Sixx:A.M. will rock the Crue Fest on Tuesday, July 15, at DTE Energy Music Theatre.
When tasked with creating a soundtrack for "The Heroin Diaries," Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx's harrowingly detailed memoir accounting his downward spiral into drug addiction, musician and producer DJ Ashba was determined to put a positive spin on the subject. The result is Sixx:A.M., the new band featuring Ashba and Sixx, along with vocalist James Michael. The trio will join the rest of Motley Crue, Buckcherry and others for Crue Fest at DTE Energy Music Theatre on Tuesday, where listeners will be treated to songs from Sixx:A.M.'s debut platter, "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack."
Despite the relentlessly grim nature of Sixx's book, which is subtitled "A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star," Ashba said the trio's modern hard-rock adaptation of the diaries isn't all gloom and doom. "It would have been easy to write a pretty dark album," Ashba said. "I was reading 'Diaries' every night, and it's a dark, depressing story. But we wanted to give people some hope.
PREVIEW
Crue Fest with Motley Crue, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt
Where: DTE Energy Music Theatre, 7773 Pine Knob Road, Clarkston
When: 5 p.m. Tuesday
Tickets: $30 lawn, $65.50, $85.50 pavilion
Details: (248) 377-0100, www.palacenet.com
"We dabbled in the bad, but we focused on the good," added Ashba, who said the group made sure to accent the recovery aspect of the story. "Nikki's got four kids now, he's a great dad, and I've learned a lot from him. He's taught me all the ropes."
The project grew out of Ashba's initial collaborations with Sixx, the main songwriter behind Motley hits like "Home Sweet Home" and "Dr. Feelgood."
"I've known Nikki for quite a few years," said Ashba, who earned his Los Angeles stripes performing with hard rockers BulletBoys and Beautiful Creatures.
"I don't remember who called who, but he invited me to his house and we worked on four songs on piano, and said, 'Wow, this is magic.' We decided to partner up as songwriters and producers.
"We've written and produced songs for Drowning Pool and Trapt, and I co-produced the last Motley album, so I've basically been in the studio for five years," he laughed.
Formed last year, the Sixx:A.M. project progressed quickly when Ashba brought in Michael, a rhythm guitarist who surprised his new bandmates with his vocal skills.
"Me and James had worked together; I worked with him as a producer," Ashba said.
"But I didn't know he could sing, so we were still like, 'Who is this guy?' We knew he would be perfect."
Ashba said the camaraderie of the new group and the success of its first single, "Life Is Beautiful," assures that the band isn't doomed to be a one-off project.
"We have three other videos ready, but we're holding off because 'Life is Beautiful' has had such an amazing response," Ashba said.
"We'll dive into a new record, and we're going to write it on the Crue Fest. "At first, we weren't even planning on being a band," he added, "but the demand has been overwhelming."
