STITCHED UP HEART's ALECIA 'MIXI' DEMNER: 'I Feel Like It's My Responsibility To Bring More Women' Into Rock/Metal World

During an appearance on the latest episode of Knotfest's "She's With The Band", the show hosted by Tori Kravitz aiming to amplify the voices of women on stage, backstage and in the business, STITCHED UP HEART singer Alecia "Mixi" Demner was asked to elaborate on things in the hard rock and heavy metal portion of the music industry that she has found to be "misogynistic" but "from more of a constructive standpoint, like what we can do better, that's maybe could use a little work." Mixi responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, shall we? Uh, yeah. I have to watch what I say, because it always ends up on Blabbermouth, and then I'm, like, having… I have to defend myself constantly, because I don't wanna just sit there and let people be trolls… It's okay. I don't mind playing back. It's kind of fun. But it is what it is."

She continued: "It's clearly obvious that the amount — if you just look at festival lineups, the majority of them are male, like about 90 percent of the bands are male. If you look at radio, there's only maybe two or three songs with a female on it. And it doesn't just have to do with the stations or the festivals. It's like the people listening are predominantly male. And, unfortunately, I guess that's what comes with the aggressive nature of the music. And so I feel like it's my responsibility to bring more women into this world and to show women and girls that girls can do it too. Because when I was growing up, there weren't a lot of women rock bands. There was NO DOUBT, you had Avril Lavigne, and there wasn't a lot of that at the time that I grew up on. And so I just wanna see a 50-50 split. And it might take a long time to get there. But I have seen a lot of girls in the crowd at these shows [we recently played with ESCAPE THE FATE]… And when we did the tour with [other female-fronted bands] IN THIS MOMENT, HALESTORM and NEW YEARS DAY, it was almost a 50-50 split in the crowd. So maybe we're doing something. Maybe we're carrying that torch for the women for the next generation. Who knows what the future holds? But watch out, boys, because we're comin' atcha."

Mixi previously talked about what it is like being a woman in a traditionally male-centered and male-dominated business of rock and roll this past September in an interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio. At the time, she said: "I gravitate to the women in the industry, so I'm always, like, 'Oh my God. There's a girl in the band. I need to check out this band.' I don't know what it is, [but] I just relate a lot, and I seem to have a lot in common with the other women in the industry. So it's kind of, like, when I find band with a girl in it, I know almost every single one, so if there's another band that I don't know of that has a girl in it, I'm surprised."

She continued: "But I do think there's definitely been growth in women being more accepted in the heavy music genre, but still, there's a lot more room to go, 'cause it's still way male-dominated. And I just wish I could see, like, a 50-50 split with women [and men]. But it is really, really cool to see the women… It's not the easiest gig. It's rough on the road. As women, we like to be pampered, and we like to be clean, and it's not always the cleanest. [Laughs] But I keep it as clean on the road as possible. So, I understand why it's a little more difficult."

Demner added that she would like to see more women enter the rock and metal music industry. "I'm hoping that that'll change, 'cause if you look at pop, rap, country, [there are] so many women, and why is it different with metal?" she said. "I mean, if you look at Europe, they embrace the women in metal, and actually metal, in general, is a mainstream thing. So I'm hoping the U.S. catches up with that. But there are so many great bands with females in them in the heavy genre."

STITCHED UP HEART's latest album, "To The Wolves", arrived on September 1 via Century Media Records.

Formed in Los Angeles, California in 2010, STITCHED UP HEART has gained recognition for its intense live performances and deeply personal songwriting.

Mixi is joined in STITCHED UP HEART's core lineup by James Decker on drums, Merritt Goodwin on guitar and Randy Mathias on bass. They released their album titled "Never Alone", which debuted in the Top 10 of both the Billboard Heatseekers and Hard Rock charts. With their single "Finally Free" organically gaining hyper rotation on active rock radio the band paved the way to success for the next two singles "Monster" and "Catch Me When I Fall".

In 2020, STITCHED UP HEART released its sophomore album, "Darkness". Produced by Matt Good, the LP delved further into the band's introspective songwriting and showcases their growth as musicians. Tracks like "Lost" (featuring Sully Erna of GODSMACK) and "My Demon" highlighted the band's ability to blend heavy guitar riffs with anthemic choruses, making a lasting impact on the rock genre.

STITCHED UP HEART is:

Alecia "Mixi" Demner - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
James Decker - drums, backing vocals
Merritt Goodwin - lead guitar
Randy Mathias - bass, backing vocals