Grace Maiden,D Mercedes: Judas Priestess interview




http://judaspriestessband.com/

JUDAS PRIESTESS The World's ONLY All-Girl Tribute to the Metal Gods, JUDAS PRIEST, is a rock phenomenon! Formed in 2009, this striking group of leather and chain-clad, multi-talented, NYC based women rockers has created a world-wide reputation, complete with rave reviews from music critics, adoring fans, and has the blessing of the Metal God himself, Judas Priest front man Rob Halford on VH1 Classic's popular That Metal Show. Legendary Judas Priest guitarist, KK Downing, featured the group on the Third Anniversary of his Steel Mill website, which called them Metal's top female tribute! Al Atkins, original Judas Priest vocalist and co-author of Victim of Changes contacted the band to say "You women rock - fantastic version of Victim!" As the press quotes attest, this band has numerous feature articles and has been written about in publications such as MTV.com, Guitar World, Blabbermouth, Decibel, High Times, New York Press, and many others.

In two short years, JUDAS PRIESTESS has performed at many festivals,motorcycle rallies, charities and special events. The band shared the stage with Twisted Sister at Dee Snider's Bikers for Babies charity rally for the March of Dimes in Long Island, NY and they have opened up for legendary pioneers of doom metal, Pentagram. In Spring 2011, Cape Fear Harley Davidson sponsored JUDAS PRIESTESS performance at North Carolina's Rock Shop Music Hall and they immediately followed that date as the headline attraction opening weekend at Myrtle Beach Bike Weekin South Carolina - a triumphant return for the band at SBB 4-Corners. Myrtle Beach Bike Week is one of the four top biker events in the U.S.A. with over 300,000 people from around the world attending. At Harley Bike Week the band was such a hit that they scored the cover of The Sun News KICKS! Section (June 17, 2011) in an article about the world?s best tribute bands that perform in that international tourist mecca, Myrtle Beach. The band also captured the attention of new 'biker' show, "Ride On America" and is featured in an episode. In September 2011, JUDAS PRIESTESS headlined the Indian Larry Motorcycles Block Party in Brooklyn, NY, the annual day-long outdoor event that memorializes one of the motorcycle world's most acclaimed, creative and beloved icons, Indian Larry.

October 2011 they headlined a special Halloween event in NYC's iconic Penn Station, sharing the spotlight with world famous Madame Tussand's, and Broadway's "Rock of Ages", among others, as 100,000 commuters passed through the train station during the rush-hours. JUDAS PRIESTESS headlined HIXONFEST in NYC (2010) with Richard Christie of Iced Earth and the Howard Stern show jamming on drums with the band onstage. The band also headlined Massachusetts's first all-girl band festival Metal Galz Rule!

The band’s spectacular front woman, MilitiA, has been called by the French Music Press “the true cross between Rob Halford and Tina Turner”. MilitiA has been Dee Snider’s lead vocalist in his heavy metal orchestra “Van Helsing’s Curse”; has toured Europe with Jesus Christ Superstar; has performed with Nancy Sinatra, Cyndi Lauper, Taylor Dayne, Sandra Bernhard, among other known musical artists. MilitiA’s vocal prowess and stunning stage presence combined with the impressive and stellar musicians that comprise Judas Priestess:

D Mercedes (founder) on lead guitar, was also the founder/guitarist of the groundbreaking NY punk/early hardcore group The Stimulators and spent 2 years rocking out in the well-known all-girl Motley Crue tribute Girls Girls Girls! before starting Judas Priestess. Extraordinary Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer considers D Mercedes “one of my guitar heroes.” Bassist Gyda Gash (founder) has a long-standing solid gold reputation as the first lady of doom from her days in Angel Rot and has many laudable and interesting achievements under her belt. JoSette on 2nd guitar, a member since late 2010, comes with a renowned reputation as a 'kick ass female guitarist." She got her rock training in her first band, the all-girlHari Kari managed by Eric Carr from KISS. Behind the kit is the heavy metal drum goddess Hillary Blaze from the Boston based all-girl band Jaded. Ms. Blaze is notorious for "bringing the FIRE" and the thunder!
July 14, 2012
Recorded by Randy Smith from The Metallic Onslaught at the Clarence Hotel in Seneca Falls, NY. Interview conducted by Randy Smith, Rick Horton, and Joe Wyatt of The Metallic Onslaught. Judas Priestess, the world's only all-female Judas Priest tribute band, performed a killer set of Priest classics at the 2012 Women's Right To Rock Festival in Seneca Falls, NY. The girls were kind enough to have a word with the Onslaught crew before their performance.

Judas Priestess interviewed by The Metallic Onslaught

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