Straight Line Stitch tears down the sky in Indianapolis

There’s a number of outstanding bands who may fly under your radar. In metal, there’s a plethora of stellar outfits who are just on the cusp of striking it big and Straight Line Stitch is one of those bands. Easily one of the hardest working bands in metal and most constant-tourers, their latest record, The Fight of Our Lives, released in early 2011 and the follow up is just on the horizon. They’re currently on the Summer Insanity Tour, playing most shows as a sole bill band with locals opening- which opens the door to a great opportunity for local acts but also puts the spotlight solely on Straight Line Stitch- which has paid dividends for the band. Their latest Indianapolis stop saw Straight Line Stitch joined by Primer 55 and playing Beale Street Live, a side-of-the-highway bar and grill which brings in many-a-national-act and this show happened to fall on their weekly “Bike Night.” After great sets from local bands Machine Guns and Motorcycles (who played a decent cover of Sweet’s “Fox on the Run”) and Whiskey Supercharger, another local Indianapolis group, I-Exist, took the stage for what may have been the best local opening set I’ve seen in quite awhile- hell, it may have been one of the best overall opener sets in some time. Seriously, if you haven’t seen or heard I-Exist, make sure to do so soon- they had Straight Line Stitch watching and impressed and they have the potential to make it on a small major label very soon and are better than half the bands on major labels as it is. After the crowd’s interest had been captured by I-Exist, Primer 55, who are back after battling hiatuses and other issues and they sounded just as good as ever. They played pretty much everything you could want to hear from them and were entertaining as always with frontman Bobby Burns’ stories and banter. It was great to see them back on stage and tearing it up again- hopefully they continue to do so for awhile. Next up, after a night full of great openers- which never happens- trust me- it was time for Straight Line Stitch to hit the stage and destroy stuff. Led by longtime frontwoman Alexis Brown, the band has gone through some lineup changes recently but after seeing them live with the current lineup, it’s clear Straight Line Stitch are catching their stride and coming together even more cohesively than ever before. They played a setlist which contained material from The Fight of Our Lives among some of their older records and fans ate it up like crazy. Brown’s voice was ferocious and sweet as ever and the band fired on all cylinders. Following their set it was clear the fans wanted more so Straight Line Stitch gave them exactly what they wanted- more music- with “Tear Down the Sky” and the ever-so-popular “Black Veil.” After they finished they went to the dressing room for just a few minutes before coming back out to meet everyone in attendance, sign autographs and take pictures with everyone; Not only a great live band but one of the nicest and down-to-earth bands around. Pre-show interview with Alexis and Jackie of Straight Line Stitch