Straight Line Stitch formed in 2000 in Knoxville, TN. Over the years, the band has had many changes to their lineup and has recorded multiple albums and EP’s, but they just haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve. They are extremely hard working and motivated. They’ve proven this over and over by consistently pushing forward continuing to produce music through it all. The band now consists of vocalist Alexis Brown, bassist, Darren McClelland, and guitarist, Jason White. Alexis was not an original member but she has been a key part of this band since 2003. Her vocal strength has a powerful and magnetic ability to shock and awe you. One minute there’s this brilliant and pure melodic tone in her vocals, and then, bam, she is vociferously screaming, making her point know clearly and without misinterpretation. It is absolutely amazing and almost hypnotic from the stand point that you just desperately want to hear more. The band backs her completely. Without the riffs and chords that they play, the lyrics and vocal sound wouldn’t be the same. If you are a fan already, then the new EP “Transparency” will not disappoint you. If you’re not familiar with Straight Line Stitch yet, you’ll realize what you’ve been missing. Alexis gave me some insight today about the band and how far they’ve come and what makes them keep on ticking. I have to admit, I was shocked at how sweet and innocent her voice was as we spoke. It was hard for me to believe this is the same woman who belts the hell out of those notes and screams in their music. All I can say is wow.
Interview with Alexis Brown – Vocalist, Straight Line Stitch
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
Metal Exiles: You’ve recently signed with Pavement, what made SLS choose the new label and how is that working for you so far?
Alexis: It’s actually working out great. We got hooked up with Pavement through a mutual friend. We sent a demo to Tim King, the bass player of SOIL. He loved it and he got behind it. We talked on the phone and everything just kind of clicked. It was just the right move to make. Pavement has gotten a really good reputation because they just get it. Tim is in a band so he knows the inside workings within a band so he just gets it. They’re just good at what they do. They stand behind the music that they put out. They sign you because they like you for who you are. It’s not like you pick up a band and see that they have this type of potential maybe to be like somebody else. It’s ridiculous and makes no sense.
Metal Exiles: How are you guys feeling about the reception so far to the new music? Why was the original release date changed from May 5th to June 30th?
Alexis: We added a few tracks. We added an intro and then we decided to add another song just to make it extra special.
Metal Exiles: How do you feel about the reception to the new music so far?
Alexis: It has been absolutely stellar thus far. I don’t know what it is. When we were signed before, I guess people didn’t really know how to take us and the other label did change up our sound quite a bit. Reviews weren’t as good but I feel now that we’ve found our niche. We’ve found our sound and we’re doing it ourselves, not having anybody tell us how to write it, how to sing it, or how to perform it. We found our old voice and it’s been absolutely great so far.
Metal Exiles: SLS has been around for about 15 years or so, of course, that puts you at about 12 years with the band. What makes this the EP different than the other albums you’ve released?
Alexis: It’s different because we were literally responsible for everything ourselves. We came up with the music. We made the deal with Pavement. We set that up ourselves. Before, it was kind of cushy. Everything was kind of done for us. All we had to do was show up and everything else was kind of taken care of. I feel this record definitely represents us as a band more than our previous attempts.
Metal Exiles: This EP has some intense vocals and lyrics that mix between hard-core screaming and soft vocal melody, how do you make such a seamless transition with your voice?
Alexis: Oh you have no idea. Really the music dictates what I do. We don’t sit, as a band, and think “oh, we’re gonna make a heavy song and you’re gonna scream here and you’re gonna sing here”. We just get together and if it feels good and it sounds good to all of us, we run with it. They usually hand off the music to me and I’ll listen to it a couple of times and it kind of just writes itself. As corny and cliché as that might sound, that’s what happens. Something just takes over me and it just falls into place and when I sing, I definitely try. It’s been a labor of love. I’m nowhere near comfortable in my singing and screaming. I want to be better but I think it all comes to an end when you get comfortable. When you get comfortable, it’s like you feel like you know everything and I feel like there’s always more I need to know, especially with music. You have so many genres. It’s crazy right now so I just feel like there’s so much more to learn and experience so I’m still growing.
Metal Exiles: If given a choice, what would you consider the best song on the EP and why?
Alexis: I love the whole EP period. I mean, I guess I’m a bit partial to it but my favorite track, really, is “Human Bondage”. I think it’s because of the message of what I’m trying to say really hits me hard. It’s something that I’ve wanted to say for so long. I just didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t have my own voice to say what I needed to say. I know I’ve made mistakes and I haven’t been perfect in this thing called life but it is life and you move on and carry on. My thing was that I was beating myself up, almost killing myself because I felt like I messed up. So I thought, let me apologize to these people. Let me try to rectify this. Some people are gonna carry a grudge for the rest of their lives and that’s gonna be it. I felt really terrible about it. I wanted to be free from it. I wanted somebody to give me absolution. I guess in a way I had to seek God myself and forgive myself and just continue to move on, so “Human Bondage” definitely means a lot to me. I’m freeing myself of that and I’m moving on with my life.
Metal Exiles: What is the chemistry like between the band members with so many band member changes that have taken place over the years?
Alexis: It’s really hard but you have to weed out the weak so to say; the people that actually want to be here and put in the work and reap the rewards; and there are rewards, and to also be able to handle the bad times because there are bad times. The majority of the time, it is hard. It’s not easy. It’s not what people think it is. It’s not just being in a band and getting that title of being a rock star. It’s putting out music. It’s putting in work and it’s definitely been hard, but the people that are in it now actually want to be here and they want to do it. That is what separates the members we have now from past members. It’s not all just bad stuff like we didn’t get along or whatever. We had members that lost family members to death and being on the road and they weren’t there, it was rough. We’ve had people that financially just couldn’t do it because you don’t make a lot of money on the road. So, there have been all kinds of reasons why we’ve gone through members. People probably thing we’re some terrible, mean band that chews up members and spits em’ out but it’s so far from the truth. It’s just that life is unpredictable and so are people. I commend bands that have all of their original members. I admire them and I’m kind of jealous because it has to be nice to have solid, stable members but unfortunately sometimes, it doesn’t work that way. You just have to take it and deal with it. When you’re in this thing, it’s a labor of love and you have to take the good with the bad.
Metal Exiles: What are some of the struggles you feel you face in the ever-changing music industry right now?
Alexis: The biggest hardship we face is how fickle people are and how fickle people become. Back in the day you had Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and The Rolling Stones and when people loved those bands, they really loved those bands and still love these bands even today. They are die-hard. Nowadays it’s the next big thing. You’re here today, gone tomorrow, so that’s the biggest hardship. It’s submitting your name and making people not forget you or who you are or what you’re doing. It’s trying to stay alive I guess. It has a lot to do with listeners. They like what they like at the time and that’s it.
Metal Exiles: The Civil Unrest Tour has just kicked off, what is the atmosphere this early in the tour scene?
Alexis: Everybody seems really nice and that’s always good. We have a good atmosphere of comradery so it’s going pretty well so far.
Metal Exiles: You’ve toured with a variety of bands like Slayer, Anthrax, Mastodon, Chevelle, Three Days Grace, and Hatebreed, amongst many others in the past. Are there any overwhelming bonds and lasting friendships that have resulted from the tours so far?
Alexis: Oh gosh, we’ve been really blessed and lucky with the bands that we’ve toured in the past with. They’ve all been nice and helpful. I think forever and a day our tour with DevilDriver will always stick out in my mind because the first thing they told us when we got on the tour with them is “whatever we have is yours”. I remember just being in awe because they didn’t have to be like that. DevilDriver set the bar and that’s how tours should be. They were just awesome, awesome people. They aren’t just an awesome band, but they are awesome people with big hearts. It was a really good time.
Metal Exiles: Do you have any memorable moments that stand out from past tours; maybe things you’ll never forget or that maybe you regret doing?
Alexis: Two things come to mind. I remember always at the end of the tour there are the pranks and the hazing and all that stuff and I remember DevilDriver taping all of our locks and doors and everything. We couldn’t get into our van. By the time we finally did get into our van, there was porn everywhere, just everywhere. I remember also from that tour, I guess I’d been sick and we had to miss a show. We called them and told them we weren’t gonna make the show. So we get to the next show which was in Kentucky, and when we show up their TM at the time, Eddie Oertell (we call him Doctor Evil) asked us what we were doing there. We told him we were there to play the show and he was like “No, you guys are off, go, leave”. We were like “you’re not serious, right”? He said “Yeah, I’m telling you to get the hell outta here. Go!” I just started balling. All we could think was “oh, no, we’re ruined”. We were trying to figure this out and he was looking at us like we were crazy and he goes “What day is it? What day is it”? We told him we don’t know and then we look and it was April fool’s Day. All of a sudden, all of the bands come running out of their buses, the guys from 36 Crazy Fists and all of the bands that we were on tour with at this time, they just came running up to us hugging us and I was still just balling. Dez was like “Awe, come to the bus and I’ll make you some tea”. It was a lot of fun, a great time.
Metal Exiles: It sounds like there’s definitely a lot of comradery going on. That’s great to see.
Alexis: I love the comradery but the issue with some bands is they are very clicky and would rather to stay with their own kind. I think the scene has become really segregated. I feel like a lot of bands are missing out because they don’t associate with other bands. They stick with bands that sound like them and it’s really sad because there are so many great bands out there and you may not sound like any of them but you respect that they are there. You might be missing out on a lot of friendships. The fact is not everybody likes each other all the time but we are all trying to do the same thing. We are all trying to get our music out there. That’s a common goal and we should embrace each other; not trying to sound all “Kumbaya-ish”, you know.
Metal Exiles: Who would you like to see SLS tour with in the future?
Alexis: I’ve been on this Emmure kick. I don’t know man. We did a tour with Hatebreed and them in Canada and it was cool. We didn’t really get to talk to them very much though but I really admire them and their music. They are really who they are.
Metal Exiles: Being a Pavement artist do you get to form those close relationships with other Pavement artists that have been signed? Is it kind of like being at school and you’ve got all these kids in your class but you don’t really get to know each other until recess?
Alexis: Well, it’s all so fairly new right now, us being on the roster for Pavement. We haven’t really gotten to mix with the other bands yet, but I’m sure it’ll happen. It is kind of like being in school, in class, I think. That’s a great way to put it.
Follow the band on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/straightlinestitch
Follow the band on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/slsband1
Buy the new EP @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/transparency-ep/id998995490
Watch their music video for “Human Bondage” @ https://youtu.be/BH17NvMYMuo
Interview with Alexis Brown – Vocalist, Straight Line Stitch
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
Metal Exiles: You’ve recently signed with Pavement, what made SLS choose the new label and how is that working for you so far?
Alexis: It’s actually working out great. We got hooked up with Pavement through a mutual friend. We sent a demo to Tim King, the bass player of SOIL. He loved it and he got behind it. We talked on the phone and everything just kind of clicked. It was just the right move to make. Pavement has gotten a really good reputation because they just get it. Tim is in a band so he knows the inside workings within a band so he just gets it. They’re just good at what they do. They stand behind the music that they put out. They sign you because they like you for who you are. It’s not like you pick up a band and see that they have this type of potential maybe to be like somebody else. It’s ridiculous and makes no sense.
Metal Exiles: How are you guys feeling about the reception so far to the new music? Why was the original release date changed from May 5th to June 30th?
Alexis: We added a few tracks. We added an intro and then we decided to add another song just to make it extra special.
Metal Exiles: How do you feel about the reception to the new music so far?
Alexis: It has been absolutely stellar thus far. I don’t know what it is. When we were signed before, I guess people didn’t really know how to take us and the other label did change up our sound quite a bit. Reviews weren’t as good but I feel now that we’ve found our niche. We’ve found our sound and we’re doing it ourselves, not having anybody tell us how to write it, how to sing it, or how to perform it. We found our old voice and it’s been absolutely great so far.
Metal Exiles: SLS has been around for about 15 years or so, of course, that puts you at about 12 years with the band. What makes this the EP different than the other albums you’ve released?
Alexis: It’s different because we were literally responsible for everything ourselves. We came up with the music. We made the deal with Pavement. We set that up ourselves. Before, it was kind of cushy. Everything was kind of done for us. All we had to do was show up and everything else was kind of taken care of. I feel this record definitely represents us as a band more than our previous attempts.
Metal Exiles: This EP has some intense vocals and lyrics that mix between hard-core screaming and soft vocal melody, how do you make such a seamless transition with your voice?
Alexis: Oh you have no idea. Really the music dictates what I do. We don’t sit, as a band, and think “oh, we’re gonna make a heavy song and you’re gonna scream here and you’re gonna sing here”. We just get together and if it feels good and it sounds good to all of us, we run with it. They usually hand off the music to me and I’ll listen to it a couple of times and it kind of just writes itself. As corny and cliché as that might sound, that’s what happens. Something just takes over me and it just falls into place and when I sing, I definitely try. It’s been a labor of love. I’m nowhere near comfortable in my singing and screaming. I want to be better but I think it all comes to an end when you get comfortable. When you get comfortable, it’s like you feel like you know everything and I feel like there’s always more I need to know, especially with music. You have so many genres. It’s crazy right now so I just feel like there’s so much more to learn and experience so I’m still growing.
Metal Exiles: If given a choice, what would you consider the best song on the EP and why?
Alexis: I love the whole EP period. I mean, I guess I’m a bit partial to it but my favorite track, really, is “Human Bondage”. I think it’s because of the message of what I’m trying to say really hits me hard. It’s something that I’ve wanted to say for so long. I just didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t have my own voice to say what I needed to say. I know I’ve made mistakes and I haven’t been perfect in this thing called life but it is life and you move on and carry on. My thing was that I was beating myself up, almost killing myself because I felt like I messed up. So I thought, let me apologize to these people. Let me try to rectify this. Some people are gonna carry a grudge for the rest of their lives and that’s gonna be it. I felt really terrible about it. I wanted to be free from it. I wanted somebody to give me absolution. I guess in a way I had to seek God myself and forgive myself and just continue to move on, so “Human Bondage” definitely means a lot to me. I’m freeing myself of that and I’m moving on with my life.
Metal Exiles: What is the chemistry like between the band members with so many band member changes that have taken place over the years?
Alexis: It’s really hard but you have to weed out the weak so to say; the people that actually want to be here and put in the work and reap the rewards; and there are rewards, and to also be able to handle the bad times because there are bad times. The majority of the time, it is hard. It’s not easy. It’s not what people think it is. It’s not just being in a band and getting that title of being a rock star. It’s putting out music. It’s putting in work and it’s definitely been hard, but the people that are in it now actually want to be here and they want to do it. That is what separates the members we have now from past members. It’s not all just bad stuff like we didn’t get along or whatever. We had members that lost family members to death and being on the road and they weren’t there, it was rough. We’ve had people that financially just couldn’t do it because you don’t make a lot of money on the road. So, there have been all kinds of reasons why we’ve gone through members. People probably thing we’re some terrible, mean band that chews up members and spits em’ out but it’s so far from the truth. It’s just that life is unpredictable and so are people. I commend bands that have all of their original members. I admire them and I’m kind of jealous because it has to be nice to have solid, stable members but unfortunately sometimes, it doesn’t work that way. You just have to take it and deal with it. When you’re in this thing, it’s a labor of love and you have to take the good with the bad.
Metal Exiles: What are some of the struggles you feel you face in the ever-changing music industry right now?
Alexis: The biggest hardship we face is how fickle people are and how fickle people become. Back in the day you had Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and The Rolling Stones and when people loved those bands, they really loved those bands and still love these bands even today. They are die-hard. Nowadays it’s the next big thing. You’re here today, gone tomorrow, so that’s the biggest hardship. It’s submitting your name and making people not forget you or who you are or what you’re doing. It’s trying to stay alive I guess. It has a lot to do with listeners. They like what they like at the time and that’s it.
Metal Exiles: The Civil Unrest Tour has just kicked off, what is the atmosphere this early in the tour scene?
Alexis: Everybody seems really nice and that’s always good. We have a good atmosphere of comradery so it’s going pretty well so far.
Metal Exiles: You’ve toured with a variety of bands like Slayer, Anthrax, Mastodon, Chevelle, Three Days Grace, and Hatebreed, amongst many others in the past. Are there any overwhelming bonds and lasting friendships that have resulted from the tours so far?
Alexis: Oh gosh, we’ve been really blessed and lucky with the bands that we’ve toured in the past with. They’ve all been nice and helpful. I think forever and a day our tour with DevilDriver will always stick out in my mind because the first thing they told us when we got on the tour with them is “whatever we have is yours”. I remember just being in awe because they didn’t have to be like that. DevilDriver set the bar and that’s how tours should be. They were just awesome, awesome people. They aren’t just an awesome band, but they are awesome people with big hearts. It was a really good time.
Metal Exiles: Do you have any memorable moments that stand out from past tours; maybe things you’ll never forget or that maybe you regret doing?
Alexis: Two things come to mind. I remember always at the end of the tour there are the pranks and the hazing and all that stuff and I remember DevilDriver taping all of our locks and doors and everything. We couldn’t get into our van. By the time we finally did get into our van, there was porn everywhere, just everywhere. I remember also from that tour, I guess I’d been sick and we had to miss a show. We called them and told them we weren’t gonna make the show. So we get to the next show which was in Kentucky, and when we show up their TM at the time, Eddie Oertell (we call him Doctor Evil) asked us what we were doing there. We told him we were there to play the show and he was like “No, you guys are off, go, leave”. We were like “you’re not serious, right”? He said “Yeah, I’m telling you to get the hell outta here. Go!” I just started balling. All we could think was “oh, no, we’re ruined”. We were trying to figure this out and he was looking at us like we were crazy and he goes “What day is it? What day is it”? We told him we don’t know and then we look and it was April fool’s Day. All of a sudden, all of the bands come running out of their buses, the guys from 36 Crazy Fists and all of the bands that we were on tour with at this time, they just came running up to us hugging us and I was still just balling. Dez was like “Awe, come to the bus and I’ll make you some tea”. It was a lot of fun, a great time.
Metal Exiles: It sounds like there’s definitely a lot of comradery going on. That’s great to see.
Alexis: I love the comradery but the issue with some bands is they are very clicky and would rather to stay with their own kind. I think the scene has become really segregated. I feel like a lot of bands are missing out because they don’t associate with other bands. They stick with bands that sound like them and it’s really sad because there are so many great bands out there and you may not sound like any of them but you respect that they are there. You might be missing out on a lot of friendships. The fact is not everybody likes each other all the time but we are all trying to do the same thing. We are all trying to get our music out there. That’s a common goal and we should embrace each other; not trying to sound all “Kumbaya-ish”, you know.
Metal Exiles: Who would you like to see SLS tour with in the future?
Alexis: I’ve been on this Emmure kick. I don’t know man. We did a tour with Hatebreed and them in Canada and it was cool. We didn’t really get to talk to them very much though but I really admire them and their music. They are really who they are.
Metal Exiles: Being a Pavement artist do you get to form those close relationships with other Pavement artists that have been signed? Is it kind of like being at school and you’ve got all these kids in your class but you don’t really get to know each other until recess?
Alexis: Well, it’s all so fairly new right now, us being on the roster for Pavement. We haven’t really gotten to mix with the other bands yet, but I’m sure it’ll happen. It is kind of like being in school, in class, I think. That’s a great way to put it.
Follow the band on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/straightlinestitch
Follow the band on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/slsband1
Buy the new EP @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/transparency-ep/id998995490
Watch their music video for “Human Bondage” @ https://youtu.be/BH17NvMYMuo