, something we've learned in trying to do this

43
00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:06.840
and trying to keep up with these new social media

44
00:02:06.859 --> 00:02:11.120
platforms is we have to, it comes with the territory now.

45
00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:14.080
The territory used to be getting in the van, going

46
00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:17.139
on tour, playing for as many people as possible, flyering

47
00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:19.439
every show you can, and now you can do this

48
00:02:19.490 --> 00:02:21.789
stuff from the comfort of your home. So for a

49
00:02:21.810 --> 00:02:24.710
band like us, when we're working at home, we're trying

50
00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:26.849
to document what we're doing. We're trying to document the

51
00:02:26.889 --> 00:02:29.409
process a little bit, try and remember that we have

52
00:02:29.430 --> 00:02:31.669
an outlet to be able to access our fans now

53
00:02:31.810 --> 00:02:34.849
easier than ever, you know? So there's, it's a bit

54
00:02:34.889 --> 00:02:37.689
of a gift and a curse and we're older dudes too, man.

55
00:02:37.710 --> 00:02:40.069
We've been a band for 17 years. We're on our,

56
00:02:40.409 --> 00:02:43.169
we've released our ninth album. We're working on our 10th album.

57
00:02:43.909 --> 00:02:44.990
Does that blow your mind?

58
00:02:45.150 --> 00:02:49.469
Oh man, it's absolutely unreal. These are not things that

59
00:02:49.509 --> 00:02:52.439
we thought about, let alone all the different social media stuff.

60
00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:56.180
But it is important these days. And so we just

61
00:02:56.219 --> 00:02:58.639
do our best to try and remember that fans are

62
00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:00.300
on there and that they want to see what's going

63
00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:02.780
on with the band. So I think, yeah, it is

64
00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:05.060
a bit difficult to keep up, but it's something that

65
00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:08.159
is also important for music because ultimately we want as

66
00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:10.680
many people listening to Of Mice and Men as and

67
00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.620
to our music, or any band's music for that matter,

68
00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:17.900
as much as possible. And now these are tools, and

69
00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:21.000
so we are learning and trying to use them as

70
00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:21.900
much as possible.

71
00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:25.379
I think the fans appreciate it too, because like you said,

72
00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:29.189
it's easier for them to connect with you. And so

73
00:03:29.210 --> 00:03:32.069
then they become like super fans because they feel like

74
00:03:32.310 --> 00:03:36.750
they're part of something. And I think that's what's the

75
00:03:36.789 --> 00:03:37.430
cool part about it.

76
00:03:37.490 --> 00:03:38.210
Absolutely, yeah.

77
00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:41.319
Oh, definitely. And see, and then it's a double-edged sword. See,

78
00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:45.659
my feelings about it is it's how you promote your music,

79
00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:49.789
but ultimately that 30 seconds of content takes away somebody's

80
00:03:49.789 --> 00:03:52.210
30 seconds that they could be listening to your music.

81
00:03:52.889 --> 00:03:55.030
So it's almost like if your content is so good

82
00:03:55.069 --> 00:03:57.250
that people are engaged with it, they're not taking that

83
00:03:57.310 --> 00:04:00.060
time to even listen to your music. So that's the

84
00:04:00.580 --> 00:04:02.539
weird thing is it used to be like flyers and

85
00:04:02.580 --> 00:04:05.400
magazines and things like that. Or like you could send

86
00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:07.740
physical things to your fan club so they could look

87
00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:09.919
at it while they're listening to your music. But now

88
00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:12.259
it's like, well, you can either watch the TikTok of

89
00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:15.479
us dancing or you can spend that time listening to

90
00:04:15.539 --> 00:04:18.490
a song and you only have one or the other

91
00:04:18.509 --> 00:04:20.029
because you're not going to be listening to the song

92
00:04:20.069 --> 00:04:22.870
while watching the TikTok videos. Unless maybe you do. You

93
00:04:23.009 --> 00:04:25.910
have two phones or something. So it's a weird double-edged

94
00:04:25.990 --> 00:04:28.470
sword where it's like, I saw somebody say, do you

95
00:04:28.490 --> 00:04:30.730
think Fleetwood Mac would have written rumors if they would

96
00:04:30.750 --> 00:04:32.790
have been filming TikToks? And it's like.

97
00:04:32.810 --> 00:04:34.879
I don't know. Maybe not.

98
00:04:34.889 --> 00:04:35.740
It's interesting, though.

99
00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:40.000
Maybe not, because songwriting now has changed because of the

100
00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:42.920
attention span. Totally. So it's like some of my most

101
00:04:43.019 --> 00:04:46.850
favorite songs in my life. nobody would even listen to

102
00:04:46.870 --> 00:04:49.670
because it took like 10 to 30 seconds to get

103
00:04:49.730 --> 00:04:51.470
to the part that they would want to listen to.

104
00:04:51.509 --> 00:04:51.769
Yeah.

105
00:04:52.069 --> 00:04:56.089
You know? So, yeah, there's good and bad and everything, totally.

106
00:04:56.129 --> 00:05:00.310
But you made a point I never even thought of, too. Because, like,

107
00:05:00.629 --> 00:05:03.699
I remember immersing myself in an album. Like, you had

108
00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:06.019
to buy the album, so you weren't going to waste

109
00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:08.180
your money. There are bands that I had to listen

110
00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:10.040
to the album like four or five times, and then

111
00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.990
I liked it. Yeah, totally. Yeah, and you invested your

112
00:05:13.029 --> 00:05:16.290
time in, and it was just a total immersive thing. Like,

113
00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:19.170
I'd put the headphones on, look at all the artwork,

114
00:05:19.230 --> 00:05:21.329
read the lyrics. My kids, when we're in the car,

115
00:05:21.350 --> 00:05:22.970
they're like, Dad, how do you know the lyrics of

116
00:05:23.250 --> 00:05:25.750
every song? That's how, you know?

117
00:05:26.389 --> 00:05:28.430
It is definitely a lost art, but it's something that

118
00:05:28.470 --> 00:05:33.110
I feel like now that we're seeing more physical media

119
00:05:33.170 --> 00:05:37.529
being consumed, people are buying albums again, they're collecting vinyl

120
00:05:37.990 --> 00:05:40.189
and they're wanting to support their favorite artists. And I

121
00:05:40.230 --> 00:05:44.129
think with that comes a want for something deeper. You know,

122
00:05:44.189 --> 00:05:45.819
a lot of the things that they see online is

123
00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:48.399
very surface level and it's made to be that way.

124
00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:48.819
Yeah.

125
00:05:48.899 --> 00:05:52.879
But I think Real fans, real music lovers will find

126
00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.860
the depth in the music. And that's why our band specifically,

127
00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:01.439
we write music that has, it's multifaceted, it's layered. Yes,

128
00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:03.810
we do some of the TikToks. Yes, we make the

129
00:06:03.850 --> 00:06:06.589
social media. But our lyrics and our music and the

130
00:06:06.670 --> 00:06:10.709
content that we make with our music and our craft

131
00:06:10.850 --> 00:06:15.589
is something that is meticulously created to have depth. And

132
00:06:15.629 --> 00:06:19.149
I think nowadays fans, they crave that and they want that.

133
00:06:19.610 --> 00:06:22.829
And so with, you know, going back to with MySpace

134
00:06:22.870 --> 00:06:25.329
and stuff like that, all these things are tools for

135
00:06:25.370 --> 00:06:27.850
people to hopefully find that music and have it resonate.

136
00:06:27.870 --> 00:06:30.189
And I think there's a big thing with a lot

137
00:06:30.209 --> 00:06:32.750
of these bands that are having these massive resurgences. You

138
00:06:32.790 --> 00:06:35.750
have your Deftones, you have your Seven Dust. These songs

139
00:06:35.790 --> 00:06:39.209
were incredible at the time. They were deep. They were meaningful.

140
00:06:39.250 --> 00:06:42.750
There was a meaning in it. And I think even

141
00:06:42.829 --> 00:06:45.569
our band has had some of our old songs come

142
00:06:45.709 --> 00:06:50.399
up and go semi-TikTok viral or whatever and it's because

143
00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:54.139
the music is meaningful and with that meaningful music I

144
00:06:54.180 --> 00:06:56.480
think there will always be an audience for that and

145
00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:59.579
now more than ever we have these festivals with tens

146
00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.040
of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people coming

147
00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.709
out and they're appreciating it too so it always has

148
00:07:05.750 --> 00:07:08.670
the right audience for the time and I think as

149
00:07:08.730 --> 00:07:11.769
it grows more music like this can be made and

150
00:07:11.829 --> 00:07:13.730
now it's cool to be in a garage band again

151
00:07:13.810 --> 00:07:16.829
that shit's going viral people grabbing guitars and drums and

152
00:07:17.269 --> 00:07:19.529
pissing off the neighbors and getting the cops called those

153
00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:22.230
videos are going viral I'm seeing them and I'm like

154
00:07:22.250 --> 00:07:24.100
yes it's cool to be in a punk rock band

155
00:07:24.129 --> 00:07:26.629
again and that's how we all got our start so

156
00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:30.519
something's working here I can't knock it you know we

157
00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:34.800
might be getting older but you know the youth is

158
00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:37.160
still there and they're still making loud music and that's

159
00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:38.139
what all this shit's.

160
00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:40.040
About And one thing that you said I want to

161
00:07:40.139 --> 00:07:43.980
focus in on is the fact that, you know, the

162
00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:47.509
depth of your music, that's why you're here for 17 years.

163
00:07:47.529 --> 00:07:49.550
We were talking about this in another interview where the

164
00:07:49.589 --> 00:07:53.970
artist was saying, yeah, listen, these TikTok artists, they blow

165
00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:56.209
up and then they're gone just as quick as they

166
00:07:56.250 --> 00:08:00.819
blew up. But musicians like you guys and creating music

167
00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:04.980
that does have depth to it is what keeps you

168
00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:08.870
around and has you here at Warped Tour in 2026

169
00:08:08.870 --> 00:08:10.410
in Montreal. Totally.

170
00:08:10.509 --> 00:08:10.850
Thank you.

171
00:08:11.050 --> 00:08:12.209
Yeah, thank you for saying that, man.

172
00:08:12.389 --> 00:08:15.310
My pleasure, because you guys are badass. Thank you, man.

173
00:08:15.329 --> 00:08:15.550
Thank you.

174
00:08:15.949 --> 00:08:18.839
I'm very happy to have you here. I'll be very

175
00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:23.139
happy to be out there fucking at your set while

176
00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:25.699
you kill it. And thanks for being on the Adventures

177
00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:26.240
of Pint Man.

178
00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:28.259
And thanks for always taking the time to talk to us, too.

179
00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:28.600
Always.

180
00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:29.290
I always enjoy seeing you.

181
00:08:29.379 --> 00:08:32.110
Anytime. Is there any other final words you want to

182
00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:34.769
tell the listeners that we haven't covered of anything they

183
00:08:34.789 --> 00:08:35.629
need to look out for?

184
00:08:37.750 --> 00:08:41.240
We have some headlining California shows in November. We're working

185
00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:45.299
on some new music. And that's kind of basically all

186
00:08:45.340 --> 00:08:47.879
for now. Another Miracle's out. It's our ninth record, and

187
00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:49.679
we're working on number ten now.

188
00:08:49.779 --> 00:08:52.470
I love it. I love it. See, that's old school

189
00:08:52.509 --> 00:08:55.029
to me, too, like putting one record out after another.

190
00:08:55.370 --> 00:08:59.070
I love it. I love you guys. And have fun

191
00:08:59.110 --> 00:08:59.909
here at Warped Tour.

192
00:09:00.129 --> 00:09:01.029
And we love you. Thank you.

193
00:09:01.090 --> 00:09:02.980
Yeah, thank you so much. Thanks for listening, everyone.

194
00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:09.620
Thank you for listening to The Adventures of Pikeman on

195
00:09:09.970 --> 00:09:10.409
W4CY Radio.

Music with Meaning: Of Mice and Men’s Secrets to Longevity and Fan Connection

Listen On

Featured Episodes

Recent Episodes

Support On