Karl Walter, Getty Images When he’s not on the road touring, Iron Maiden ‘s Bruce Dickinson is running his Wales-based business Cardiff Aviation, Ltd. , an aircraft maintenance company he launched last year. Now, Dickinson is starting the new year with a solid base for his new operation with hopes for a prosperous future. When he first announced the business, Dickinson had speculated that it could bring in hundreds of jobs to the local community. In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal , Dickinson reveals that his fledgling operation currently employs 40 people, but expects to expand to between 100-125 employees by next summer. “That’s not bad,” says the singer, who admits that even he deals with “the wonderful world of practicality.” However, even with the expected growth, there is an incredible amount of patience and the ability to temper expectations needed to run the business. The vocalist explains, “Clearly aviation is a highly regulated industry, and it does take time for the wheels to grind.” Dickinson says it is somewhat frustrating knowing that they have some resources to push forward, but must wait on the red tape before proceeding. He adds, “[We have] 5 million dollars worth of heavy engineering machinery … We have enough stuff in our hanger to build an airliner, let alone maintain it.” However, first there are a number of certifications that need to happen. However, Dickinson is confident in his future and says he feels he has the two key attributes needed to succeed. He explains, “You’ve got to have a vision, but you’ve also got to have common sense.” Years of trial and error have also helped. He recalls one of his first ever enterprises, dating back to his youth. “One of my earliest ventures was when I was 9 years old. I realized there was a shortage of pencils at school, so I started Rent-a-Pencil,” recalls Dickinson. “But I made a fundamental mistake. Everybody stole my pencils.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/iron-maidens-bruce-dickinson-offers-start-up-business-advice/” title=”Next: Bruce Dickinson Offers Start-Up Business Advice” align=”center”]
Posts Tagged ‘MAIDEN’
Stone Sour + Mastodon Join 2013 Download Festival Lineup
Adam Bettcher / Ethan Miller, Getty Images The Download Festival has done it again, putting together one of the best music lineups in recent memory, especially if you’re a hard rock and metal fan. The 2013 event, which runs June 14-16 at Donington Park in the U.K., just increased the awesomeness of its already stellar lineup by adding Stone Sour and Mastodon . For Stone Sour, this marks the second major festival of 2013 where Corey Taylor will get to pull double duty (the other is Ozzfest Japan ), as his other band, Slipknot , have been confirmed as one of Download’s headliners. Stone Sour have been building extra buzz from their ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1′ album and their European tour with Papa Roach . As an extra little gift for fans, by the time Stone Sour return to Download, ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 2′ will be in stores. The status of Mastodon by the time that Download comes around is a bit murkier. Brent Hinds recently revealed that while the band is enjoying supporting their 2011 album, ‘The Hunter,’ they actually have a good start making music for their next effort, possibly using some of early 2013 to lay down tracks. Depending on how they progress, the band will either still be promoting ‘The Hunter’ or potentially gearing up for a new release. The three-day event will have Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein as the headlining bands for the individual days. Other acts set to play Download include Bullet for My Valentine , Queens of the Stone Age , 30 Seconds to Mars , Motorhead , the Gaslight Anthem , Alice in Chains , A Day to Remember , H.I.M. , Volbeat and the reunited Coal Chamber . More bands are expected to be revealed in the weeks and months leading up to the festival. For ticketing information on the 2013 Download Festival, please check here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-mastodon-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Mastodon Songs” align=”center”]
2013 Grammy Nominees for Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance: Anthrax, Halestorm, Iron Maiden, Lamb of God, Marilyn Manson + Megadeth
Recording Academy While hard rock and metal bands were snubbed in most of the categories for the 2013 Grammy Awards that were announced tonight (Dec. 5), the one category devoted to those genres features a diverse range of nominees. The Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category boasts nominations for Anthrax , Halestorm , Iron Maiden , Lamb of God , Marilyn Manson and Megadeth . Of all those acts, only Iron Maiden has previously won a Grammy. Anthrax are nominated for ‘I’m Alive’ off their album ‘Worship Music,’ while Halestorm got a nod for ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ from their full-length effort ‘The Strange Case Of …’ Meanwhile, Iron Maiden scored a mention for ‘Blood Brothers’ from their ‘En Vivo’ CD/DVD and Lamb of God got a nod for ‘Ghost Walking’ from their ‘Resolution’ album. Finally, Marilyn Manson earned a nomination for ‘No Reflection’ off ‘Born Villain, while Megadeth scored a mention for ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ from their album ‘TH1RT3EN.’ Congrats to all of those acts for representing hard rock and metal at the upcoming 55th annual Grammy Awards taking place on Feb. 10, 2013 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will air live on CBS at 8PM ET. In other rock categories, the Black Keys and Jack White led the way with multiple nominations. Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Anthrax, ‘I’m Alive’ Halestorm, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ Iron Maiden, ‘Blood Brothers’ Lamb of God, ‘Ghost Walking’ Marilyn Manson, ‘No Reflection’ Megadeth, ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rock-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next: Vote in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards” align=”center”]
Bassist of the Year – 2012 Loudwire Music Awards
Although they can remain low-key, bassists are essential for holding down the rhythm section of a band. Despite a fewer amount of strings, there is something unique about watching or listening to a bassist shred with the same technical expertise as a guitarist. These low-end masters have helped define 2012 through their playing along with their songwriting abilities. Check out the nominees for Bassist of the Year and be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll below: ? Alex Webster, Cannibal Corpse Original Cannibal Corpse member and longtime songwriting force Alex Webster delivered disgusting bass lines within the band’s 12th studio album, ‘Torture.’ Along with his prowess behind a bass, Webster penned tracks such as ‘Scourge of Iron’ and ‘Intestinal Crank’ for the ‘Torture’ album. ? Dan Briggs, Between the Buried and Me If you like your metal bassists to dance around lead parts and create complex polyrhythms, Dan Briggs delivers like few can. His lines can be heard throughout Between the Buried and Me ‘s ‘Parallax II: Future Sequence,’ proving to be one of metal’s most valuable rhythm musicians. ? D.D. Verni, Overkill Along with the thrash-tastic parts showcased by Overkill ‘s D.D. Verni, the bassist is also the primary songwriter for the band. Creating the foundation for every track on Overkill’s must-hear 2012 album, ‘The Electric Age,’ there would be no ‘Come and Get It’ or ‘Electric Rattlesnake’ without the legendary bassist. ? Eric Bass, Shinedown Your name is Eric Bass and you play the bass?! Get right outta town! In fact, the Shinedown bassist has also contributed backing vocals and piano for the band since 2008. Bass also boasts writing credits for tracks such as ‘Unity’ and ‘Enemies’ from Shinedown’s 2012 album, ‘Amaryllis.’ ? Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers There are few bassists more talented and beloved than Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band released ‘Look Around’ and ‘Brendan’s Death Song’ as singles this year, and although the band share writing credits for such tracks, there is no denying the massive contribution Flea has brought to the band. ? Frank Bello, Anthrax Anthrax bassist Frank Bello has led a stellar year in 2012. Along with headlining the second stage at this year’s Mayhem Festival, Bello took part in both the Los Angeles and New York City ‘Metal Masters’ clinics. ? Lemmy Kilmister, Motorhead Is it of popular opinion that Lemmy Kilmister is, in fact, God. Looking past his divine birth, Lemmy is one hell of a bassist and frontman. Motorhead were one of the 2012 Mayhem Festival’s marquee acts, and the band rocked it like no others can. ? Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue As one of the most beloved hard rock bassists in history, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx saw success with the release of the single ‘Sex’ this year. Sixx also helped make Las Vegas history as Motley Crue completed a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a move that is quickly being adopted by bands such as Guns N’ Roses. ? Steve Harris, Iron Maiden / Solo Legendary Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris embarked on the incredible ‘Maiden England’ tour in 2012, along with releasing his debut solo album, ‘British Lion.’ Harris is showing no signs of slowing down, and his presence has been heavily felt in 2012. ? Wolfgang Van Halen, Tremonti / Van Halen As the son of Eddie Van Halen, there are some monstrous expectations placed above your head when you choose to pursue music. Wolfgang Van Halen has been doing his father proud as a member of Van Halen, but stepping in at the last minute as the touring bassist for Mark Tremonti’s solo project was truly remarkable. Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite bassist wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/drummer-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Category: Drummer of the Year” align=”center”] Get Notified When Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the daily Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of our full list of winners in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards, as well as the top stories in rock and metal. Email