Se você tem pelo menos meia antena no mundo do Heavy Metal, já ouviu falar delas.
THE IRON MAIDENS é considerada a melhor banda cover feminina de uma banda de Metal formada apenas por homens. E, neste caso específico, sói acontecer que a banda é "apenas" o IRON MAIDEN...
E, se você já se aventurou a tentar tirar algum som deles, sabe do que estamos falando. É muita complexidade para quem quer que seja.
Mas, neste caso, cinco meninas lindas e talentosas toparam o desafio - e hoje são altamente elogiadas pela crítica especializada - e não apenas pelo visual (sim, é incrível!) - mas pelo talento nos instrumentos e vocais.
O Conservado no Rock pediu uma exclusiva com as meninas. E - adivinhem? Conseguimos!
Linda McDonald, Courtney Cox, Wanda Ortiz e Kirsten Rosenberg falaram um pouco sobre os ônus e bônus de se colocar cinco mulheres em um palco para tocarem uma das bandas mais cultuadas do Metal para um bando de caras de camisetas pretas que dividem sua atenção entre ouvir o som e babar nas beldades.
Assim, por uma questão de respeito editorial, vamos reproduzir a entrevista EM INGLÊS, para que nenhuma única palavra saída daquelas belas bocas seja alterada. Sim, sabemos que você vai entender. Google Translator não vai ajudar muita coisa, mas - porra, é uma EXCLUSIVA! Se vira!!!
C'n'R: IRON MAIDEN has been from the start a strongly "male attitude" Heavy
Metal Band. From the looks to the sound. How did you girls feel that aspect of
their music when you first decided to play - and how can you still put so much
femininity on your live performances?
Kirsten: Because
Maiden is more testosterone driven, I don’t feel feminine or “girly” performing
Maiden’s material—I guess I feel gender-neutral. The fact that the any
femininity comes across must be a result of the fact I am a woman—can’t help
that, haha!
 |
| Kirsten "Bruce Chickinson" Rosenberg |
Linda:
That is exactly the kind of music we were looking to play because it is what we
all have always loved and it was a part of why we all play music to begin
with.
Courtney: Its
easy, we are female haha comes naturally. We grew up listening to Maiden
so it was an obvious choice. It is great music.
Wanda: As
far as I know, none of us actually really thought about that when the band
first started. We only thought that it would be fun and different to form
an all-girl Iron Maiden tribute band because we loved the music and there
were no other female tribute acts doing anything as musically challenging
or complex.
For
our live performances, we try to emulate a Maiden show as closely as we
can but there is obviously a feminine touch because we are all women. The
costumes , for example, are similar to what the guys wore but they
are made for a female form. Vocals, obviously ,are also more feminine
sounding.
C'n'R: Have you ever been somehow hostilized for any IM fan for being a band of girls
playing their sound?
Courtney:A
lot of people see a girl band and automatically think they cant play. We go out
there, put on a hell of a show every night, and hang with the fans after every
show. We have to prove ourselves to those whom may not have seen us before. Nine
times out of ten, they leave as a fan :) On a side note, being a girl has
nothing to do with the music. Yes , women tend to be nice things to look at,
but for us the music is the most important thing.
 |
| Linda "Nikki McBurrain" McDonald |
Linda:
Not hostile, just suprised in a good way, so that's fine!
Kirsten: I’ve
only experienced people being supportive—and sometimes surprised—that we are an
all-female Maiden tribute. But people react positively, especially after
they hear us play!
Wanda: I'm
not really sure what you are asking. If you are asking if anyone was ever
hostile to us because we play Iron Maiden songs, then the answer to that
is no. Even though there are people who have this preconception that
women cannot play this style of music competently, we don't let that bother
us. It's fun to see all the surprised looks we get when they see that we
can actually pull it off. As long as we play well, everything will be alright.
C'n'R: Individually (considering each instrument) which were the most challenging
songs to play?
Linda:
I think the last song of the set is the most challenging because you get pretty
pooped after nearly 2 hours sometimes by the time the last song comes up! Haha!
Kirsten: Well,
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner” involves remembering a LOT of words—oh my!
“Heaven Can Wait” is a bit challenging only because the vocal line is very
rapid and staccato at times. And the opening lines to “Fear of the Dark”
are absolutely the most difficult lines among all the songs because they are so
low—below the average female vocal range.
Wanda: It
was Phantom of the Opera for a while because there is a bass solo in it.
The part isn't really that hard but since I'm a bass player and not used
to playing solos as much as other people (like guitarists or violinists,
for example), there is more of a tendency to get worked up and nervous
before "the big moment" . If you get too nervous and overthink things
too much before a solo, you are more at risk of making a mistake. After over
ten years in this band though, I think I've learned how to relax a little bit.
:)
 |
| Wanda "Steph Harris" Ortiz |
Courtney: I
hate this question because i have all of these songs soo drilled into my head
that they are all easy to me.. If i can sing a tune, i can play it.
C'n'R: Do you girls have other activities other than the band? Job, study?
Courtney: Im
a barista at a Hawaiian Coffee shop called Java Kai :) i also like to
hang out on the sunset strip. so cliche eh? haha
Linda:
I have a pet care company where I work with and care for (mostly) dogs. I also
like a good trip to the gym or the nearest buffet! :-D
Kirsten: Yes
(unfortunately, haha). I do have other jobs but I structure them around
the band.
Wanda: I
play upright bass in chamber groups and orchestras in the Southern California
area. South Coast Symphony (http://www.southcoastsymphony.org/)
is one of the orchestras I play in. I also have a second career in
technology. For fun, I like to travel, read, and hang out with friends.
C'n'R: How much do you think your (awesome) sex appeal influence your rising success?
 |
| Courtney "Adriana Smith" Cox |
Courtney: Well
, of course it does BUT the opportunities and honors that we have received over
the years has definitely been achieved through our hard work musically.
There are a lot of pretty bands out there.... i use my ears more than my
eyes.
Linda:
Sure it does, but I think our joy, happiness and energy we get from playing
oozes out and is more of what gets people to want to see us again! We just love
what we are doing, and to me, that is sexy and appealing in anybody!!
Kirsten:
I think it gets us noticed but it’s our musicianship and performances
that have allowed us to achieve the success we have. Without the musical
chops, we would be dismissed as a gimmick.
Wanda: That's
not really anything that we focus on or think about much because just being an
all-female tribute to Iron Maiden makes us a novelty act. I think our
musicianship and the fact that we are so different from other tribute acts has
helped us the most.
C'n'R: The unending question Di'Anno versus Dickinson. Despite your perfect
renderization of Bruce's tones, what could you say about Di'Anno's days in your
work?
Kirsten: Thank
you for the compliment! Even though I prefer Bruce’s voice to Paul’s, he is
undeniably an integral part of Maiden’s sound, too. The first two albums
contain songs that are loved and just as popular among Maiden fans as material
from the “Bruce era.” With Paul, the band had a more punk-influenced
style and his voice worked really well with that sound. My own singing
style is more akin to Bruce’s (as I was hugely influenced by him!) so I tend to
perform the Di’Anno songs the way Bruce sings them now.
Courtney: I
like punk so i have no problem with the raw vocal approach of the earlier
maiden stuff. I do prefer the Bruce era however.
Linda:
I love the Di'Anno era, mostly because of their raw energy in those times and
Clive Burr behind that era just really made it amazing!! But I think Kirsten
does a FANTASTIC job of emulating Bruce and Paul in her own way. Not easy to
do!!
Wanda: We
love doing the Di'Anno tunes and Kirsten, our vocalist, really nails it
when it comes to tone for both the Di'Anno and Dickinson eras. A lot of
people like to hear early Maiden and we like to play it so we cover it. :)
C'n'R: We have read about your impressions of Brazilian shows. But what was your
impression about the country and people in general? Are you ready to come back
anytime soon?
Courtney: I
fell absolutely in love with Brazil. I cannot wait to get back. Hopefully RIO
:)
Linda:
I wish we could have had a few days off there. A most beautiful country with
very passionate people!! Already packed and
waiting to return!!!
Kirsten: Let’s
get on a plane right now and go! Yes, we are ready to come back! Brazilians are
so warm and friendly and there is so much beauty and cultural heritage in
Brazil—I want to experience more and soon!
Wanda: I
loved Brazil ~ it is so beautiful and the people there are so passionate
about the music! And we had such a great time there! We are ready to
go back right now! Unfortunately, we don't have any gigs
scheduled there in the near future but please keep checking our
website (http://www.theironmaidens.com/)
for tour dates. We hope to be back there very soon!
 |
| As meninas estiveram no Brasil. E nós obviamente estivemos lá. Hipnotizados... |
C'n'R: Feel free to leave a message to your bigger and bigger Brazilian fanbase (where we include
ourselves!):
Courtney: UP
THE IRONS. Saúde
Linda:
Thank you so much for welcoming us to Brazil to share the love of Iron Maiden
with you!! We all hope to see you again soon! \m/
Kirsten: Thank you
for your support! We are just Iron Maiden fans, too, like you. We
miss Brazil and hope to come back soon! Up the irons!
Wanda: Thank you
very much for your support and for keeping metal alive and well in Brazil. Up the irons! :)
 |
| Nita & Courtney |
Opa! Assim sendo, irmãos e irmãs - vamos iniciar urgentemente a campanha:
LET'S BRING "THE IRON MAIDENS" BACK TO BRAZIL !!! NOW !!!
