SIXX: AM
'Gotta Get It Right: The SIXX:AM Story'
James Michael, DJ Ashba and Nikki Sixx, collectively known as SIXX:A.M., released their third album, MODERN VINTAGE this week - and it quickly debuted at #1 on the iTunes Rock Album chart.
The band celebrated the release by playing their first live show since 2009 last night at iHeart Radio Theater in Los Angeles, CA in front of an intimate crowd, hosted by Trey Morgan from 98.7, LA’s alternative radio and in partnership with iHeartRadio Live.
The big announcement at the event was that SIXX:A.M. will be embarking on their first-ever headline tour in 2015 playing a limited number of dates across North America with special guest Apocalyptica (see full tour dates below).
Says bassist Nikki Sixx: “Fans have been asking for years “When is Sixx:A.M. gonna tour?” and we’ve finally announced our first headline tour. We can’t wait to play these songs live and put on a rock extravaganza for our fans. We’re excited to announce that we’re bringing along Apocalyptica as special guest because we are fans of their music and think this is going to be an amazing night of music from beginning to end”.
Chatting recently with lead singer, James Michael, I first wondered how the new album, Modern Vintage differed from The Heroin Diaries
Soundtrack, and then in turn, This Is Gonna Hurt? "There
are
a
number
of
ways
in
which
Modern
Vintage
differs
from
our
previous
two
studio
albums.
The
first
and
most
obvious
difference
is
that
on
both
The
Heroin
Diaries
Soundtrack
and
This
Is
Gonna
Hurt,
we
had
Nikki’s
Diaries
and
the
incredibly
powerful
imagery
of
his
photography
that
we
used
as
an
inspiration.
On
Modern
Vintage,
it
was
very
important
to
us
that
we
did
not
have
any
peripheral
element
because
we
really
wanted
this
album
to
reveal
to
our
fans
and
to
ourselves
who
we
have
become
as
a
band.
So
we
made
a
very
conscious
decision
to
look
back
to
the
amazing
rock
albums
and
artists
of
the
late
60s
and
early
70s
that
influenced
us
and
inspired
us
to
become
musicians.
Artists
like
David
Bowie,
Queen,
ELO,
T-‐Rex,
Elton
John
to
name
a
few.
The
one
thing
that
all
of
those
bands
did
so
beautifully
was
capture
the
imagination
of
the
listener
and
took
them
on
a
musical
Journey.
THAT
is
the
kind
of
record
that
we
wanted
to
make
with
Modern
Vintage."
With SIXX: AM rooted in songwriting, musicianship and lyrics, for
you growing up, which one artist/band encapsulated all that for you
personally? "Freddie
Mercury
and
Queen
encapsulate
everything
about
music
that
I
find
so
exciting.
The
drama.
The
Theatrics.
The
way
that
they
incorporated
classical
music,
rock
music, opera,
etc.
into
a
musical
experience
that
left
you
speechless."
Please tell us more about your choice to cover the iconic Cars song,
'Drive' on this album. Because, I have to say, it 100% completely
f**kin' blew me away listening to it today! Very nicely done, my
friend "Thank
you
so
much!
We
were
really
excited
to
record
our
very
first
cover
song
on
this
record
and
DRIVE
by
the
cars
seemed
like
a
perfect
choice
for
a
number
of
reasons.
First,
it
really
fit
in
the
spirit
of
Modern
Vintage
in
that
it
was
such
an
iconic
song
from
an
era
of
music
that
we
were
all
so
heavily
influenced
by
so
it
made
a
lot
of
sense
for
us
to
bring
it
into
the
Sixx:AM
world
and
make
it
a
part
of
the
Modern
Vintage
story.
But
what
really
struck
me
as
we
started
to
work
on
the
song
is
how
similar
the
lyrics
on
DRIVE
are
to
a
lot
of
Sixx:AM
songs
in
that
we
have
always
loved
the
contrast
between
beauty
and
darkness
in
our
songs
and
we
find
a
way
to
have
the
underlying
message
be
one
of
hope
and
inspiration.
When
you
look
at
the
lyrics
of
DRIVE,
they
are
so
sad
and
painful
and
yet
there
is
a
hope
in
the
message
that
makes
the
listener
never
give
up.
The
heaviness
of
that
lyric
is
why
we
chose
to
start
our
version
off
as
a
very
intimate
piano
ballad
and
then
it
gradually
grows
into
a
very
modern
sounding
track
while
never
losing
the
essence
and
simplicity
of
the
original
recording."
Modern Vintage is jam-packed with some powerhaus songs, but
which one track still stands out to you today as your favorite - and
why? "I
REALLY
love
“Get
Ya
Some”!
It
is
such
an
unusual
song
and
yet
a
very
“Sixx:AM”
type
of
turn
for
the
record.
The
lyric
is
so
abstract
and
cinematic
and
it
inspired
me
to
do
a
very
“Tom
Waits”
type
of
low
creepy
vocal
in
the
verses
and
then
the
chorus
explodes
in
this
multi-‐layered,
very
over-‐the-‐top,
almost
flamboyant
“Freddie
Mercury”
type
of
delivery.
It’s
such
a
beautifully
absurd
song!"
It's been said for this new album you guys put fewer restrictions on
yourselves. Please explain this some more for us "Sixx:AM
has
always
maintained
the
mentality
that
we
formulated
when
we
first
began
The
Heroin
Diaries
Soundtrack,
and
that
was
“We
are
not
a
band
and
therefor
the
rules
do
not
apply
to
us!”
That
really
set
the
stage
for
an
extremely
creative
working
environment
between
the
three
of
us…we
have
carried
that
mentality
with
us
into
everything
we
do,
including
this
new
album
Modern
Vintage.
Obviously,
we
ARE
a
band
now,
but
we
have
never
let
go
of
that
freedom
that
is
at
the
core
of
all
Sixx:AM
music.
We
really
wanted
to
push
that
even
further
on
this
new
record.
We’ve
noticed
over
the
years
that
the
definition
of
"Rock"
music
has
gotten
so
narrow
that
many
styles
are
being
excluded
from
it.
We
felt
that
it
was
important
to
make
a
record
that
was
very
“inclusive”
and
celebrated
many
different
“genres”
of
“Rock”."
Is it a worry that the musical diversions of Modern Vintage perhaps
won't appeal to all the fans of the first two SIXX:AM albums? "No.
We
have
been
very
blessed
with
fans
that
trust
us
and
are
willing
to
roll
up
their
sleeves,
pack
their
bags
and
go
on
these
journeys
with
us.
Even
from
the
very
beginning,
Sixx:AM
has
done
things
very
differently
than
most
bands
and
we
have
pushed
ourselves
into
very
exciting
and
unusual
places,
and
the
fans
have
been
right
there
with
us.
They
know
that
we
aren’t
going
to
take
them
someplace
unfamiliar
and
abandon
them.
They
know
that
we
will
ultimately
bring
it
full
circle
and
the
journey
will
make
sense.
And
in
the
process
they
will
hopefully
discover
things
about
themselves
and
their
relationship
with
music
throughout
their
lives.
Our
fans
don’t
want
us
to
repeat
ourselves
and
make
the
same
record
over
and
over.
Neither
do
we!"
Please do tell us more about the stunning front cover art work for
Modern Vintage. What is it all meant to symbolize and who is the
woman?! "Paul
Brown
designed
the
cover
art
for
Modern
Vintage.
We
are
so
pleased
with
the
work
he
did
on
it.
It
was
very
important
to
us
that
we
had
a
cover
that
seemed
“Iconic”.
We
also
wanted
to
have
the
cover
tell
the
story
of
Modern
Vintage.
When
you
look
at
the
girl
on
the
cover
from
a
distance,
she
appears
to
be
a
beautiful
woman
(almost
angelic)
and
yet
she
appears
to
be
half
human
and
half
robot.
But
as
you
look
closer,
you
realize
that
her
body
is
made
of
up
vintage
car
parts.
So,
just
like
the
music,
the
cover
walks
that
fine
line
between
the
old
and
the
new
and
finds
a
really
beautiful
timeless
balance."
Being that we're not called Exclusive Magazine for nothing, please
reveal something about the making of this album that you have
never yet spoken of in interviews or in public! "We recorded all of Nikki’s bass parts sitting in his living room. I had
a mobile recording unit that I took with me everywhere I went for the
better part of the two years that it took us to make this record. I’d fly
up to DJ’s house in Vegas for a few days and track him, then fly
down to Los Angeles to record Nikki at his house for a few days,
then fly back to Nashville to my recording studio there to work on
vocals and other overdubs…there was about a year of time where I
was flying across the country several times a week to get this record
made. This was a real labor of love and we are very proud of it!"
Being that the bands name is a combination of all the member's last
names ie SIXX: A(shba) M(ichael), at the time of concept were there
still other choices that were being considered, perhaps? "Any
band
will
tell
you
that
coming
up
with
a
band
name
is
probably
the
hardest
and
worst
thing
to
have
to
do.
We
kind
of
took
the
easy
way
out.
I
think
the
only
other
band
name
we
were
considering
at
one
point
was
“Dead
Man’s
Ballet”
which
was
the
title
of
one
of
our
songs.
Probably
a
good
thing
we
opted
for
Sixx:AM!"
As there will be two CD editions of Modern Vintage released,
with the Deluxe Edition featuring four (4) extra tracks, please tell us
how these piano ballads, acoustic versions, etc. came to be in the
recording sessions. Like, were they always planned to be for a
Deluxe Edition CD? "As
soon
as
we
finished
recording
the
record,
we
went
right
back
into
the
studio
and
completely
reworked
a
few
of
our
songs.
We
didn’t
just
want
to
do
the
typical
“acoustic”
version…we
wanted
it
to
be
special
and
give
the
listener
and
entirely
different
experience
with
the
songs…It
was
an
incredible
experience
for
us
because
it
gave
US
a
a
whole
new
appreciation
for
the
lyrics
as
well.
For
those
that
do
get
the
Deluxe
Edition,
they
will
really
enjoy
taking
the
musical
journey
even
further!"
Finally, and yes we ask everyone this question, we here at Exclusive
Magazine LOVE Penguins (the birds)! So, do you also, and if so do you
have any stories, perhaps? "I love all creatures great and small…but when I think of Penguins…I think
of the delicious chocolate cookies that you can only get in the “import”
section of my local super market in Los Angeles. They sure know how to
make sweets over in Europe!!!"
Interviewed by Russell A. Trunk
SIXX:A.M. with Apocalyptica on “The Modern Vintage Tour” 2015
4/08/2015 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
4/10/2015 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
4/11/2015 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia
4/13/2015 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
4/14/2015 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
4/16/2015 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
4/17/2015 Dallas, TX Bomb Factory
4/19/2015 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
4/20/2015 Chicago, IL The Vic Theater
4/21/2015 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
4/23/2015 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
4/24/2015 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
4/25/2015 Worcester, MA Worcester Palladium
4/27/2015 New York, NY Best Buy Theater
4/28/2015 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
4/29/2015 Silver Springs, MD The Fillmore
www.sixxam.sandbaghq.com
Standard CD Purchase Link
Deluxe CD Purchase Link
'Stars' Audio Stream
'Gotta Get It Right' Video
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