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August 12, 2025 • 9 mins
🎤 Of Virtue joins the podcast straight from Incarceration Fest!

Fresh off their high-energy set, Damon and Ryan talk about playing alongside Slipknot and Marilyn Manson, the thrill of getting that “you’re on the lineup” email, and what makes Danny Wimmer Presents festivals so smooth for artists. 

The guys share stories about last-minute festival invites, debuting a brand-new song on tour, and hitting over 50 MILLION streams — plus their ambitious goal to reach a billion. They also open up about their connection to mental health, creating safe spaces for fans (even in the middle of a wall of death), and the advice they’d give to bands dreaming of these big festival stages.
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up? Wow? Oh fuck, holy shit? What's up everybody.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Damon and I am Ryan from the band of Virtue,
and hey, catch us on tour. We're finished up a tour,
the Temporary High Tour with Archers, Rivals and Dead Eyes.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
We got some new music coming, so you're gonna want
to check us out.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
On all of our socials Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. We even
have a website for all the old guys out there.
And we're hanging out on our friend right here, Kevinn Powell.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
What we are a Virtue And we were hanging out
on the Kevin Powell podcast.

Speaker 4 (00:34):
Thank you so much you guys. Oo y'ah, Hey guys,
what's going on it? Kevin Belle with Given Belle Podcast.
I'm here with Virtue. How you guys feel today?

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Doing fucking fantastic?

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Man?

Speaker 1 (00:47):
How are you?

Speaker 5 (00:47):
I'll tell you bad? You guys have been you played already. Yeah,
I didn't feel walking out incarceration day two. What was
it like?

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Honestly, the weather is awesome.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
It was awesome to see as many people as we
did at the beginning of the day that weren't completely
trashed from the first day.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah, because sometimes that's year. We worry tomorrow. Hey, we'll
be long gone by then.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Okay, but no, it was amazing, like seeing everybody bright
and early getting up there. Rip come have some fun
talk with you guys in then, hey, we get to
watch Slipknot. We get to watch Marilyn Manson all the
big hitters. So can't complin, man can't comply.

Speaker 5 (01:21):
That's awesome. So why don't you guys go ahead and
introduce yourselves? What do you guys do in the band?

Speaker 1 (01:25):
I am Damon, I sing and I play some guitar,
and I'm Ryan I played drums for the band.

Speaker 5 (01:31):
It's awesome. So when it comes down to, you know,
performing an ink, how did it feel to get that
message at email, that call, Hey, you guys are going
to play an inc?

Speaker 1 (01:40):
It felt fantastic.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Anytime we get an offer from any of the Dandy
Whimmer Presents festivals, we are always stoked. We know exactly
what we're getting into. We get here, we set up,
we ripped the set. We just have a good time
throughout the entire day. So anytime we see that offer
come in, we are always stoked for it.

Speaker 5 (01:55):
I just talked to Dan Jansen, the creator of the incarceration.
We're talking about the I mean, I guess how different
it is from Danny Wimber Presents to other live music festivals,
of how smooth it is and how great it is
for artists just walk in and don't have to worry
about much.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Right, Oh, for sure, it's great. Like it's such a
stress freak day. I know, festivals can get to be
really stressful, especially when you show up and you don't
really know what's going on. But we got here, we
knew exactly what was going on. We set up, we played,
and now we're here talking to you guys.

Speaker 5 (02:25):
I can't remember what band it was that played Sonic Temple,
but they were like, dude, this is a well oiled machine,
left and right, no no breaks. It's just great. So
I'm glad you guys get to be part of that.
It isn't your first ink, right.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
So the nice thing about this one, especially you're say,
I'm a getting the email. Whereas the last time we
were actually coming back from Europe in twenty three and
unfortunately Kubla Khan had to drop yep, but they were like, hey,
you guys want to come in and replace them, and we're.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Like yes, hell. Yes, we will be there tomorrow. Okay,
and we were.

Speaker 5 (02:56):
That's awesome. That's a great phone call.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yes, wonderful time.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
So again to be able to be invited back, and
just to be in the ecosphere of all these wonderful festivals.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
We're blessed. We can't complain. Man.

Speaker 5 (03:07):
So you guys dropped the new single right not yet?

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Almost?

Speaker 5 (03:11):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Oh yeah, sorry, we're playing a new song on this story.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (03:15):
If you're playing the new song, what's the reception? What
are people thinking? Well, I got the first wall of
death of the day. Let's go all right, today's gonna
be the wall of up day. Slaughter of Ravail has
been following that, so you guys have got warmed up.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yes, that's the one that we can We're gonna watch
that and see how far they can get it to
stretch out, because.

Speaker 5 (03:33):
Maybe that's why the entire layout was moved around. That's it,
Solder Revail change the whole thing. So if you're upset,
you gotta message them. No, it's a great layout.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
I like it.

Speaker 5 (03:44):
Now.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
They're just gonna have two four eight, all of them,
all of them all. You're just the three stage flying
over the barricades.

Speaker 5 (03:51):
Yes, all right, So we're not at the new single yet,
wicked people may be expected looking.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
At the next couple of months, potentially, you know, shooting
some videos. We wrap up tour here for in less
than a week, and then it's right back at it
new album.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
We knew everything, So the.

Speaker 5 (04:06):
Fun new album cycle, the fun you know what some
people think, oz, No, it's fun. It's fun writing the music,
it's fun playing the music, it's fun getting it out there.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
It's fun to worrying. If you're not having fun, what
what are you doing? Right?

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Come?

Speaker 5 (04:18):
What over here for a second? Well, you're good. We
knew we were gonna have to move, so it's ok. Rolls.
So last album moment over fifty million streams? A holy poop?
How does that feel like a fever dream?

Speaker 2 (04:30):
In some ways, not to say that we don't believe
in our own music, but at the same time, you
still kind of look at it and you go, that's
a big number.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
I mean, yeah, that's a very giant number.

Speaker 5 (04:39):
I mean, I mean not the bract But you can
always be like, yeah, I mean fifty million streams. How
many people can say that, Hey, we humbly exactly, look
at we got fifty.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
It's great.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
It's a testament to our label, to our management, to
anybody that is willing to listen to us, and honestly,
new record we're looking at it like, shoot, we might
be able to get one.

Speaker 5 (05:02):
Hundred fifty one million, nah, one hundred and fifty one
hundred and seventy five a billion, that's it, billion, a
million streams next year.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Reached for the Stars.

Speaker 5 (05:11):
So your new music, well, actually all of your music,
you have a little bit of a tie in with
mental health, right, yes, keep talk about that for a second.
How it's really important to you guys.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Absolutely, it's for us because we go through our own
things like it could be the depressive episodes, it could
be anxiety, it could just be.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
Like what you were talking about. Sometimes somebody's like, oh.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
Hey you had success, you had this, and you realize like,
oh shoot, now I have to try to follow this up.
But it's like in that facet of life itself impost
pressure and you just have to realize like, hey, we
have a wonderful support system.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
We try to do as much as we can speak
on it.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
Tell people hey, we are in safe space, and then
you can confide in us, and we want to be
able to do the same when you know we're feeling down.
We have family that have gone through crazy things and
at the end of the day that we only have
each other, it's you.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
It's this. It could be a perfect stranger. Like I'll
never forget.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
I used to ride the bus to school, like back
in the day, and there was this kinder, old gentleman
didn't have to know anybody. He would say hello to
you every single morning, and it was just a little thing,
like I could be having the worst day and then
get on there you see him, and I'm like.

Speaker 5 (06:20):
That could have been the one thing you're looking forward
to all day exactly.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
Life is just a little bit better, It's like, and
it's the little thing cause you don't it's sometimes you
might not have the courage to want to talk about something,
but it's like if you can make somebody feel comfortable
or give them a place to where again you're not
going to be judged, they're not going to feel by
themselves and they can let those defense mechanisms down, then
you're putting the right things.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Into the world. That's our offending on that.

Speaker 5 (06:43):
Right And now you know you guys have your wallet death, Yes,
but it's still a safe space, absolutely, And.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
We tell people, hey, if you're gonna fall down, pick
somebody back up, right.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
And I always tell people with the wall of.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
Dead too, I say, hey, look on the other side
and just run and give them a very.

Speaker 5 (06:58):
Aggressive hugs, yes, hug of death.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
The hug of the wall of life.

Speaker 5 (07:04):
So, if you guys had to give advice to a
band that's just starting out but wants to see maybe
they're way onto a stage like incarceration, what would it
be and why.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
My only advice to anybody that's starting a band is
love it. Love playing an instrument, Love dedicating yourself to
the craft of every detail, whether it's some of the
dirty work, if it's booking shows, if it's sending emails,
if it's just simply the process is going to be

(07:33):
the thing that's actually going to make the most memories.
People get so consumed with. You know, you look at
InCAR incarceration as a goal. It is a bullet point,
but people sometimes lose sight of what it takes to
actually get to there. And you look along the way
and you go, man, we played a show to seven people,
but those seven people were so staked or you know,

(07:55):
We've recorded a whole albums that their hard drives that
got blown up or got set on fire. But then
when you go realize and you write the record that
was supposed to come out, which is the one. Afterwards
you're like, wow, okay, that was the practice that was
and you can look back on it and you say
you can laugh about it. In the meantime, it's not funny,
but it's hindsight exactly. The journey is going to be

(08:18):
the most important thing. Set the goals along the way,
but fall in love with the process, otherwise you're going
to be disappointed.

Speaker 5 (08:25):
I love how the tone kind of how like you
change your tone, calming down as soon as the song ends.
It was like the perfect When there any final words
you want to say to fans.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
We love you, Keep streaming our music, keep coming to
see us on tour. We're going to keep being those
dudes going out there yelling obscenities at you and telling
you to do things like push each other. But again,
it all comes from a place of love.

Speaker 5 (08:48):
I think you want to.

Speaker 3 (08:49):
Say, yeah, big thank you to everybody who took the
time to come check out or Saturday and today, or
took the time to check out any of our music
at any point. Big thanks to you guys for talking
to us today as well. Yes, big thanks to Danny
Wimmer presents for hobbyists the festival and hopefully we'll see
at another one sometime soon.

Speaker 1 (09:03):
A virtue.

Speaker 5 (09:04):
You gotta check these guys out.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
They rule.

Speaker 5 (09:06):
He'll be at every ink for the rest of the time.
He'll be at every single festival you want to see.
I'm at But they got new music coming out soon,
so you getting ready for that and we'll see you
next time.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
I love you, guys.
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