From adopting their band name directly from an Enforcer song to an unexpected moment of a member sitting on Lemmy’s lap, Midnight Vice is a group with a wealth of captivating stories. With the recent release of their self-titled EP in 2023, the band’s poised for an exciting journey that has only just begun!

TheNwothm: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview! Can you tell our readers who you guys are, who is in the band and where your from?

M.V: Thank you so much for featuring us! We are Midnight Vice, a New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal band from Florida. The members of the band consist of Dennis O’sullivan on drums, Lakota Stafford on bass, Sam Bean on guitar, and Tyler Gray on vocals.

TheNwothm: You guys have been delivering the metal since 2020! So how did you guys form?

M.V: It’s kind of funny, the band originally formed from recycled members of a band that I (Tyler) was in prior. I always had a huge influence from glam metal, and was singing in a classic hard rock type band. However, the drummer and the bass player in that band were also really into 80’s heavy metal stuff like I was. We ended up meeting Lakota at an open mic that we used to perform at every week. When that band broke up, the bass player that we had switched over to guitar, and Lakota slid in on bass. And that was the original foundation
for Midnight Vice. About 6 months later, we had some more lineup changes and that was when Sam and Dennis came in to solidify the lineup that we have today.

TheNwothm: So where did the name Midnight Vice come from? Who came up with the idea?

M.V: I don’t think that there is any denying that the band name derives from the mighty Enforcer. When we were trying to map out exactly what we wanted to do, bands like Cauldron, White Wizzard, Skull Fist, and Enforcer were very influential to us. The song title “Midnight Vice” really resonated with us, so that was what we rolled with.

TheNwothm: And as Nwothm is so diverse in sound, how would you describe your take on the genre?

M.V: I think that the beauty of the NWOTHM scene is that it can be approached in different ways. There are bands that stay very dedicated to the “old school” manner. When you hear the music, you would think that it was an unreleased album that was recorded in 1985. Then there are bands that pay homage to the nostalgic sound, while incorporating modern elements. That’s what Midnight Vice does. We try to maintain a very organic song-writing
procedure, so we typically let all of our influences flourish in one way or another. Both approaches to the genre are great.

TheNwothm: As a unit, did you have an idea for your image, brand and direction of your music from the get go?

M.V: Not necessarily, but I think that we did have a general idea of the direction that we wanted to go. We were undoubtedly chasing a nostalgic sound, but I remember a point in time where it seemed like Midnight Vice was going to be a glam metal band. Everything seemed to fall into place once we solidified the current lineup. Dennis and Lakota are heavily influenced by death metal, while Sam and I are more influenced by classic heavy metal and the grittier glam bands from that time. That dichotomy seems to level out pretty well and I think it shows.

TheNwothm: So, Tampa Florida! There is a ton of great bands from that part of the states! What is your opinion on the metal scene where you are? Any go to venues?

M.V: Oddly enough, we derive from what many claim to be the death metal capital of the United States. Bands like Death, Obituary, and Morbid Angel definitely put Florida on the map. It’s also worth noting that Crimson Glory and Savatage made their mark on Florida as well. The scene here is great. There’s not really any traditional heavy metal bands in Florida that we’ve come across, so if we’re not opening up for a national act, we’re typically playing with
death metal bands or 70’s inspired “new wave of classic rock” bands.

Just about everyone in the scene is very accepting, and the elitism is minimal. Brass Mug, The Orpheum, Conduit, The Floridian Social, and New World Music Hall are very honorable mentions for any band that’s looking for a venue to play in Florida.

TheNwothm: What can you tell our readers about each of yourselves?

M.V: Tyler loses almost all of his belongings almost every time after a night out of drinking. Lakota eats 2 packets of Tuna right before performing live. Dennis got to sit on Lemmy Kilmeister’s lap when he was a child. Sam is actually a barber as his daytime profession, so if you need a haircut go see him backstage.

TheNwothm: For some fun now! If each of you were matched to one of the following, which member would be matched to what? The heavy drinker, the one that gets all the girls, the one that spends too much time in front of the mirror and the super serious one.

M.V: Tyler is the heavy drinker and the super serious one. Sam is the one that gets all the girls and spends too much time in the mirror. Though it’s not listed, Dennis and Lakota are the Cheech and Chong of the band, those dudes have been stoned since we started.

TheNwothm: And who has the best battle jacket in the band?

M.V: Tyler for sure. He’s a giant patch nerd and only collects true vintage patches from the 80’s.

TheNwothm: So last year you gave fans two helpings of music! The first being your debut single “Baptized by Fire. How did that first song come about and what are the lyrical ideas featured?

M.V: Baptized was the first song that ever came out of Midnight Vice, so it felt right to make it the debut release. The lyrics have a “snake in the grass” sort of context to them. It essentially discusses the feeling of betrayal and the desire for vengeance when someone deceives you, or turns out to be someone that you didn’t originally think they were.

TheNwothm: In the summer of last year you unleashed your self titled EP on the world! What can you tell us about each of the six tracks on “Midnight Vice” and do you have any particular favourites?

M.V: Based on feedback that we’ve received, Strike In the Night, Spellcaster, and Mysteria are some of the top tracks off the EP. However, we are very proud of all of them. Strike in the Night is a song about perseverance, and coming out on top after being torn down. Spellcaster is pretty much just a Dungeons and Dragons theme song. None of us even play D&D, but we like to joke around and say that’s where the lyrics come from.

Excalibur is about medieval battle, which kind of had the same lyrical approach as Spellcaster. There isn’t any underlying lyrical meaning, it’s just a theatrical song that places the listener in a different setting. Mysteria is a song about mourning the loss of a loved one, and facing the grief that comes with abandonment. Last but not least, Deliverance of Steel is just pure worship to heavy metal. It seems that every metal band has a song about how much they love metal, so we made sure to write one of those.

TheNwothm: Did the writing and production come quite quick for the EP or did you do it over an extensive period of time?

M.V: It was relatively extensive, but that was just because we spent a lot of time polishing it, and figuring out how to make it sound the way that we wanted it to. It was also the first time some of us had ever recorded in the studio before. Now that we have that “if we knew then I what we know now” type of mindset, we know what we can do better.

We also know exactly how we’re going to record our album, and what sound engineers are going to give us the sound that we’ve established. For that reason, I’m glad that we made the decision to record an EP instead of doing an album right out of the gate. It was a great way for us to dip our
toes in the water.

TheNwothm: And who created that awesome looking artwork? What is its message?

M.V: Martyr of Decay did our artwork for us. The EP doesn’t have a general theme to it, so we really just wanted the artwork to be a visual representation of how the music sounds. That seemed best for the “self-titled” approach. It’s safe to say he hit the nail right on the head.

TheNwothm: Speaking about performing live now, do you have a pre or post show ritual?

M.V: I don’t think that our pre-show ritual is much different from most other bands. We have a couple drinks to loosen up, have some laughs, and hope for the best.

TheNwothm: And who is the one that takes the longest setting up/ packing there gear down at shows? Who is that one guy?

M.V: We’re super efficient at setting up and tearing down, so Dennis unfortunately takes the longest by default!

TheNwothm: Do you think more and more bands are using a lot less gear at shows these days due to the advancement of technology?

M.V: Yes, absolutely. Sam doesn’t even have an amp. He has a processor that taps directly into the PA and his guitar; that’s it. The Midnight Vice camp does not have any opposition to utilising advancements in technology. Personally for us, we draw the line at using laptops and/or playing along to tracks. As long as the skill is there, and all of the sound on stage is being made by actual musicians, there’s nothing wrong with using something like that.

TheNwothm: What can fans expect from a Midnight Vice show?

M.V: Sometimes we don’t even know what to expect at a Midnight Vice show. But we always make sure to deliver a live performance that is as close to what you hear on the EP as possible. We’re all very energetic and expressive on stage, and we keep our engagement with the audience at an all-time high. Typically, we’ll play a cover or two just so that someone who might not be familiar with us has an opportunity to sing along and interact with our performance. We know that it can be kind of a drag when you’re watching a performance from an act that you’ve never heard of.

TheNwothm: What are your upcoming plans for shows in 2024? Will you be touring or playing any big shows worth mentioning?

M.V: We’ve been staying local for the most part. However, on May 5th we will be playing Legions of Metal in Chicago IL. We’re super excited for that. I do think that 2024 will be the year that Midnight Vice starts traveling and playing out of state.

TheNwothm: And musically, is a full length in the pipe line next?

M.V: Yes, we’re currently working on our full length album. It’s hard to throw dates around, but I’d say it will be complete sometime this year.

TheNwothm: Do you have any other plans moving forward as band such as collabs?

M.V: Yes absolutely, 2023 was a great year for making a variety of contacts. Most of the things that we have planned out for this year have to remain on the down-low, but 2024 is going to be an awesome year. We are very optimistic.

TheNwothm: If people want to grab your music and merch where can they do so?

M.V: We always bring merch to our shows, and all of our merchandise is available on our Bandcamp!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidnightVice941

TheNwothm: Is there anything else you would like to mention?

M.V: Heavy metal never dies!