There was a an article on tribute bands in this month's Classic Rock (November issue - with Velvet Revolver on the front) and the Maidens had the headline picture (as seen here - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Metallicat180/TheGreatPretenders.jpg )
and a small piece in the article which I've typed out below.
Hayseed Dixie are by no means the only band making a living from AC/DC songs, but they may well be the most interesting. Challenging for that crown, however, is AC/DShe. Unsurprisingly, they're an all-female covers band, one of many on the "scene". Among those joining them in this sub-sub genre are The Iron Maidens, Mistress Of Reality (a Black Sabbath covers band fronted by Izzy Osbourne), Ms.Fits, Cheap Chick and The Ramonas. There's really no shortage of ladies ready to impersonate our male heroes, and there appears to be an audience for their gender mixing tomfoolery. Iron Maidens frontwoman Bruce Chickinson offers a couple of possible reasons.
"I wanted to play Maiden's music because of the little things like sheer power and majesty of the music and the intelligence of the lyrics," she says. "It's incredibly difficult music to play. It's very involved and technically challenging. The women of The Iron Maidens are wonderful musicians and I absolutely love singing these songs with them. The audiences are so involved and emotional, they really get into it and the response is incredible. It's a very celebratory experience to do an Iron Maidens show. What we can add to the music, as the only female Maiden tribute band, is a little bit of sex appeal. Plus many people have the mistaken impression that Iron Maiden is "male" music, so hopefully we can help correct that thinking and open people up - musicians and non-musicians alike - to the idea of not setting those kind of limits on themselves of great music."
Whether they really are making a serious statement about the metal credibility of women, or just dressing up and playing other people's songs is debatable.
I kind of got the impression that they find the idea of women playing heavy metal a bit of a joke. Should send them a couple of Phantom Blue cds and that would show him that women can write original heavy metal songs and kick some major ass!!
and a small piece in the article which I've typed out below.
Hayseed Dixie are by no means the only band making a living from AC/DC songs, but they may well be the most interesting. Challenging for that crown, however, is AC/DShe. Unsurprisingly, they're an all-female covers band, one of many on the "scene". Among those joining them in this sub-sub genre are The Iron Maidens, Mistress Of Reality (a Black Sabbath covers band fronted by Izzy Osbourne), Ms.Fits, Cheap Chick and The Ramonas. There's really no shortage of ladies ready to impersonate our male heroes, and there appears to be an audience for their gender mixing tomfoolery. Iron Maidens frontwoman Bruce Chickinson offers a couple of possible reasons.
"I wanted to play Maiden's music because of the little things like sheer power and majesty of the music and the intelligence of the lyrics," she says. "It's incredibly difficult music to play. It's very involved and technically challenging. The women of The Iron Maidens are wonderful musicians and I absolutely love singing these songs with them. The audiences are so involved and emotional, they really get into it and the response is incredible. It's a very celebratory experience to do an Iron Maidens show. What we can add to the music, as the only female Maiden tribute band, is a little bit of sex appeal. Plus many people have the mistaken impression that Iron Maiden is "male" music, so hopefully we can help correct that thinking and open people up - musicians and non-musicians alike - to the idea of not setting those kind of limits on themselves of great music."
Whether they really are making a serious statement about the metal credibility of women, or just dressing up and playing other people's songs is debatable.
I kind of got the impression that they find the idea of women playing heavy metal a bit of a joke. Should send them a couple of Phantom Blue cds and that would show him that women can write original heavy metal songs and kick some major ass!!
