Rock band SIXX: A.M. — which consists of bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist DJ Ashba and vocalist James Michael — is continuing work on material for its third album. Speaking to Loudwire, Sixx stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the next CD: "We've got six [songs] done, so we'll probably knock another 10 around and then we'll figure out which 10 we put on a record and then we'll figure out when we're gonna release it."

He continued: "The biggest problem for SIXX: A.M. is that I'm in MÖTLEY CRÜE. It's a great thing because people know of SIXX: A.M. because if they like me in MÖTLEY CRÜE, then they're willing to give it a listen. But, MÖTLEY CRÜE is a big machine and it's busy and it takes up a lot of time. So there's very little amount of time for me to take [SIXX: A.M.] out and tour. I think I would like to go out in 2013 and do some shows, maybe a month's worth of shows, just to kind of feel what it feels like. I think at some point I would like for SIXX: A.M. to be a bigger priority as far as a live act than it is now."

Regarding how the new material is sounding, Sixx said: "This time we really want to fly on our own. We started out the songwriting process by having conversations about how far we can push ourselves musically … Our conversations were, 'Let's go as far to the left as we can, musically,' and once we finish up a handful of songs that are pretty out there … I don't even want to use any kind of references because it'll throw people and they won't really understand what I'm talking about. But we're just taking a lot of chances musically and at this point nothing sounds at all like SIXX: A.M. that you would know, because we're taking such huge leaps of faith that we're going to land on our feet. But once we finish what we have now, we're going to start backtracking into who we are as a band that we know at least. I think you're going to end up with some songs on the album that are sort of surprising and bands that always did that for me were like QUEEN. There would be songs on QUEEN's albums that would be like, 'I can't even believe that came out of a rock band,' and that's what we want to do. We want to take those leaps of faith and in the end, we are a rock band so we'll go back to that at some point."

SIXX: A.M., made a rare appearance — its first in four years — on April 11, 2012 at Revolver Golden Gods Awards at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

As each band member has been kept busy with their other careers — Sixx is also the bassist for MÖTLEY CRÜE and a syndicated radio host; Ashba is currently touring with GUNS N' ROSES; James Michael is a famed rock producer who is currently working on new records for PAPA ROACH, HALESTORM and others — this marked the band's first chance to perform in support of their current album, "This Is Gonna Hurt", which supplied the #1 rock anthem "Lies Of The Beautiful People".

"7", the latest EP from SIXX: A.M., came out in December 2011 and sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort contained acoustic versions of songs from the group's first two albums — 2007's "The Heroin Diaries" soundtrack and 2011's "This Is Gonna Hurt".

Released on May 3, 2011, SIXX: A.M.'s sophomore album, "This Is Gonna Hurt" is a companion piece to Sixx's "This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx" book, a follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, "The Heroin Diaries".