Of Mice & Men had to step up after Carlile’s departure

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Of Mice & Men's Aaron Pauley says everyone in the band “stepped up” following Austin Carlile’s departure to ensure they could continue

Of Mice & Men with Austin Carlile, centre
Of Mice & Men with Austin Carlile, centre

Of Mice & Men’s Aaron Pauley says everyone in the band “stepped up” following the departure of vocalist Austin Carlile to ensure they could continue.

They decided to carry on as a four-piece after Carlile made the decision to leave due to his health issues caused by Marfans Syndrome in December last year.

And Pauley says they’ve managed to keep the intensity going without Carlile as all four of them have made a determined effort to push the band forward.

He tells Kilpop: “A few months before the public knew about it we knew about it, but it’s just been awesome to be out playing shows again with our brothers. We’re down a guy, but at the same time it’s awesome to see our fans hugely embrace us.

“I took over a lot of the lead screaming stuff and Alan Ashby also stepped up too, to get a microphone and do a lot of the background stuff. Everybody’s really stepped up to ensure that when we continue this on as a four piece, that we can still bring an Of Mice & Men show, an Of Mice & Men performance to people.”

Drummer Tino Arteaga adds: “Austin’s health issues have been no secret to the public. Being in a band is like being in a family – we’re like a travelling circus and things are crazy all the time and towards the end of that tour, things were unfortunately getting more difficult.

“When we finally all had the talk together, Austin let us know what was going on and of course we supported him because that’s what we have to do, because it’s for the best of his health.”

Last month, Of Mice & Men released their new track Unbreakable – their first material without Carlile. They are currently on tour across the US and will return to Europe this summer for a run of shows.

Of Mice & Men 2017 tour dates

May 13: Somerset Northern Invasion, WI
May 19: Columbus Rock On The Range, OH
Jun 08: Interlaken Greenfield Festival, Switzerland
Jun 10: Download Festival, UK
Jun 12: Paris Petit Bain, France
Jun 13: Villeurbanne Longlive Rockfest, France
Jun 14: Milan In.Fest Music Festival, Itlay
Jun 16: Nickelsdorf Nova Rock Festival, Austria
Jun 17: Dessel Graspop, Belgium
Jun 18: Clisson Hellfest, France
Jun 19: Strasbourg La Laiterie, France
Jun 20: Worgl Komma, Austria
Jun 22: Grafenhainichen With Full Force Festival, Germany
Jun 23: Neuhausen Ob Eck Southside Festival, Germany
Jun 24: Ysselsteyn Jera On Air, Netherlands
Jun 25: Scheessel Hurricane Festival, Germany
Jun 28: Sopron Volt Festival, Hungary
Jun 29: Scheessel Bravalla Festival, Germany
Jun 30: Roskilde Festival, Denmark
Jul 01: Munster Vainstream Rockfest, Germany
Jul 15: Quebec City Festival d’ete de Quebec, QC

Of Mice & Men’s Ashby insists Carlile wasn’t kicked out

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.