Maybe It's Time

 

Have you seen this new video yet? It was just released yesterday and I thought I'd share it because it's one of my favorite tunes from the Sixx AM album, "Prayers for the Blessed" (released 2016).  

For this music video, these talented musicians joined together for a fundraiser to raise awareness for opioid addictions.  It's such a beautiful song and filled with such beautiful voices.  Check it out!

The Heroin Diaries 10th Anniversary

Wow! Can you believe it's been 10 years already since the release of The Heroin Diaries?  If you check out PledgeMusic, you can pre-order a copy of the album, anniversary shirt, signed book, the graphic novel that was announced at Comicon, and more!

By the way, there is also an option to get signed copies of the CD plus a special Access Pass that gives you a digital download and access to Sixx:AM update. This sounds exciting!

Have you heard the 2017 version of "Life is Beautiful"?  It's amazing...but don't take my word for it. Listen to it yourself here:

The Heroin Diaries Graphic Novel

Yes, you heard it right. Nikki Sixx's The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star novel which was originally published in September 2007 is going to be published as a graphic novel.  Nikki Sixx made this announcement today. The book was already a New York Times best-seller.

The graphic novel has become an increasingly popular reading format, combining a lot of visual imagery much like comic books (but not always printed in color) with reading text. Nikki Sixx has partnered with the iconic HEAVY METAL magazine to create this graphic novel adaptation of Nikki's very personal autobiography.

There's already a soundtrack for the book - remember the popular album The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack released by his band, Sixx:AM? (That was an awesome soundtrack, by the way! I think everyone who has ever listened to that album can agree that the single hit "Life is Beautiful" is just one of the most inspirational rock songs ever recorded.)

Anyway, we will get to see a preview of the graphic novel at this year's San Diego Comic Con, booth #1529. Here are a few images that Nikki Sixx shared on Facebook:

This version will take on Nikki's life and death (and back to life) story from a different perspective.  I may not be a huge fan of the graphic novel format, but I appreciate all forms of art and this looks like it's going to be quite interesting. We'll have to wait and see...

Sixx:AM's Prayers for the Damned Tour

James Michael of Sixx:AM

Last night, I had the most amazing concert experience watching Sixx:AM perform live at the Norva in Norfolk, Virginia, just one stop in their Prayers for the Damned tour.  I kid you not, they make you feel like you are part of one huge party and the band is doing one hell of an awesome job making everyone feel welcomed, appreciated, and entertained.

Opening for this show was one of Virginia's finest and popular heavy metal bands, 710 Oil who tore the house down with their high energy and hard rocking music.  While Chris Johnson (lead vocalist), Gary Hammond (electric guitarist) and Les Moseley (bassist) made heavy metal madness head banging and swinging their long hair back and forth, drummer Vinnie Mastropasqua pounded his drum skins with the fury of gods.  It's no wonder these guys have often been hand-picked to open up for major label bands that tour the Virginia concert scene.

710 Oil doing a soundcheck prior to opening the show

After 710 Oil's set came the band from New York, Cilver, who happens to be part of the Prayers For The Damned tour.  I had never heard this band before this show so all their songs were new to me. My thoughts?  I was quite surprised at how well this band performed and how great they were with interacting with the audience. Don't underestimate this band!  I hope I don't sound sexist, but in a normally male-dominated rock music industry, Cilver, with a female fronting the band, is surprisingly refreshing and impressive!  There's another female in the band that surprises - Christina, the drummer -who can give Alex Van Halen a run for his money. I don't know if she's permanently with the band or not, though, because I don't see her name listed among the band members on their Facebook page. Even if she may just be touring with them, she's phenomenal to listen to.

RISE with Sixx:AM

The album I've been waiting for since 2014 (after 'Modern Vintage' was released) is finally out and I got my CD of it yesterday.  I would've blogged about it sooner but I've obviously been busy listening to the album over and over like I do whenever I get a new Sixx:AM album in my hands. When Nikki and James Michael talked about 'Rise' on Sixx Sense the day it was being premiered, I knew this album was going to be the best from Sixx:AM so far!

These are the titles of the tracks you'll find inside this amazing album:

1. Rise
2. You Have Come to the Right Place
3. I’m Sick
4. Prayers for the Damned
5. Better Man
6. Can’t Stop
7. When We Were Gods
8. Belly of the Beast
9. Everything Went to Hell
10. The Last Time (My Heart Will Hit The Ground)
11. Rise of the Melancholy Empire

A Closer Look At James Michael

Sixx AM recently released their latest single, "Are You With Me Now?" which is track 9 of the This Is Gonna Hurt CD and it just got me thinking about some of the talent that went into the making of this album.  Together, the band - Nikki Sixx on bass, DJ Ashba on guitar, and James Michael singing lead for Sixx AM collaborate to make this one of the most inspiring rock albums I have ever owned and listened to.  But today I wanted to focus on James Michael who is also a producer, musician, songwriter, sound engineer, and mixer.  This guy is just amazingly talented!