A lot of tribute bands have been going around the scene now for a while. But an Iron Maiden tribute band? And wait, a female tribute band? That must be something! We caught up with Linda McDonald from The Iron Maidens to talk about their upcoming show in Dubai on Saturday. Here is what she had to say…
How did the idea of being an Iron Maiden tribute come to you?
It was the idea of our original singer who was performing in a mixed-gender Iron Maiden tribute at the time. My original band, Phantom Blue, was searching for a bass player back then and we scouted out the bass player of that band. Funny thing is that we ended up not using her for our band, but the guitarist and I were recruited for the new all female Maiden tribute which came to be The Iron Maidens. It was also during a very slow and dull time period for the original and live music scene here in Los Angeles and some of us were just looking for something fun to do.
What are the challenges or benefits you feel being a female in the metal world?
Well, you are not always taken so seriously at first being an all-female band. People don’t always want to believe that 5 girls can play this type of music like we do our best to do. So other than the initial resistance from a few “nay”sayers, there really isn’t many other challenges. The benefits are that we are still the minority in the metal world being female musicians, although the numbers of female shredders are rapidly on the rise! This said, there are not as many all female groups out there in the metal world and this alone draws some attention to the band to begin with.
13 years of being a tribute band to the greatest metal band in history! What are your future plans?
We are having such a good time, it’s hard to believe 13 years has already passed! We plan to continue paying tribute to the mighty MAIDEN as long as our fellow Maiden fans want to hear it and come to the shows! Next on our agenda is to get a new CD of Maiden tunes with our current lineup out so we can give people something to take home with them after they take in a show!
Who from Iron Maiden did you meet, and how was it to meet your idols?
I have had the great fortune of meeting all the current members as well as Clive Burr. The band has met most of the members as well and it was like being a kid at Christmas again! We don’t really get star-struck, but come on – this is MAIDEN! m/
How hard is it to keep up with the energy, creativity, and sheer art that Iron Maiden has on stage?
It is definitely a challenge, to not only learn their material as close to the original as possible, but also to recreate and capture the feel they recorded. It really makes you appreciate the thought and detail and masterful writing involved in these songs having to listen to them so closely to learn every nuance possible. I think Eddie has the hardest part on stage though – he has quite the shoes to fill! HAHA!
Aren’t you planning on having your own music anytime soon? Or even in side-projects?
We all keep busy with side projects. It would be fun to dabble in some of our own music at some point, but quite honestly, right now this project is keeping us pretty busy and it really takes some solid commitment to do an original project right. I’ll never say never on the idea of writing out own tunes
and maybe even throwing one in on a tribute cd might be cool. Who knows?
What message do you have for your female fans in the Middle East?
The same message as we do for the male fans in the Middle East! – Up the Irons and we will be seeing you SOON!! m/ We have been to different parts of the Middle East and have had a great experience each and every time! This will be our very first visit to Dubai and we are looking forward to it!!!
What can we expect from your show? Any preview you can give us?
You can expect a high-energy show with Maiden fans playing for fellow Maiden fans, and guest appearances from Eddie, the devil, monsters, and more! For a sneak peak, check out this link!
Interviewed by: Natsky Ds
Edited by: NJ Bakr
