[Griffith]

Chaos-Music : Hi how are you doing?

Linda: Just wonderful, and hopefully you are too!

Sara - Fucking Excellent \m/

Wanda - Fine, thanks.

Chaos-Music : Firts can you present your self to the audience ?

Aja - I'm Aja Kim - lead vocalist and I play Bruce 'Lee' Chickinson

Wanda - My name is Wanda Ortiz and I play bass for the Iron Maidens as "Steph Harris".

Linda: I'm Linda McDonald and I do my best to represent Clive Burr and Nicko McBrain in The Iron Maidens. I'm called Nikki McBURRain in this band.

Sara - I play Dave parts stage right. I got the name MiniMurray from the Austin Powers movies cuz I'm a midget compared to Murray!

Chaos-Music : Can you give us a short picture of the band?

Sara - THE WORLD'S ONLY FEMALE TRIBUTE TO IRON MAIDEN!

Linda: We formed in 2001 just wanting to play Maiden and have fun doing it. We realized from our very first rehearsal that there were always people gathering outside the door peeking in and watching us and learned very quickly there was definitely a market for girls who love to play Iron Maiden!

Wanda - Everyone in the band had already known each other through playing in bands together or through friends and acquaintances. One day, one of us decided it would be fun to form an all-girl tribute to Iron Maiden and approached the rest of us. Coincidentally, Iron Maiden just happened to be a favorite band for all of us so we all thought it would be a lot of fun.
The band was started out as just a fun project but after the first few gigs, we started getting calls from many clubs throughout the US. This project now keeps us pretty busy!

Aja- When I joined the band, it was going strong already and the girls had established a great reputation for themselves. I was excited to become part of such a remarkable group of musicians. They deliver the music better than many men I've heard play it (sorry guys, but it's true!! :-) . People seem to agree because our audience continues to grow and we're breaking attendance records all over the place!

Chaos-Music : Have you got some parallel projects beside THE IRON MAIDENS ?

Wanda - In addition to the Maidens, I freelance as an independent musician pretty extensively for various different projects or groups. My last gig was with the Marina Del Rey Symphony Orchestra (on upright bass). I’m also a regular member of the South Coast Symphony in Southern California.

Sara - I play with Linda in an Ozzy tribute called The Little Dolls.

Linda: I play with Sara/MiniMurray in a female tribute to Ozzy Osbourne (www.thelittledolls.com) and other miscellaneous side-man drummer jobs when time permits, mostly with Carina Alfie (www.myspace.com/carinaalfie) and Meldrum (www.myspace.com/meldrumrocks) . You can check out www.phantomblue.com too and www.myspace.com/lindamcdonald in the jukebox for samples.

Aja - Yes I have a solo CD out called Modern Babylon - it's a rock and soul kind of thing - quite different from what I do with the Maidens. I'm working on a follow - up to it, which is going to be a little heavier. It may take a while because the Iron Maidens keep me pretty busy! You can check Modern Babylon out at my website : www.ajakim.com or on myspace: www.myspace.com/ajakimmusic

Chaos-Music : Did you find any difficulties given that you're females?

Sara - No. It makes me work harder so that's a blessing.

Aja - Not really but there are always a few throwbacks who feel women have no business in metal at all. But talent will out in the end. We have a lot of converts in our audience who didn't believe us to be capable until they came to a show or bought the CD.

Linda: None at all. We all get along great and love what we're doing and are as drama-free as bands get; the bookers and people seem to admire that! Hee hee! The audiences can feel that and seem to appreciate what we do. To top it off, we have the best manager in the world who makes sure these kinds of difficulties son't exist for us.

Wanda - All-girl bands are still somewhat of a novelty these days, especially with this type of music. Many people will come to show simply because they are curious. Occasionally, there are people at our shows who have this preconception that women cannot play this style of music competently. However, once they see us pull it off, preconceptions go out the window and everyone starts having a good time.

Chaos-Music : Tell us a bit more about the recordings of "Tribute To Maiden" like where you recorded it , how you decided on a studio and producer, who came up with the cover artwork ect...

Linda: Sara, Mark (our manager) and I checked out about a dozen studios, Silver Cloud being one of the last ones. When we walked in there we just knew that was where we wanted to record. There was a definitely a vibe in that studio and the people there were just so chilled and no pressure no nonsense. The fact that Bruce Dickinson, amongst many others like Rob Halford, Megadeth, and more recorded there was a bonus! When it came to the cover art we had many submissions by Maiden fans that hopefully will be used on something else, but we contacted Derek Riggs with the idea that we really wanted this tribute CD to be put out in all its glory and make it as authentic as possible with a brand new original piece of art from him. He was happy with the idea and came up with Edwina T. Head, our very own female monster inspired by the one and only Paris Hilton.

Sara - Well, once we got the idea, it kinda grew it's own head. To finish the monster, it was a true labor of love. We did everything, besides Derik Riggs doing the front artwork - everything underneath is us expressing our love for Iron Maiden and the respect we have for the band. We even included fan art cuz we're such fans ourselves. That's also how we found Silver Cloud Studio - weird trivia freaks that we are!

Wanda - Because there were so many people requesting a CD from us at our shows, we finally decided to make one. Here are a couple facts Maiden fans might be interested in: the CD was recorded at Silvercloud Recording Studios (in Burbank, California) where Bruce Dickinson has also recorded. We recorded classic Maiden tunes and we had Derek Riggs do the artwork. All our decisions in regards to the CD were made to assist us in our goal of emulating an Iron Maiden CD as closely as possible.

Aja - Recording at Silvercloud, where Bruce recorded most of his solo work was a really inspiring and challenging experience. I was walking in the footsteps of giants there and on my breaks I'd look at the CD covers on the wall and remind myself of that. Singing is so mental and the hardest part was the tight schedule - I recorded the lead and backing vocals for 10 songs in about 2 1/2 days. So what you hear is a pretty much a live performance and a good indication of what you'll get when you come to a show. And we do have an Edwina as well as an Eddie!

Chaos-Music : Did the crowd found a big differences between your tribute and Iron Maiden?

Wanda -Yes, because we're women there is an obvious difference in vocal quality and appearance.

Aja -Yes, we smell better! LOL! Seriously, we've gotten wonderful responses from the fans and the people who have reviewed our CD. These women don't sound like "girls" when they play. Since there's no hiding the obvious differences between a male and female voice, my personal goal is to convey the emotion and power Bruce gives to a song as best I can. It's a great compliment when fans say the feeling they get when they see us is similar to how they feel at a real Iron Maiden show. But to quote MiniMurray - we don't write 'em, we just play 'em!

Sara - It's really a great chance to hear Maiden in a small club environment; close up and personal. If your front row Eddie will feed you a snack off his brain platter during Flight Of Icarus, or maybe you'll feel the chill of the CO2 tanks going off in your face during 666.

Linda: Another difference is the material we cover; we play more of the ealier material that Iron Maiden doesn't play live too often any more. The Maiden fans really seem to like that.

Chaos-Music : What was the reaction of Iron Maiden Members after hearing your tribute ?

Sara - "They don't play like girls do they"

Linda: Oh, to be a fly on the wall! Ha ha ha. I know one of the members was rumored to have said we don't play like girls.........Sara, I guess you heard that one too huh! Michael Kenney, the keyboardist for Maiden, sits in and performs with us at high profile gigs every once in a while. He doesn't seem to think we sound all that bad. :-)

Aja - I have no idea if they've even heard it but if they have I hope they accept it in the spirit given, which is from a place of love and respect for the music.

Wanda - I don't know because I wasn't there when (and if) they listened to our CD (they have never seen us perform live).

Chaos-Music : How did it feel playing With Mr. Nico MCbrain? And what did he think about your band ?

Aja - It was a little scary! Something like this doesn't happen every day. But Nicko is very kind and a really cool guy. Funny, too. He said Wanda has much better gams (legs) than Steve. Always joking! But he did come out from behind the kit after I sang the Trooper and he gave me a hug in front of the whole place and told me I sounded great. That meant a great deal to me.

Wanda - It was a lot of fun playing with Nicko but I was very nervous because I wanted to make a good impression. He was a really nice guy and was very supportive.

Linda: I got to play photographer that night but I had a great time watching him jam with my bandmates! I can only imagine how it must have felt to play with him! Wow!

Sara - I had to work that day dammit!

Chaos-Music : Are you in touch with alex skolnick? I saw a show in wich you played together (The Trooper)?

Linda: Alex is a good friend of Josephine, our former Adrianne Smith. He was her guitar teacher at one point in time and she obviously learned very well from him! We were touring in New York and he come down to say hello and join us on stage to play The Trooper. It was incredible!

Sara - Alex is a huge supporter; what a great guy and player and totally down to earth. I saw him at Namm last year jammin some jazz with a bass player - what a treat!

Wanda - I think that some of the other girls stay in touch with him since they were friends before this band was formed. I've only met him once (when he played with us) and I thought he was a very nice guy and a great musician.

Chaos-Music : Aren't you thinking of starting your own new album?

Wanda -Yes.

Linda: I think it would be silly not to think about doing that. Keep checking our website for any updates or news, or better yet, sign up on our emailing list at www.theironmaidens.com and you won't miss a thing!!

Sara - All the time. Damn if this project doesn't keep us jumpin as it is....

Aja - Some of us are doing a little writing together, but we'll have to see what happens........

Chaos-Music : What about your relationship with other metal bands from USA and Europe?

Linda: We've got friends everywhere between the 5 of us, yes, even in Guam!! I know a lot of drummers and guitar players in very well-respected bands and it's always a plus to have these good relationships around the world. You never know where we'll be playing next!

Aja - It's a nice feeling when people like Lemmy and Phil of Motorhead respect what you do. Phil sat in with us a couple of times. Linda played a few shows on their bill here with a band called Meldrum and I went to see the show in Anaheim. Phil asked if I wanted to sit in with them on Killed by Death. No need to ask twice! Lemmy was cool with it and it was really fun - and LOUD!!!! They were completely amazing!

Wanda - We always try to help each other out if we can.

Sara - There's lots of great bands out there; we meet alot on the road and here in L.A. We find they have a huge love for music, and it's a great community that supports each other so that the music can continue to grow and prosper. Good live music should be encourgaged!

Chaos-Music : What do you think about the evolution of Heavy Metal, and about the evolution of bands like MANOWAR & VIRGIN STEELE?

Aja -The fact that these bands are still around speaks for itself, doesn't it? Metal will continue to evolve - metal music lovers are some of the most dedicated fans there are and a new generation of young people are discovering the power of real music played by real people again. They've been raised on a diet of beat boxes and protools and they're hungry for more. They're turning to the pioneers like Iron Maiden who are still releasing important work and finding new young fans who are inspired by both what they've done in the past and what they continue to do in the future.

Wanda -I think it's great. I'm glad heavy metal is still around and that people are still trying new things within that genre of music.

Sara - Manowar is east coast huh.... I never saw them live but their image is hmmmmm - sexy!

Linda - Sexy indeed!

Chaos-Music : When did the things started to be serious for the band ? I mean, when did you begin to play gigs outside of USA?

Linda: Even though the band was started up as a fun thing, it was always taken seriously because of the nature of the songs we were playing. Ever since our first show about 5 years ago we have never had a problem getting bookings and are lucky to perform almost every weekend of the year plus tours and mid week dates. A couple years after this band began we started playing out of the country. We've been to Japan, Korea, Guam, Mexico and Canada so far and would love to get to more places!!!

Sara - We've gotten a lot of offers for other shows but so far the ones Linda mentioned have only been feasible. We have a large show with props, monsters, special effects and equipment wise several eras of Iron Maiden songs to play. These have always been integral parts for our show and we would never cheat our audience and do without just to travel.

Aja - For me - right away! After all, this is the only female band in the world who cover Iron Maiden so people are curious. Women playing Maiden is a pretty rare thing! My first show was at The Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana, CA, which is a venue that national and international acts also play (Check out the Trooper video on the demo page on our website: www.theironmaidens.com - it was taken from that show.) Three months later we were in Japan playing the Trooper for the troops! We would like to do even more shows outside the US - we get so many requests from fans all over the world - Europe, South America, Australia...and yes - Morocco! Are you listening, promoters??!! ;-P

Chaos-Music : What bands would you like to tour with if given the opportunity?

Sara - I think I could offer Kelly Clarkson's band a real kick in the pants.

Wanda - It would be cool to tour with Iron Maiden as an opening act. It would also be a lot of fun to tour with some of the newer bands like Marilyn Manson, Korn, or System of a Down.

Linda: Soul Fly and of course Maiden! Foo Fighters would be fun too!

Aja - Of course we can dream about touring with the mighty Maiden - but it would be freaky to play their music under those circumstances! I'd much rather hear Maiden play Maiden anyway! I guess we'd have to do something else! Hmmm....food for thought!

Chaos-Music : What will be your answer if you receive an offer asking you to play here in morocco?

Wanda -Yes!

Aja - We would love to come to Morocco! Contact our manager, Mark Dawson. You can reach him at booking@theironmaidens.com

Linda: My passport is valid and my bags are packed! May I have a window seat please?

Sara - What kind of local beers may I taste?

Chaos-Forum : What would you say to the young upstart female metal band?

Sara - In the words of Churchill - "We Shall Never Surrender!"

Linda: Practice and play as much as you can, never get on your knees for anyone and say no to drugs.

Wanda - Keep at it and don't give up or get discouraged. Anything worth working for will not be easy to get.

Aja - Practice hard and play hard. Have fun - but don't party too hard!

Chaos-Music : Thank you so much for your time and i wish you ladies all the best of luck as you continue forward. So what can you say to your moroccan supporters?

Aja - Thanks so much for wanting to know more about our band and for the support! We hope to meet you at a show real soon!

Sara - Thank you so much for finding our project and loving what we do as much as we do. CHEERS!

Linda: Thanks for reading this interview and Up the Bloody Irons, Morocco!!! Please visit us at www.theironmaidens.com !!!!

Wanda - Thanks for supporting metal and thanks for checking us out ~ hopefully we'll see you in Morocco one day!

Albums:

The Iron Maidens - World’s Only Female Tribute To Iron Maiden 2004
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[_SpirituaL_]

Good job brother
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