THE IRON MAIDENS (World's Only All Female Tribute to Iron Maiden)
by Jym Harris
Another Ballbuster Exclusive! I recently caught up with the Iron Maidens after they tore through this amazing setlist of vintage Maiden material at Diablo's in Eugene, Oregon: Aces High, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Die With Your Boots On, The Trooper, Number Of The Beast, 22 Acacia Ave., Ides of March/Wrathchild, Wasted Years, Phantom Of The Opera, Clairvoyant, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run To The Hills, and of course Iron Maiden (done as 'Iron Maidens'). Here's an interview with ALL FIVE MEMBERS!!!
I wrote about The Iron Maidens a few years ago, and since then there's been a few line-up changes. Tell us how you found your newest members.
JOJO: We know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody...........
SARA: Wanda has been a socal local bass player ever since I started playing. We used to see her at the rehearsal studio when she was with Rotten Rod and chat in the hall. When the bass position came up, she was the first we called. She came over to my house and jammed The Trooper and that was it! A couple years later when we were looking for a singer to finish up our CD, Wanda turned us on to Aja who also gigs around alot and is way pro.
LINDA: Yes, we've had a couple changes over the years, but I am a firm believer that everything has its purpose for happening and it has always seemed to work out for the better for all parties involved. It has mostly been through friends who referred other friends. We didn't seem to have much luck with the cold-call/ad route. The whole band knew Wanda and knew she would fit the bill perfectly when we needed to fill the bass position, so we were really happy when she said she was interested in becoming involved with this project. Aja was a mutual friend of Wanda and Jim Sitterly. Thanks!
WANDA: The current line-up had already known each other through friends or acquaintances. When a slot needed to be filled, the band already had someone in mind.
Wasn't there a third guitarist in the band at one time?
SARA: Nope! You must be thinking of Steve Harris' basslines! Oh wait, yeah, Alex Skolnick jammed with us in NY!
LINDA: Ya, we had Alex Skolnik as a guest player in New York! Does that count? LOL. You never know what may come next is all I can say.
JOJO: If there was, I didn't remember that era! Ha! No, we never had a third guitarist.
WANDA: Aside from a couple guests during a song (jazz guitarist Alex Skolnick and Phil Campbell from Motorhead), the band has never performed with three guitarists.
Is there a different chemistry within the band now?
SARA: Well, people are different, then there's musicians! So yeah! Seriously tho, we have as much fun off stage as on.
LINDA: As compared to when? There is a very open and honest chemistry/relationship within the band as there should be with any partnership you enter into. I think we all relate wonderfully to eachother musically and know how to make things work within the band. Professionalism is a key word.
WANDA: Yes, the chemistry has changed in a very positive way.
AJA: I don't know what the chemistry of the band was before I joined, but I must say that from the first note, the chemistry we have as a band was and is absolutely amazing. I've never experienced anything like this before! We have the greatest time together playing this music and I think the fans sense that and react to it on a visceral level. The response to the band is really incredible. I'm having the time of my life!
JOJO: Yes, different people, different chemistry, different way of executing things. But one thing is still the same, we're all about Maiden. We still strive to play Maiden like it's meant to be played.
So, all together, how many Maiden songs can you guys (gals) play?
SARA: We're always adding new stuff so it'll be close to 50 by the end of the year.
LINDA: A buttload that keeps growing! LOL!
WANDA: At least 30 and we're still adding more to our repertoire.
JOJO: A lot. Pretty much almost every song in every album minus the Blaze era and beyond.
Are any of the band members still doing original projects?
SARA: I write with my brother Jim a lot, as well as some hard drive recording that I post on my website.
LINDA: I do some work with an Argentinean guitarist named Carina Alfie when she is in the country.
WANDA: I play on occasion in an original blues based rock band called Field of Vision.
AJA: I've had a solo project going for a couple of years, but the Maidens have been keeping me so busy recently that it's been sitting on a the back burner for a bit. Who knows what direction my new stuff is going to go in - getting to know the music of Maiden so intimately has certainly re-inspired me as a writer and I can't wait to start investigating that road again! When our schedule eases up a little, I'd like to play out with my original music again, at least locally. That's always a lot of fun. In the meantime, you can hear clips from my solo project by visiting my website: www.ajakim.com.
JOJO: I write music for film, if that's considered originals.
What about The Little Dolls? Isn't that the Ozzy tribute side project?
SARA: Yes! Besides growing up with Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Ozzy were a big influence on me. Linda and I are having lots of fun with it!
LINDA: Yes! It's a female tribute to all eras of Ozzy's music! Sara and I get bored during TIM's down time and can't sit still so we put this project together to remedy that dilemma. (Great idea Sara!) I guess we are workaholics that way. Check it out at www.thelittledolls.com and sign up for our emailing list for updates! We dress up the stage and have our lovely singer work up a vivacious appetite for some fowl during the set! LOL. It's a lot of fun!
JOJO: You can't miss their shows.
I know The Iron Maidens have been all over the place recently. Where have you toured so far?
SARA: All up and down the west coast, a bit of the east and southwest, and Canada and Japan too.
LINDA: Also Utah, Montana, Nevada, Arizona....err, that's the southwest part huh!
WANDA: Canada, Japan, and various different states in the US.
JOJO: Check out the show history page on our www.theironmaidens.com
What about future touring plans?
SARA: We need to get down to Brazil soon, and of couse Europe. Huge masses of Iron Maiden fans there!
LINDA: With the release of our new CD we are hoping to get to more places to preach the music of Iron Maiden! You can check http://www.theironmaidens.com/tour/shows.html for all the latest show updates to see if we'll be hitting a venue near you! If not, please request us at you favorite local clubs and send them to our website to get in touch with us. We wanna play everywhere!!!!
WANDA: Anything is possible.
AJA: We're hoping some of the offers we've been getting from Europe, South America and Asia, as well as various parts of the US will come to fruition. We love traveling and meeting Maiden fans from around the globe and want to do so as much as we can. But, as always, it's in the hands of the booking gods! Pray for us!!
JOJO: There are a lot of plans of going to new places, it's all very exciting and in the works. For the newest updates, keep checking http://www.theironmaidens.com
I got a copy of your CD & noticed Derek Riggs did the artwork! How did you hook up with him?
SARA: From his website - we wanted him to do the artwork for our tribute cd from the beginning.
LINDA: The internet is a beautiful thang! You can find almost anyone you are looking for at the click of a mouse!
WANDA: We contacted him through his website.
So any last comments?
SARA: It was nice seeing you again Jym, thanks for the interview! Horns up for BallBuster!
LINDA: Thanks for the interview Jym! Good seeing ya again and thanks for keeping the metal scene alive! Up the Bloody Irons! http://www.theironmaidens.com
WANDA: Thanks for the interview and for "spreading the word" about us ~ we love seeing new faces at our shows. J
AJA: Thanks to everyone out there who is supporting us by coming to our shows! We'll be out there spreading the gospel of Maiden as long as you want us to! Up the Irons!
JOJO: Yeah, thanks for the continuing support and please check our site http://www.theironmaidens.com
