#mitchell marlow

Photo by: Hristo Shindov

New Years Day recently debuted the second single off their upcoming full-length Unbreakable, which is schedule for release on April 26th via RED Music. Titled “Shut Up” you can listen to the track below. Frontwoman Ash Costello said of it:

“‘Shut Up’was written in a day, which just doesn’t happen. I was going through some heavy personal stuff, and I was just, ‘don’t…

This winter finds Hollywood’s Stitched Up Heart on the Didgeridoo Destruction Tour with label mates Like a Storm as well as From Ashes to New and Failure Anthem. The quintet recently released the debut single and video, “Finally Free” from its upcoming full-length debut on Another Century Records. This week Metalholic connected with vocalist Alecia “Mixi” Demner on the road between Las Vegas and San Diego for an update on her stitched up world.

Mixi formed Stitched Up Heart in 2010 from the tattered remnants of her former project. Over the last five years she has sewn together a band of similarly passionate and focused musicians in drummer Decker, bassist Randy, and guitarists Dorian and Merritt. In 2014, the group self released its 6-song EP Skeleton Key, garnering numerous new fans and media attention. Mixi has often been tabbed as one of the hottest women in hard rock and metal, but with Stitched Up Heart‘s debut record set for a spring release, she and the guys are growing beyond their initial image into a band with more substance.

Mixi offered her thoughts on the band’s 2016 debut album:

“With this new record, it’s coming from a dark place to a more hopeful place, I like to say. So it’s more grown up. I did a lot of growing in the last year. You wouldn’t think that in one year someone can almost completely change, but I’ve gotten a lot more serious–taking everything seriously–and it’s not just ‘oh it’s all fun and games, no big deal.’ The last record it was more so write 30 songs and pick our favorite six. This one it’s like, every song we take and really think about it. It’s weird cause the music got heavier, but I stopped screaming as much, so it balanced it out kind of nicely.”

The album’s advance single, “Finally Free” is a personal declaration for Mixi and ties into the growth she has experienced as a person and as a songwriter over the last year:

“‘Finally Free’ was kind of like having an epiphany; my life the way it was and wanting to do something about it, and changing the way that I perceive everything. It’s just about being here and being alive. Sometimes I still have to remember and remind myself, and when I listen to that song it really helps. You feel like you’re on a motorcycle with no helmet laws and just cruising with the wind blowing through your hair.”

Mixi shared that though she loves the album’s first single, it is not indicative of what the entire album will sound like, and she believes it is not even the strongest song on the record:

“‘Finally Free’ is a good segue into the record, and I think it’s perfect for it. It’s actually one of my favorites, but it wasn’t supposed to be a single. It was just supposed to be; let everybody hear it, see what they thought about it, and it ended up being a single because all these stations ended up picking it up. It ended up going way further than we thought. But there’s a couple other [songs] that are even better that are supposed to be the singles, so let’s just say that there’s better songs on the record and you guys will be pleasantly surprised.”

Mixi also chatted about working with Mitchell Marlow, meeting Vinnie Paul, dealing with fan expectations, and giving up drinking on the road. Listen to the full interview below, watch the video for “Finally Free”, and check out some live actions shots from the current tour.

All photos © 2015 Katarzyna Cepek Photography 

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