Artist News

Behind The Scenes – Interview: Michelle Steer – FiXT Official Christmas Queen

By Leasia Korbel

Somewhere deep in in the bowels of Atiria (aka the FiXT home office), a Christmas elf named Michelle resides. She originally fell off Santa’s sleigh as the story goes. But she brought good cheer and turned their merch production upside down, enabling them to hit not only homes on Atiria but offworld as well delivering your FiXTmas merch to an earthside residence near you.

What’s your favorite part about Christmas?
It’s hard to pick just one favorite! I love it all—the lights, the music, the decorations, the celebrations—and especially the gift-giving!

What’s your ultimate Christmas candy?
​​Now this is impossible to choose just one… I’d say Sponge Candy if I can find it because it reminds me of when I was little & going with my Grandma to the corner store to get it & then I’d have to say my mom’s Buckeyes, which are decadent, peanut butter balls covered in chocolate that look like, well, a buckeye.

Do you decorate your home for Christmas?
Yes, and I’ve even been told that it looks like Christmas exploded in my house! We don’t decorate the outside, but when you walk inside, it’s like a Christmas wonderland! We’re talking Christmas in every room, and yes, even the bathroom is decorated! I know, I know, it’s a bit over the top, but there’s a lot of nostalgia behind many of my decorations. Many of them were passed down from family members who are no longer with us, and it brings me so much joy to put them out every year so that a little piece of them can still be with us during the holidays.

Do you decorate your FiXT office? How do your fellow FiXT workers(christmas haters I know they are there – looking at you, Kurtis) take the decorations?
I have not decorated my office, but the Christmas tunes have been jamming!! Believe it or not, Kurtis is not the Grinch of the office… Travis, I’m looking at you!! 

What’s your favorite Christmas movie or TV show to watch? (And why?)
Again, I can’t pick just one! There are several movies I have going in the background while I’m decorating or wrapping presents. My go-tos are Home Alone, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas & Elf! To me these are the classics & I can probably recite them all word for word! I just love em! And then I’m a sucker for the cheesy Hallmark movies, even though the plots are all the same, just set in different Christmas towns!

What’s your all-time favorite Christmas activity?
One of my favorite Christmas activities comes from my involvement with the Elks, an organization I’ve been a part of for 20 years. For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of being invited to Fairfield, IA, to help with their Shop With a Hero event. The Elks partner with a local school to identify families in need and provide them with a little extra holiday magic.

We all gather at the Elks Lodge to assemble cookie trays, and then, along with local first responders in their emergency vehicles (lights and sirens included!), we head to Walmart for a shopping spree. Afterward, they host a pizza party with Santa, and every family leaves with overflowing cookie trays and gift cards to a local grocery store. This event is such a heartwarming experience! It truly gets me into the holiday spirit and serves as a great reminder that it is the season of giving.

What’s your secret to staying organized during a chaotic holiday ordering season?
Making lists & checking them twice! 😉

Are there any exclusive holiday-themed items fans love to grab this time of year?

I would say all of our Holiday Sweatshirts seem to be a big hit! Insert my shameless merch plug here… get yours before they disappear after the first of the year!! https://fixtstore.com/fixt-holiday-merch

What’s the busiest time of year for merch orders, and how does the holiday season compare?

My goodness, we’ve had a lot of busy times this year, and they all compare equally to the rush of the holiday season! Each pre-order we’ve done has kept us bustling around here! Just to mention a few, the Daedric Mortal Vinyl, both ENMY CDs, and The Browning OMNI CD, Vinyl, and merch drop all had us acting like Christmas elves this year!

How do you prepare for the influx of holiday orders? Are there any special challenges?

One thing that is a must do to prepare for all of the holiday orders is to order up on all of our shipping supplies. I guess the challenge would be where to put all of them sometimes, but as the orders come in, the supplies dwindle, and we just have to order them all again. It’s a vicious cycle!

What’s the most unique or creative holiday merch idea you’ve seen come to life?

This is not really a merch idea, but for the most creative holiday thing in my world right now, I’d have to say our holiday social media images! I love seeing all of the shenanigans that our little FiXT Bot keeps getting into with each holiday that rolls around! And I’d like to give a special shoutout to Summer for helping to bring all of our crazy ideas to life! She is a true gem & I wish I had even half of her creativity!!

What’s one thing you’d like fans to know about the effort that goes into managing the merch desk?

Hmm… Well, fans might think there are Bots running the merch desk, but I have to burst their bubble & let them know that real people are behind it all, working as hard as possible to get their orders out quickly! We take a lot of pride in getting their orders to them, and we truly appreciate them supporting the artists by shopping with us!

What’s the most exciting or unusual destination you’ve shipped merch to?

It’s hard to think of one particular destination, but anytime an order comes in from somewhere warm, I always wish I could just go with it! Hawaii, here I come!!

Do fans ever send notes or messages with their holiday orders? Any memorable ones?

It’s funny that you should ask! Sometimes fans will respond via email with little notes about their orders, & occasionally we’ll get some fan mail. But something interesting happened recently that was a bit out of the ordinary! One of our top fans ordered a Scandroid Monochrome Notebook, which isn’t strange, but then they wrote a note in it and shipped it back to us. Who knows, maybe I’ll write my own note in it & send it back out so we can become notebook pen pals!

Do you have a personal favorite item in the merch lineup that you think makes a great holiday gift?

I love our All Over Print Zip-Up Hoodies… you can’t go wrong with gifting either the Celldweller or Scandroid Hoodies or any of our Blankets! They are all so cozy & are the perfect gift for wintertime!

Would you rather battle 100 gingerbread man sized santas? Or one giant santa sized gingerbread man?

I’m gonna go with one giant Santa sized gingerbread man because I do not want to fight a bunch of Santas and end up on the naughty list!

Tales From The Darkside: An Interview With The Spooky Queen Herself – Izzy Reign

By Leasia Korbel

I’m not sure any of the artists on board FiXT love Halloween quite as much as Izzy Reign. After releasing two thrilling covers, Rob Zombie’s “Living Dead Girl” on October 11th and “Spooky Scary Skeletons” on October 25th the Scream Queen herself took the time to answer some questions about her start in music and her love of all things spooky.

Can you tell us a bit about your musical background and how you got started in the industry?

I got started in music as a child actually. My mom used to play Alanis Morrissette on this tape deck karaoke machine and that’s when I started to sing. But my dad is a drummer, a pretty great one actually, so I was always surrounded by the music scene, whether I liked it or not! Haha!, However, it wasn’t until I was about 15 that I started to genuinely take interest in the ALT scene. The “ Sorry you’re not a winner” music video from Enter Shikari came out and as I was watching the video for the first time, I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life. It blew 15 year old Izzy’s brain. Haha. Further on down the line and a few bands later, I started working with Nick Matzkows and Jon Eberhard. Which led to where I am now. Learning from them both has been a pleasure and the friends /fellow musicians I’ve come to know along the way have all been incredible, and these experiences have helped me grow exponentially.

What first drew you to horror films, and how have they influenced your music?

Honestly, I had no choice in it. I blame my parents. Haha! I started watching horror films , probably a bit too young, but they have grown to be some of my favorite movies till this day. They have for sure influenced my music by being able to simulate fear and extreme emotion through sound. If there is any genre of film that uses sound to induce emotion…. It’s horror.

Are there specific horror films or directors that have had a significant impact on your music? How?

I wouldn’t say specific films or directors per say, but genres for sure. Sometimes I’ll see certain movies, thrillers really, that make you feel such an immense emotion that it trails with you well after the movie is over, and that’s what I try and aim to do with my music.

How do you incorporate the eerie, unsettling aspects of horror with music or music videos to create a compelling piece?

For me personally, I love to keep people on the edge of their seats. Like what’s going to come next? And then BAM a jump scare! Chaotic, but also relatable. Visually confusing but also appealing, making people stuck in interest whether they want to be or not.

Do you find that certain sub-genres of horror inspire your music more than others? If so, which ones and why?

I would say it’s quite the mix to be honest. Sci-fi gore horror and Paranormal seem to be my biggest influences. I guess I connect with them better and I feel that I write from perspectives that most of those directors are also writing from.

How do you use musical techniques (like dissonance, unusual time signatures, etc.) to evoke a sense of fear or unease?

Oh man, I love this one, I absolutely love to make your heart rate rise without you even realizing it. Small intricate almost unnoticeable tempo changes to make you feel more anxious. Spatial hearing so you feel fully immersed in the song. Hearing certain sounds travel in your ears from left to right disappear and come back. Using “unfit” or “unusual” melodies to make you feel perfectly in that headspace of unease. I aim to make my songs a relatable mental nightmare that you fully feel and can relate to. I aim to make you feel, EVERYTHING, that I feel.

What are your five all-time favorite horror films and why?

1. Annihilation.
Reason being, it is visually beautiful and takes horror in such a unique unsettling direction. So many memorable scenes. Ranging from some that are at peace and relatable to jump scare and gore all the way over to psychological unease and confusion. Also has one of the most iconic “sounds” in any horror film when they introduce the alien entity at the end. 

           2.The Haunting.
          This movie holds a weird special place in my heart. For some reason it’s been burned in my brain for the rest of eternity. From the story line, to the unsettling hidden  carousel scene that induces fear but peace simultaneously. Not to mention, I can’t go anywhere where there is a cherub and not think of that movie, thinking, it’s going to turn its head and talk to me i KNOW IT! Haha. Also, KILLER cast. The movie is iconic, and still holds up today.

          3.The Ring.
I know, I know, How common. BUT, what an fantastically written film. Scared the crap out of me as a kid and set the tone for eternity to feel nervous when you hear a standard house or corporate phone ring. Now that’s an impact. Visually perfect, not too much, not too little. Left you confused with the plot twist and a chase against time. Also ending it with knowing you kind of have to be a crappy person to save your life or the ones you love. Haha. I appreciated that.

      4.13 Ghosts.
I loved this movie and still do for a few reasons.
One being, it was the first horror movie I watched alone and I’ll NEVER forget that. I thought the entire time the Jackal, was behind me while watching the movie.
Two is because of how they introduced so many unique characters as the feared points with such a cool twist. Each one having their own story and how it played into their purpose was also super cool intertwining with the black zodiac book. And lastly, again, The cast. Some of my favorites. Mathew Dillard is by far one of the best and played this part perfectly. They did a great job conjuring up a ton of emotions and I loved that.

5. This is incredibly tough, But I’m going to have to say for creativity and uniqueness, Event Horizon. This movie is for sure one of a kind. Ranging from the psychological thrill, to the 10/10 gore. I loved this movie. Such a unique idea, and for the time it came out, they did a great job. Another one of those movies that lives rent free in my soul.

And if I could have a 6th.
Silent hill all the way. For so many reasons. 10/10 movie. Heavily the stance in which I share with religion and irrational people. Pure chaos and a solid story. And gore wise , some of the coolest scenes ever made. The characters as well.  There is not a single moment of that film that is not perfect. Honestly would be in my top 3. But this list is incredibly difficult to choose  just 5. Haha

Can you talk about the inspiration for the “Sandman” music video and single?

So, visually wanted to take a few angles from some movies but first and foremost wanted to give that, 80s-90s- sci-fi horror that is set to be in the future vibe.  So what they thought the future would look like. Honestly it stemmed a lot from the movie Event Horizon. Really wanted to make you feel like your brain is tweaking out a bit and also hit you with the alluring visuals, with a random punch of gore. Raising your heart rate and making you experience chaos. Also, I wanted to visually bring a TINY bit of Evil Dead in there with the creepy demonic vibes that feel like they are chasing you.

The song is heavily about fear of time running out  so I wanted to induce the feeling of anxiety and fear as much as possible.

Do you ever use horror-inspired music as a way to confront or process your own fears and anxieties?

I Personally love to fully FEEL things and experience them to the max that I can.
So even though something makes me nervous or uncomfortable knowing I’m going to be terrified, I love to indulge in it and connect with what the directors were aiming to make me feel. Movies serve a major purpose, as does music. To make you connect. To feel. Sometimes to make you experience something , just to keep you more alive instead of fading into the everyday norm of life. Like taking a cold shower. I think it’s necessary for people to be able to have these things. And horror films do exactly that.

Check out Izzy Reign’s merch at the FiXT Store. O𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 now!