The Iron Maidens are an all-female, Iron Maiden tribute band formed in Los Angeles, California, USA in 2001. They are billed as the "World's Only Female Tribute to Iron Maiden."

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Background

The Iron Maidens are an all-female tribute band to the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Formed in Southern California in 2001, the band has appeared in venues across the USA, Canada, Japan, Spain, Bahrain, South Korea, Iraq, Mexico, Greece, Turkey, Kuwait and Guam. With a theatrical stage show that includes appearances by the Iron Maiden mascot, Eddie, the Grim Reaper and the Devil, the Maidens perform material from most eras of Iron Maiden's career.

The Maidens have opened for KISS, Great White, Danzig, Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, Jackyl, Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO), Live, Nevermore, Nightwish, 3 Inches of Blood, GWAR and have been the recipients of awards that include best tribute band, as well as best in category (guitar, bass, drums, voice) at events such as The Rock City News Awards, The LA Music Awards, and The All Access Magazine Award Show. The Maidens have been joined on stage by Alex Skolnick of Testament, Lemmy and Phil Campbell from Motörhead, Robin McAuley of Survivor, of Dangerous Toys and Jeff Loomis of Nevermore.

In 2005, the Maidens released a full length tribute album that features cover artwork of the female version of Eddie, called Edwina, created by original Iron Maiden album cover artist, Derek Riggs. 2007 saw the release of Route 666 , a 2 disc CD/DVD combination on their Japanese label . The disc features 4 new studio tracks produced by Grammy award winning producer Bob Kulick and a live track of "The Trooper" with Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell on guest guitar. The DVD portion features live multi-camera angles of 8 songs plus 2 songs featuring Iron Maiden touring keyboardist (and Steve Harris' bass guitar technician) Michael Kenney playing keyboards. On April 2008, the Maidens released the 4-song EP The Root of All Evil in Japan, featuring a dance remix of "The Trooper."

History

The band was originally formed in June 2001 by vocalist Jenny Warren and bassist Melanie Sisneros, both formerly of the co-ed southern California Iron Maiden tribute band, Wrathchild. Guitarist Sara Marsh (formerly of ), drummer Linda McDonald and guitarist Josephine Draven (both formerly of Phantom Blue) joined Warren and Sisneros shortly afterward to form The Iron Maidens' first lineup.

In late August 2002, Sisneros performed her last show with the Maidens before leaving the band to join the Finnish power metal band Sinergy and pursue other music projects (including a Megadeth tribute band called , an all-female AC/DC tribute band called , and an original metal band called ). Less then a month later, Wanda Ortiz (formerly of ) made her debut as the band's new bassist. ^[1]

In 2003, the Maidens started work on their debut album; however, the project was delayed when Warren gave notice of her departure in November 2003 to spend more time with her autistic son, but the band did not make it public until March 2004. ^[2] Warren reunited with Sisneros and performed a one-off reunion show with Wrathchild shortly after her departure from the Maidens for the second Metal Jam , an annual Southern California fund-raising event for autism charities, primarily Autism Speaks (formerly Cure Autism Now! ). ^[3] On May of that year, new vocalist Aja Kim made her debut in the band and helped complete the album, which was released in 2005.

Shortly after the album's release, Draven left the band in mid-2005 to continue her career in the film/production business. ^[4] Death metal guitarist Elizabeth Schall (formerly of , currently with ) joined the Maidens in 2005, but was released in October 2006 due to complications with the band and management. ^[5] To help finish the Maidens' 2006 tour schedule, Michelle Meldrum - Linda McDonald's former band mate in Phantom Blue - filled in as a substitute guitarist for three shows, while (of ) helped the Maidens close the year. Heather Baker (formerly of ) joined the Maidens in February 2007 in time to record the band's second CD Route 666 .

In late June 2008, the Maidens' official website announced that Baker left the band to focus on family commitments and her band . ^[6] In July of that same year, Ms. Kim announced in her fan newsletter of her departure from the Maidens. ^[7] Both Ms. Kim and Baker did not tour with the Maidens in Kuwait and Iraq; instead, Deb Obarski (formerly of the Ozzy Osbourne tribute bands The Little Dolls and ) filled in as the band's lead vocalist, while a male guitarist, , filled Baker's spot. ^[8] Guitar prodigy Courtney Cox joined the band becoming the new "Adriana Smith" in December 2008. Vocalist Kirsten Rosenberg (formerly of the Maryland-based cover band ) joined the band in April 2009 becoming the new "Bruce Chickinson" with her first show in Las Vegas, NV. ^[9]

Equipment and endorsements

The Iron Maidens use equipment and are endorsed by Paiste, Vic Firth, Drum Workshop, Digitech, Soldano, Jackson Guitars, Charvel Guitars, D'Addario, G&L, Dunlop Manufacturing, RotoSound, , BBE Sound, GHS strings, Sennheiser, , Coffin Case, ENGL Amps and Monster Energy Drink.

Media appearances

The Iron Maidens and its members have appeared on The Los Angeles Times , Guitar World ^[10], Metal Edge , Modern Drummer , magazine, Kerrang , Metal Hammer , LA Weekly , OC Weekly , Portland Tribune , MTV Video Music Awards Coffee Table Book , Blender magazine, BURRN! magazine, , , Salt Lake City Weekly , El Paso Times , Houston Press , , Wisconsin State Journal , , Anchorage Daily News , Juneau Empire , The Orange County Register , ABC’s Livin’ Large TV Show, The National Enquirer , FHM , Maxim , Playboy ^[11], Hustler ^[12], Rip , , , , Gibson Lifestyle ^[13], two MTV videos, 54321 on Fox Sports Net, two video magazine episodes, KCAL-TV's 9 on the Town , The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , two videos on Guitar World magazine Holiday CD-ROM compilation, 97.1 FM's 2 Media Whores with David Adelson and . In addition, the July 14th issue of Guitar World magazine's 2010 Buyers Guide Covergirl issue featured Courtney Cox, who won the Runner-Up position.

Interaction with the Real Iron Maiden

The Maidens have met with members of the real Iron Maiden on a number of occasions. According to an article on the July 2008 issue of Metal Hammer magazine, bassist and band founder Steve Harris and his daughter Lauren were impressed with the Maidens' live rendition of "Alexander the Great" - a song that Iron Maiden themselves had never performed live. When asked about Bruce Chickinson being his female counterpart, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson was quoted as saying, "It's really one of those odd existential self-analysis questions. Essentially, would I fuck myself? Well the ego is willing even if the body isn't." ^[14]

Other Projects

Outside of The Iron Maidens, Linda McDonald, Sara Marsh and Courtney Cox run an all-female classic rock cover band called (featuring vocalist ). McDonald and Marsh are also members of the all-female Ozzy Osbourne tribute band The Little Dolls. In addition, McDonald and Cox are part of another classic rock cover band with (of the Metallica tribute band ). McDonald also plays drums for the Joe Satriani tribute . Wanda Ortiz plays double bass in various symphony orchestras in the Los Angeles and Orange County, California, areas. All Maidens members except for Ortiz have just formed another cover band called "" for special events.

Discography

• World's Only Female Tribute to Iron Maiden (2005/2006)
• Route 666 (2007, Japanese Release, CD/DVD)
• The Root of All Evil (2008, Japanese Release, EP)

Members

Current members

• Sara Marsh (Mini Murray) – Guitar (2001-)
• Wanda Ortiz (Steph Harris) – Bass guitar (2002-)
• Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) – Drums (2001-)
• Courtney Cox (Adriana Smith) – Guitar (2008-)
• Kirsten Rosenberg (Bruce Chickinson) – Vocals (2009-)

Number of shows performed

• Sara Marsh – 281 shows as of 8/31/09
• Wanda Ortiz – 265 as of 8/31/09
• Linda McDonald – 280 as of 8/31/09
• Courtney Cox - 25 as of 8/31/09
• Kirsten Rosenberg - 23 as of 8/31/09

CD/DVD appearances

• Sara Marsh – 4 CDs / 2 DVDs
• Wanda Ortiz – 4 CDs / 2 DVDs
• Linda McDonald – 4 CDs / 2 DVDs
• Courtney Cox - 0 CDs / 0 DVDs
• Kirsten Rosenberg - 0 CDs / 0 DVDs

Substitute/Guest Musicians

• Phil Campbell (of Motörhead) - Guitar; (4 total shows performed) (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
• * Performed "The Trooper" with the Maidens on 4 shows.
• Michael Kenney - Keyboard
• * Played keyboard with the Maidens on various shows.
• Jeff Loomis (of Nevermore) - Guitar; (1 total show performed) (2006)
• * Performed "The Trooper" with the Maidens on the 6/23/06 show in Seattle, WA.
• Robin McAuley (of Survivor; formerly of McAuley Schenker Group) - Vocals; (1 total show performed)
• * Guest vocalist.
• Alex Skolnick (of Testament) - Guitar; (1 total show performed) (2003)
• * Performed "The Trooper" with the Maidens on the 6/18/03 show in New York City, NY.
• (of Dangerous Toys) - Vocals; (1 total show performed) (2009)
• * Performed "Wrathchild" and "Remember Tomorrow" with the Maidens on the 5/26/09 Michelle Meldrum Benefit show in Hollywood, CA.
• Michelle Meldrum (of Meldrum; formerly of Phantom Blue) - Guitar; (3 total shows performed) (2006)
• * Filled in for the final leg of the Maidens' 2006 schedule following Elizabeth Schall's release from the band.
• Deb Obarski (of the cover band ; formerly of the Ozzy Osbourne tribute The Little Dolls) - Vocals; (9 total shows performed) (2008)
• * Filled in for the Kuwait and Iraq tours when Aja Kim departed. Also performed on the remainder of the Maidens' 2008 tour.
• - Guitar; (7 total shows performed) (2008)
• * Filled in for the Kuwait and Iraq tours when Heather Baker departed. Also performed on the 6/28/08 and 10/31/08 shows.
• (of the AC/DC tribute ) - Vocals; (3 total shows performed) (2008, 2009)
• * Guest vocalist for the 8/23/08, 12/13/08 and 3/7/09 shows. ^[15]
• * Normally plays Eddie on the Maidens shows.
• (of the Metallica tribute ) - Vocals; (3 total shows performed) (2008, 2009) ^[16]
• * Guest vocalist for the 8/23/08, 12/13/08 and 3/7/09 shows.
• (of the Metallica tribute Damage Inc.) - Bass; (3 total shows performed) (2008, 2009)
• * Guest bassist for the 8/23/08, 12/13/08 and 3/7/09 shows.
• Mark Lannin (of the Pantera tribute ) - Guitar, Vocals; (3 total shows performed) (2008, 2009)
• * Guest guitarist and vocalist for the 8/23/08, 12/13/08 and 3/7/09 shows.
• (of the Metallica tribute Damage Inc.) - Guitar; (2 total shows performed) (2008)
• * Filled in the second guitarist position for the 8/23/08 and 12/13/08 shows.
• (of the Judas Priest tribute ) - Vocals; (2 total shows performed) (2008)
• * Guest vocalist for the 8/23/08 and 12/13/08 shows.
• Kevin Pittsey (of the Judas Priest tribute Just Like Priest) - Guitar; (2 total shows performed) (2008)
• * Guest guitarist for the 8/23/08 and 12/13/08 shows. ^[17]
• (of the Judas Priest tribute Just Like Priest) - Drums; (2 total shows performed) (2008)
• * Guest drummer for the 8/23/08 and 12/13/08 shows.
• (of the Bad Company tribute ) - Bass; (2 total shows performed) (2008)
• * Guest bassist for the 8/23/08 and 12/13/08 shows.
• Lucy Thomas (of the Whitesnake tribute ) - Vocals; (1 total show performed) (2009)
• * Guest vocalist for the 3/7/09 show.
• (of ) - Vocals; (1 total show performed) (2009)
• * Guest vocalist for the 3/7/09 show.
• (of the Judas Priest tribute ) - Vocals; (1 total show performed) (2009)
• * Guest vocalist for the 3/7/09 show.
• (of ) - Vocals; (1 total show performed) (2009)
• * Guest vocalist for the 3/7/09 show.
• (of the Black Sabbath tribute ) - Vocals; (1 total show performed) (2008)
• * Guest vocalist for the 12/13/08 show.
• (of the Black Sabbath tribute Electric Funeral) - Drums; (1 total show performed) (2008)
• * Guest drummer for the 12/13/08 show.
• (of the Bad Company tribute Burnin' Sky) - Drums; (1 total show performed) (2008)
• * Guest drummer for the 12/13/08 show.
• (of the cover bands and ) - Vocals; (1 total show performed) (2008)
• * Guest vocalist for the 12/13/08 show.
• (of the AC/DC tribute AC/DShe) - Guitar; (1 total show performed) (2008)
• * Guest guitarist for the 12/13/08 show.
• - Guitar; (1 total show performed) (2008)
• * Guest guitarist for the 8/23/08 show.
• (of ) - Guitar; (1 total show performed) (2006)
• * Guest guitarist for the 12/8/06 show. ^[18]

Former members

• Heather Baker (Adrienne Smith) – Guitar; (77 total shows performed) (2007-2008)
• Josephine Draven (Adrienne Smith) – Guitar; (115 total shows performed) (2001-2005)
• Aja Kim (Bruce "Lee" Chickinson) – Vocals; (174 total shows performed) (2004-2008)
• Elizabeth Schall (Adrianne Smith) – Guitar; (48 total shows performed) (2005-2006)
• Melanie Sisneros (Steve Heiress) – Bass Guitar; (15 total shows performed) (2001-2002)
• Jenny Warren (Bruce Chickinson) – Vocals; (73 total shows performed) (2001-2003)

Former members' CD/DVD appearances

• Heather Baker – 2 CD / 0 DVDs
• Josephine Draven – 2 CDs / 2 DVDs
• Aja Kim – 4 CDs / 2 DVDs
• Elizabeth Schall – 0 CDs / 0 DVDs
• Melanie Sisneros – 0 CDs / 0 DVDs
• Jenny Warren – 0 CDs / 0 DVDs

Members

2001-2002	Jenny Warren (Bruce Chickinson) – lead vocals Sara Marsh (Mini Murray) – guitar Josephine Draven (Adrienne Smith) – guitar Melanie Sisneros (Steve Heiress) – bass Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) – drums
2002-2003	Jenny Warren (Bruce Chickinson) – lead vocals Sara Marsh (Mini Murray) – guitar Josephine Draven (Adrienne Smith) – guitar Wanda Ortiz (Steph Harris) – bass Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) – drums
First Album (2004-2005)	Sara Marsh (Mini Murray) – guitar Josephine Draven (Adrienne Smith) – guitar Wanda Ortiz (Steph Harris) – bass Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) – drums Aja Kim (Bruce "Lee" Chickinson) – lead vocals
2005-2006	Sara Marsh (Mini Murray) – guitar Elizabeth Schall (Adrianne Smith) – guitar Wanda Ortiz (Steph Harris) – bass Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) – drums Aja Kim (Bruce "Lee" Chickinson) – lead vocals
Route 666/The Root of All Evil (2007-2008)	Sara Marsh (Mini Murray) – guitar Heather Baker (Adrienne Smith) – guitar Wanda Ortiz (Steph Harris) – bass Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) – drums Aja Kim (Bruce "Lee" Chickinson) – lead vocals
2009-present	Kirsten Rosenberg (Bruce Chickinson) – lead vocals Sara Marsh (Mini Murray) – guitar Courtney Cox (Adriana Smith) – guitar Wanda Ortiz (Steph Harris) – bass Linda McDonald (Nikki McBurrain) – drums

References

1. The Iron Maidens - Show History
2. Blabbermouth.net - THE IRON MAIDENS Part Ways With BRUCE CHICKINSON, Vow To Carry On - Mar. 7, 2004
3. Blabbermouth.net - METALJAM 2004 To Benefit The CURE AUTISM NOW! FOUNDATION - Mar. 1, 2004
4. The Iron Maidens Forums - Rust Festival 2005
5. The Iron Maidens Forums - Cane's
6. The Iron Maidens Forums - Farewell & Good Luck, Heather
7. Blabbermouth.net - Former THE IRON MAIDENS Singer Collaborating With MOTÖRHEAD's PHIL CAMPBELL - July 3, 2008
8. The Iron Maidens Forums - The Iron Maidens at Camp Victory in Iraq
9. Full Metal Rock - The Iron Maidens
10. Guitar World, February 2003 - "The Iron Maidens - All-Girl Tribute Band Takes 'Flight'" by Dan Epstein
11. Playboy, June 2002 - "Dude Looks Like a Lady"
12. Hustler, January 2009 - "For Chicks About to Rock, We Salute You!"
13. Gibson Lifestyle - Meet the World's Only All-Female Iron Maiden Tribute Band
14. The Iron Maidens Forums - Bruce & Steve Talk About the Maidens in This Month's Metal Hammer!
15. The Iron Maidens Forums - Santa Fe Swap Meet Pix
16. The Iron Maidens Forums - TIMs and Friends Show at Cane's Sat., March 7th!
17. The Iron Maidens Forums - Dec. 13 Show
18. The Iron Maidens Forums - The Iron Maidens' Annual X-Mas Show