Matrix 2 A Muse: MIXI's Mellifluous Metamorphosis Osculates A Stitched Up Heart

-Mixi the Glitter Pixie Ain't Just Whistling Dixie-

I've seen a lot of bands in my career. Thousands. I should say in my life because it is my life. My work. My pleasure. My legacy.

Like any dopamine junkie, I'm always seeking the next fix, the next new band or artist to get excited about. To rave about. To tell my friends and family about. To tell the industry about. I saw them "when". I wish Foursquare gave out badges...I would be definitely be Mayor.

I've experienced many "moments". A few come to mind though let's turn the clock back to 1993. It was the middle of January one blustery winter in Chicago and a Sony rep told me I had to go down to the Metro to see one of their new bands and that there were free drinks in it for me. I knew nothing about the band. Twist my arm.

That night, with about 50 other people, I saw Rage Against The Machine play Chicago for the first time and I had one of those "moments" where I fully realized what was happening. I was seeing something extraordinary. I felt like I was seeing the future of rock 'n roll as the adrenaline coarsed through my synapses.

I went up to Zach de la Rocha after the show and told him, "Keep spreading your message. You have a lot of important things to say". A "moment" frozen in time, nary a tweet to commemorate it.

Since then, the internet and smart phones and, yes, social media have supplanted the archaic information pipeline and it's made music discovery more efficient whereby I don't need to wait for a publicist to come calling. In fact, discovering new music is now nearly infinite so quick fixes come easy but "moments" are often elusive.

A month ago, a budding superstar-in-waiting vampira named Ash Costello, who presides over a rock 'n roll masquerade called New Years Day, tweeted about an upcoming show at Bar Sinister in Hollywood by a band called STITCHED UP HEART, who reminded me of another LA band named Evolove (which my friend Lucy Levinsohn sings for).

Adhering to the loosely enforced, but noticeably posted, Bar Sinister dress code of "all black," I showed up to a long line that stretched down the block. Anticipation. I wandered in and sat down on the medieval monument that is a monolithic centerpiece to the room. It's a veritable fountain of youth for the nighttime creatures of Hollywood signifying their quest to remain eternally young.

Shortly thereafter, a girl with hearts stitched on her coat consecrated the proceedings by littering glitter all over the stage. A Pixie dust primer.

Tick tick Boom and a triple-track locomotive of riffage burst forth as Stitched Up Heart featuring vocalist Mixi, lead guitarist Mikey Mystery, guitarist Nikki Misery, bassist Charlie Conley and drummer Andrew Carroll launched into "We're Alive" and it's anthemic chorus of "Only Tonight, We scream for this moment." Screams were indeed emitted.

The cacophony of uproarious approval was a fervent testimonial to the urgency of the music and the powerful way it which it was being unfurled. Attention deficit gratification.

Over the course of their brief seven-song set, we continued to be pulverized with a barrage of tight meaty rock. At times, the music sounded like it was straight off of Mötley Crüe's Too Fast For Love debut though sprinkled with heavy metal solos right out of the Paul Gilbert Racer X playbook.

It was familiar, yet completely engaging, with Ms. Mixi leading the rampant procession of wattage with a measured dose of cataclysmic emotional gravity. She seemed at home on stage, completely living in the moment and equally lost in the moment.

Some know Mixi (aka Alecia Demner) as the winner of the Fuse TV reality show Redemption Song which aired in 2008 and yielded her the luscious alterna-pop single "I Miss Those Days (Ghost)":

A left turn? A u-turn? A turnstile? Mixi's mellifluous metamorphosis is the sign of an artist with a creative hunger that pushes boundaries and preconceptions but what remains a constant is her sheer talent and undeniable ability to deliver a tune.

Vocally, she is multi-modal, with inflections that remind one of chanteuses such as Regina Spektor, Lily Allen, Katy Perry and even a little Siouxsie Sioux while also being able to easily match the powerful delivery of rock goddesses like Cristina Scabbia (of Lacuna Coil), Tarja Turunen (from Nightwish) and, ironically, Alexis Brown from Straight Line Stitch (when Alexis is singing in her "normal" voice).

"Sister Stitch, You're motoring. What's your price for flight?"

The Sinister set closer was a barn-burner called "Is This The Way To Get To Hell?" with its refrain "Dripping from bloody fingers, Running from the palms of my hands." Ready made for the Warped/AP crowd.

Stitched Up Heart Is This The Way To Get To Hell?

Visceral, though I began to have a flashback to the only other time I had been to Bar Sinister to see an acoustic performance by the band Flyleaf and how their gut-punching music has a religious artery though not necessarily overtly, so one can listen to their lyrics and take what they want from it, but once you understand the intent, it provides a clear window pane.

What was she referring to? Emotional pain or a soul conflicted spiritually? Was the empowerment of a stitched up heart forthright in its fortitude? There seemed to be something deeper...

Or was it just a kick ass rock show on a Saturday night?!?

My wandering mind was soon recalibrated as three girls from the crowd climbed on the stage to spit and spray egregious amounts of fake blood. In a moment of parity, my BlackBerry was doused with glistening drops of red as I was typing my show notes and I started to have one of "those" moments. The room was buzzing. The energy was palpable. Spatial Convergence. Indelible.

It was a triumphant evening for a band that has only been in existence for six months and doing everything 100% DIY. With only two songs available for purchase after the show, the band is in the midst of recording a new EP.

Asked for comment afterwards, Ash Costello proclaimed that Stitched Up Heart "Tears it up better than Jack The Ripper". Slashingly well!

Count Ashula soon joined Nikki Misery for some impromptu heart stitching...

On the way home, an overarching thought came into focus that a movement in rock 'n roll is taking place. Over the last several months, I've encountered a different breed of Hollywood buzzbands, from Vampires Everywhere! and Black Veil Brides to Kerli and New Years Day and, now, Stitched Up Heart. It seems as if, perhaps, the second generation of glam is metamorphosizing from the ashes of emo.

Whether they're leather-bound Vampires, Brides of the Night, gothic Maenads, Victorian Harjukus or mystical Pixies, artists are immersing themselves in creating "personalities," dressing the part and conjuring dramatic seductive performances underscored by theatrical context. Vincent Furnier would be proud. So would Alice...from Wonderland.

The fans have been invited to the playtime party as well with artists encouraging and rewarding participation while also dubbing their disciples with cute pet names such as monsters, aliens, moonchildren, vultures and creeps.

Perhaps Stitched Up Heart should refer to their loyal congregation as "beats" (as in heart), "sutures" or simply "stitches" because it will take every one of those fans to join together to pump blood into the heart of their music so it can continue beating strong.

However their legion of devout fans may be lovingly referred to, one thing is for sure, it's time to join together, unstitch your lips, pucker up and osculate the new world order that's glitterizing the heart of the bloody revolution.

STITCHED UP HEART
BAR SINISTER
HOLLYWOOD, CA
4/9/11
1. We're Alive
2. This Is What We're Here For
3. Inside Me
4. Burn
5. Freefall
6. (Name This Song)
7. Is This The Way You Get To Hell?