Show 19: Virtue in a Blizzard (feat. Mint Condition)

Blizzards seem to come every 10 years in New York City. Monday, 2/23/26, was the first snow day public school closure that many children in NYC have ever enjoyed. In January 2016, there was a three-day stretch that saw over 25” of snow. The same happened in February of 2006.

But sometimes, it snows in November.

In the closing days of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the NY and NJ area, killing dozens of residents. The days following were grueling in terms of repair and restoration because of the severe flooding damage.

One week later, another storm made its way to the New York City area—this time with air temperatures hitting below freezing. Because of the outsized surprise impact of Hurricane Sandy just a week prior, forecasts trended towards blizzard-like conditions to convey an abundant amount of warning and caution. It felt like the weather Gods had a score to settle.

But no matter the weather, I had to get out of my parents’ tiny attic-like apartment. Most of my days in 2012 were still centered on helping my mother deal with the effects of brain surgery, even after a few years after her initial procedure. She wasn’t even the only family member I looked after. Between being primary caretaker for most of the week and not being able to find a steady source of decent income, I was constantly on edge.

The little money I made from 2011-2012 came from teaching technology and GED classes in a couple of NYC’s housing projects. It was part of the New York City Housing Authority’s push to expand broadband internet access via partnerships with the City University of New York.

My work at the Astoria housing projects helped to expand its community center’s computer lab from 6 old desktops to 14 new towers, monitors, and keyboards. I also came up with an idea for an inter-generational digital literacy program that I passed off to one of the elderly residents of the Astoria projects, She won a community grant for it. I was the instructor for the program and participants aged 6 to 82 improved their digital literacy skills together.

I was proud of the impact, but ashamed of how little I was paid. It was a few thousand dollars for a few months of work. I felt even more shame having to live with my parents, even if it was best for me to be there to help my family.

My only release from the volatile mix of despair, anger, guilt, and shame was the occasional concert. At that time, I could barely afford to attend one. With mounting health bills for my family, I saved every penny for food, groceries, and public transportation.

I had known months in advance that one of my favorite bands of all time was scheduled to perform in Times Square on November 9, 2012. I felt like I couldn’t afford to go, so I never bought a ticket. Besides, I had seen Mint Condition in concert a few times before.

You may have read the previous piece on the “Minneapolis sound,” but it’s still right to wonder why would I be such a fan of a band from Minneapolis. It’s the same reason Mint Condition became a TikTok sensation in the weeks preceding Valentine’s Day, 2022.

“Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes),” Mint Condition’s 1991 hit, was the song that would always come to mind whenever I found out Mariana, Margot, Jessica–or any of my other elementary and junior high school classmate crushes–was dating someone else but me. In 2022, TikTok content creators mocked heartache by creating short form videos that used the song as their audio track. Maybe you saw the video of the gentleman who used the song as he was tormented by noticing an additional follower on his girlfriend’s TikTok account after her night out in Miami.

Saxophone, keyboards, drums, and vocals—Mint Condition made me wish I knew how to play an instrument. Their songwriting has been consistently tender, simple, and relatable across generations and cultures. In 2012, the band released its 8th studio album, and I really wanted to be at their next show to celebrate its release. I just felt like I couldn’t afford it.

The weather on November 9, 2012 made me feel more justified in not buying a ticket. There was still several inches of snow from the days prior, precipitation was still falling, and the wind made it feel 10 degrees more frigid.

But again, I really needed to get away from family.

I also had to get away from a haunting text message that’s still in my old iPhone 4. “Heard this song and I thought about you.” That message was followed by a link to Mint Condition’s 2008 song, “Nothing Left to Say.” It came from Nikki. I hope every decent person in the world finds their Nikki, even if you will forever be disrupted by random stimuli that reminds you that you could never hold on to your Nikki for very long.

Around 7pm, I took the Q43 bus to the 179th Street station. Before I dozed off, I got off at the Union Turnpike station to wait for the E train. I boarded that train and took a nap. Real New Yorkers train their bodies to nap just long enough to wake up right before their station destination. So I woke up and got off at Times Square. As I emerged from the underground station, I ruminated on the possibilities as to why Nikki didn’t respond to my messages anymore. I cursed at God for making my family life so difficult and forcing me to find ways around problems that I didn’t cause. A few minutes past 8pm showtime, I stopped outside of the main entrance of B.B. Kings Blues club. Precipitation alternated between rain and snow. My self-reflections alternated between lost and loser.

Meekly I asked, “The show’s sold out, right?” He said, “Let me check.” He was a young dark-skinned man taking a smoke break outside of B.B. Kings Blues Club. He went through a side employee/freight delivery entrance door and disappeared. Three minutes later, his left hand grabbed the base of the back my neck.

He said that he could get me in. I asked, "How much?” He said that he would appreciate whatever I could give. I discretely slipped him $40 in cash in his right hand, and he quickly tucked it in the right pocket of his black cargo pants.

There was one catch:

In place of a ticket, I would have to immediately go downstairs straight to the front of the check-in area and tell them that I’m on the list.

“Tell them Virtue Mitchell is on the list,” he said to me.

After 10 seconds of confusion and processing that instruction, the fear of potential embarrassment set in. I could not believe that he wanted me—a short Asian guy who could still pass for a high school senior—to convince club staff that my name was VIRTUE MITCHELL. And what if they checked my driver’s license? I repeat, VIRTUE MITCHELL! Close your eyes and say that name. I guarantee an Asian face won’t come to mind. I challenge you to do a Google image search of “Virtue Mitchell” to find a picture of an Asian man.

I tepidly entered the front entrance and staggered down the half-spiral steps of the club. Thinking that there’s no way that I would make it in and that I also lost $20 that I really needed, I was greeted by 3 club staff members behind a podium about 6 feet from the bottom of the staircase.

Within those 6 feet, I took an extremely slow, desperate inhale. When I reached the podium, I uttered in the deepest, fake-confident voice that I could, “I’m on the list—Virtue Mitchell.”

The woman behind the podium paused with a perplexed look. Then she looked down on the paper on the podium and flipped over the first page. She then made a horizontal movement with a pen. She looked up, smiled, and said, “Welcome Mr. Mitchell. Enjoy the show.”

I did just that. Mint Condition went through many of their hits, and ended with an uptempo version of “Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes).” In those 2 hours of musical delight, I found resolution that my calling for the time being would be to care for my family. I let go of the $40 for good, with a renewed hope that I’ll bring in more money at some point soon. I accepted Nikki’s last message to me so firmly that I haven’t messaged her since, even with the random discovery that she moved next door to a long-time friend.

As I left the show, the previously-feared blizzard-like conditions had ended and I emerged—quite literally—as a better man of virtue.

To this day, whether it’s for nightclub venues, for restaurant reservations, or for other situations in which I don’t have to verify my name, don’t be surprised if I identify myself as Virtue.

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Concert access + more:

1. Go see Mint Condition’s lead singer Stokley Williams on tour. I guarantee you that you won’t regret it.

2. City Winery Atlanta has everyone from Robert Glasper to Bilal to Goapele

3. NYC’s Brooklyn Academy of Music has some amazing concerts on its calendar

4. Blue Note Los Angeles features Lizzo, Willow, Kem and more

5. Free music at PAC NYC

6. J. Cole’s world tour has a few tickets left. Get them here. 

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Job/Career Opportunities in Music and Entertainment:

1. Warner Music Group has marketing, creative, and finance roles currently open

2. Sony Music Group has open jobs in analytics, marketing, and more

3. Universal Music Group has open roles ranging from strategy, product, and operations roles

4. Spotify has many open roles in business development, HR, and engineering

5. Sirius XM is ramping up hiring for engineers, technical program managers, and more

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About the author:

Cris is the award-winning Founder & CEO of GrantAnswers, an NYC-based data, strategy & consulting firm founded in 2013. His journey to becoming an award-winning entrepreneur has been highlighted in NYT, WSJ, MTV, and Forbes. He has directly impacted +1000 individuals in launching careers in tech & securing acceptances to top colleges & programs. His speaking engagements for the likes of Columbia Business School, Teach for America and the US Chamber of Commerce encompass immigration, career development, entrepreneurship, and tech diversity & inclusion. He is also an avid concertgoer for +25 years and counting, and likes to tell stories about it.