Of Mice & Men get ‘Real’ with new music video

According to Of Mice & Men in late 2015, 2016 was supposed to be the year the group returned with a fiery vengeance after several medical emergencies resulted in all activities being suspended. With a couple of months left in 2016, the California-based band has done just that by hitting the road with Marilyn Manson and Slipknot as well as announcing the impending release of their fourth studio album. On Tuesday (Aug. 23), the group unleashed the music video for the second single off of Cold World; “Real.” The almost three-and-a-half minute clip asks the question, “What makes you real?”

As the video progresses, we see the band performing the new song while clips of people with signs are interwoven throughout the performance. Every single person in the clip, hold up a sign explaining exactly what makes them real. Watch the music video for “Real” below.

“Real” will join lead single “Pain” on the band’s upcoming release, Cold World. Cold World is set to be released on Sept. 9 through Rise Records.

In conjunction with the music video’s release, frontman Austin Carlile sat down with Rolling Stone for an exclusive interview where they spoke about several things. During the chat, Carlile revealed how during a show earlier in the month in Denver, he suffered a collapsed lung, but instead of cancelling the rest of the set, he soldier on.

“I couldn’t breathe right and I was gasping,” he recalled to the publication. “I managed to do the rest of the show. Then, the medics came and gave me oxygen and the lung somehow kind of naturally re-inflated. But, things like that happen every day and I’ve just learned to deal with them. The best laid plans for Of Mice and Men often go awry. I can’t plan for much because I feel like life is always going to throw me a curve ball.”

To read Carlile’s complete Rolling Stone interview, head on over here.

The Calling Frontman Abducted and Beaten

Good publicity stunt or just the weirdest news of the day, it doesn’t matter, but this might take the cake.

Alex Band from the group The Calling (yes, from “Wherever You Will Go” fame), was reportedly abducted this weekend while he was taking a stroll down the street in Michigan. The frontman was taken, beaten severely and then dumped on nearby train tracks.

The singer, as well as the rest of the band were in Lapeer, MI for a music festival when he decided to take a walk from his hotel to a nearby mini mart around 4 am Sunday morning. During that stroll, a van reportedly pulled up next to the singer, grabbed him and started to beat him up, viciously.

After having their fun beating the crap out of him, the culprits proceeded to dump his beaten up, bruised body near some railroad tracks.

The next day, another member of the band notice that Band was missing which jump-started a search party to search for the missing musician. A short time later, they found him where he had been dumped.

Following the new breaking about the abduction, the band released a statement about it which can be see below:

After the exciting announcement of the return of the multi-platinum pop rock band THE CALLING last week, the band hit the road to play a couple of spot dates in Atlantic City and Lapeer, Michigan.   After a heavily attended Lapeer Days Festival the singer was abducted after the show during a trip to the local mini mart.  Alex was grabbed by his shirt and hit from behind and lost his footing. He was beaten with a police baton with a gun pointed to his face demanding Band’s “Hollywood money.”   

After Band fought back he was cornered in the van with gun to his face and Band told the assailants “Don’t kill me as I am about to be a dad.”  After more beating the assailants responded with “We don’t kill fathers” and then left him for dead at a local railroad track in Lapeer.  

Band was left with a fractured lower spine, 15 stitches to lower chin, 3 broken teeth and is bruised on his side and stomach from the baton beating.  “I never thought my unborn child would be my savior.  I am grateful to be alive and I know that I am destined for bringing my music back to my fans,” states Alex.   He is jumping back into finishing the record to help in the healing process and is resting for optimal healing.   

Police and detectives were called to the scene and are undergoing an investigation with the local authorities. Despite rumors of this being a drug related situation it is clearly NOT the case and there was NO abuse of alcohol also backed by medical examination.   

“I take my rehabilitation very seriously I was near death due to this unbelievable situation and the rumors are categorically false and not a hoax as reported.” says Alex Band.

But like it was said earlier, it could go either way especially now that there has been an announcement that The Calling will be making a comeback.