Shattered Image

Glass Wolfe was formed in 1998 by vocalist / lyricist Maria Glass and keyboardist / producer Philip Wolfe. Their Debut CD, released in October 2001, has been reviewed in international rock magazines and is selling in Japan, Germany, Holland. England, Spain, Brazil, France, Italy and the USA. The band has been featured on 2 cable TV shows and has had airplay on the east and west coasts. The Internet Radio Show, www.suite108.com is also featuring the band, including one unreleased track. They are now promoting their second CD, "PREDATOR".

Maria Glass is from Rhode Island and left home and family for the rock music scene of LA. She is the vocal powerhouse and lyricist for the band. She has also written lyrics for Keith Emerson (ELP) and appeared in the movie "Say Anything" and the TV series "Houston Knights". Before forming GLASS WOLFE, she had played the local club circuit for several years with a Tribute to the females of classic rock as well as in her former band UV17.

Philip Wolfe is a veteran of the LA music scene and has played keyboards with WASP, KEEL, IMPELLITTERI (#1 in Japan 1988, MTV Video), VINNIE VINCENT, XYZ, ROX DIAMOND, DRIVER/NRG, ANGEL, IAIN ASHLEY HERSEY, DHL, and ATTAKK. In 1992, he embarked on a Monsters of Rock tour with IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH, and later recorded sessions with many, many others. He appeared on MTV's Headbangers Ball with IMPELLITTERI, and on video discs in Japan with IMPELLITTERI and ROX DIAMOND. Philip also has several CD Rom sound libraries reviewed and advertized for many years in Keyboard magazine, Electronic Musician, Sound on Sound, and in the Pro Tools Developers Catalog. They can also be bought online at Greytsounds.com.

Glass Wolfe's new CD, "PREDATOR", features many guest stars, including:
Neil Citron (Steve Vai, Lana Lane), Ray Schenck (Hellion), Stuart Smith (Sweet, Heaven and Earth, Ritchie Blackmore), Howie Simon (Jeff Scott Soto, Ken Tamplin, Graham Bonnet), Dennis Lotka, Iain Ashley Hersey (Graham Bonnet), Dario Sexias (Firehouse), Pat Cicinelli, Kurt Barabas (Under the Sun), Dave Norwoods, Stefan Svensson (Ken Tamplin, Graham Bonnet), Swan Montgomery (Led Zepagain), Paul Daniels (Rox Diamond), Steve Johnstad (Driver/NRG), Dyna Shirasaki (ThundHerStruck).

Here are excerpts from our Metal Maidens Interview
in the Netherlands....

When we received the latest album by GLASS WOLFE, we decided that an interview with this band would be very interesting indeed. Mainly because GLASS WOLFE consists of some of the finest and high-skilled musicians, who have gained experience in this scene for many years already. Philip Wolfe for example has played with bands like XYZ, KEEL WASP and IMPELLITTERI, while Maria Glass has written lyrics for nobody else but Keith Emerson (EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER). Add to this the fact, that their new album, which is called “Predator”, is a real killer, it’s about time to introduce the band a bit closer to you. The band name is quite easy to explain, but all other things you need to know about GLASS WOLFE are explained in the following interview, where Metal Maidens enters the territory of this mighty predator....

When did GLASS WOLFE get together as a band and how did you actually meet each other?
Maria K. Glass: “Philip and I actually met at FM Station, a L.A. nightclub which is no longer in existence. We formed GLASS WOLFE a few years later, after playing together in a couple of other projects.”
Philip Wolfe: “Two years after meeting Maria, I got called to do a WASP tour with IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH. When I got back, I discovered the scene had changed and I started to work on my solo CD “Lifeforce” with Mark Weitz. I knew Maria was a great lyricist, so I had her contribute lyrics for that project. After that I put together my ELP tribute band. Maria and I started working together soon after.”

Maria, have you played in other bands before you joined GLASS WOLFE, and if yes did you record anything with these bands? (we will come to Phil’s work with IMPELLITERI later on in the interview!)
Maria: “Well, I have been writing since I was seven years old, so that was my first passion. The singing came out of that. I had hooked up with a musician in the apartment building I was living in at the time and we began to write songs together. Nothing ever came of it, but it did get me thinking about how I could utilize my writing for my other passion, which was music. After meeting Philip, I started to pen lyrics for his songs, some of which ended up on the “Lifeforce” CD he did with singer Mark Weitz. “Liar” was actually one of the first songs we wrote together. After the “Lifeforce” project, Philip was in a duo with a female singer, who had a girlfriend who wanted to sing back up vocals in the project. I was approached to be the other back up singer and accepted. Even then my vocal power was evident. My voice not only eclipsed that of the other back up singer, but almost overpowered the lead vocalist. I guess, I didn’t know my own strength! After that project fizzled, Philip and I decided to continue to work together. As I honed my vocal chops on the various females of the classic rock era, it seemed only natural to do a tribute to them, which we called UV17. We kept writing original songs as well, many of which became the basis for the first GLASS WOLFE CD. We did record a rough demo of the classic rock songs, but mainly for the purpose of getting gigs.”
How would you describe the sound of GLASS WOLFE?
Maria: “I guess the best way to describe GLASS WOLFE is melodic hard rock that has emphasis on keyboards as well as guitar and has powerfull female vocals.”
Philip: “In terms of sound, I’d say it is like RAINBOW mixed with IRON MAIDEN and QUEENSRYCHE with female vocals.”

Who can we see as the main influences of GLASS WOLFE, and maybe you can also tell us a bit more about the influences of each band members individually?
Maria: “I have various vocal influences. I like a lot of the females of classic rock (obviously) such as HEART, PAT BENATAR and JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. I’m also a big fan of SARAYA, LACUNA COIL and have recently discovered NIGHTWISH. However, I am also heavily influenced by many of the male rock singers - Geoff Tate of QUEENSRYCHE is a personal favorite - as well as Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Joe Lynn Turner, Ronnie James Dio and Steve Walsh. Somehow, I ended up with a vocal style that is different from other singers. It’s interesting to me, when people try to compare me to others and I’ve heard so many comparisons - everything from Ann Wilson to Pat Benatar to Lana Lane to Grace Slick and even a female Geoff Tate (I liked that one!!).”
Philip: “My influences are mainly progessive rock - including ELP, ASIA, GENESIS, KANSAS, STYX, JOURNEY, BOSTON, as well as the melodic metal influences of RAINBOW, DOKKEN, and 80’s Metal. I also love classical music - Bach, Beethoven and Chopin are among my favorites. I also have a little Eastern influence via THE BEATLES and RAVI SHANKAR. As far as the guitar players we’ve had on the CD, most had either a Ritchie Blackmore or Yngwie Malmsteen influence. The bassplayers influences ran from IRON MAIDEN to YES and the drummers from Cozy Powell to Neil Peart.”

How do you deal with negative critics in general? Do you try to learn something out of it, or do you try to forget about them as fast as you can?
Maria: “I think it’s very unrealistic to expect that you are never going to get a negative review. It’s par for the course. Not everyone is going to like what you do. And that’s okay. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and there are a lot of bands out there that are very successful that I really don’t care for. I look at every review I get - good and bad - and keep them in a notebook, even one I found accidentally on the internet as the reviewer neglected to send it to us ahead of time. I periodically read all of my reviews but try to keep an open mind about their comments as I am always striving to improve my craft. But I don’t dwell on any of them. I certainly will not let the bad ones get me down. That won’t be productive or do me any good in the long run.”
Philip: “I try to think and ponder their words, but I will also look at other reviews of similar artists to see a comparison.”

Do you only play own penned material during your shows, or do you also throw in a cover or two? And if yes, which covers do you play then?
Maria: “We mostly play our originals, however, at our last gig I did get to sing “Bad Attitude” - a DEEP PURPLE song - and “Diamonds and Rust” - the JUDAS PRIEST version. At one point years ago I was singing “Crazy Train” (OZZY OSBOURNE). My intent was to have a repertoire of cover tunes and to play one at the end of the show, but to switch them at each show. So the audience would get a different cover song at each show.”
Philip: “I try to include a classical piece like theToccatta and Fugue in Dm or Night on Bald Mountain in the set just in case the guitar player needs to get his frets rescalloped or the drummer is changing his bottom tom tom heads."

What’s the metal scene like in the CA area nowadays? Are there many clubs where you can play?
Maria: “It’s tough, because there are so many bands out there. Looking though the local L.A. entertainment magazine that comes out once a week and has all the club listings, there are names and names and names of bands. Most of the time, you haven’t heard of them and therefore have no idea what kind of music they do. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of bands. A band that plays melodic hard rock may end up on the same bill as a thrash metal or hip-hop band, which may not go together. A good deal of your audience tends to be musicians in other bands. And while they are wonderfully supportive, in reality they may not have even paid to get into your gig, so you don’t get any credit for them being there. In the end your band may have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to get little headway. Add in to the equation that there are a number of national acts that are playing nearly every day of the week somewhere in this town. Hard to compete with if you are just starting out. I guess that’s why so many good musicians we know are in tribute bands. It’s much easier to get an audience.”
Philip: “I just played on 3/2/06 with IAIN ASHLEY HERSEY and our RAINBOW/DEEP PURPLE tribute at a small club and BON JOVI was also playing that same night at a much larger venue and a lot of our friends and fans went to see BON JOVI. Heck, I would have gone to see them too, if I wasn’t playing that same night. There are hundreds of clubs and thousands of bands playing them.”

Philip, you played in an EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER tribute band called KNIFE EDGE. What’s so special about ELP for you, that you wanted to play in a tribute band for them?
Philip: “After I saw ELP tour in the late 70’s, I knew that I wanted to be a keyboard player and started practicing six to eight hours a day to make up for lost time. So for a period of several years I was immersed in all things ELP and even played a mini tribute in most of the cover bands that I was involved with. By the time I hit the LA music scene in 1984, I had expanded my influences so as not to be a clone of Keith. By the mid 90’s, I was bored with the music scene and wanted to challenge myself, so I recruited Jerry Beller on drums and John Rotondi on bass and vocals to form an ELP tribute band. We didn’t have any delusions of grandeur, we just wanted to play some really great music that we loved as younger players. Contrary to a LA scene, that was thick with rap and grundge.”

Is there any particular period of ELP that you like the most? And maybe you can also tell us your favorite ELP song?
Philip: “I like the 70’s ELP the best. Some of my favorites are “Trilogy”, “Tarkus”, “Endless Enigma” and “Pirates”.”

You also met Keith Emerson. What was that experience like?
Philip: “Several times! The first time backstage at a 1987 ELP show in California. The next time in ’98, he came to our Knife Edge show and later invited me to his rehersal. Another time on his birthday I played the “Take a Pebble” ostinato in the left hand and “Happy Birthday” in the right hand for him. He then pushed me aside and played the “Tarkus” ostinato in the left hand and “Happy Birthday” in the right. I am also friends with his son Aaron, who also plays keyboards.”

You released two solo albums called “Lifeforce” in 1996 and “Om TheCosmic Vibration” in 1998. What kind of music do you play on these albums, and must we see GLASS WOLFE as a continuation of your solo work?
Philip: “Lifeforce” is melodic hard rock featuring Mark Weitz on vocals. I played all the music, including the guitar tracks on the keyboards and sequenced and programmed the drums and bass. “Om The Cosmic Vibration” was originally written for a documentary film as a soundtrack for what I thought was to be set in the Himalayas. I later found out that it was a mountain climbing expedition in Alaska “Climbing Denali”. So I wrote acoustic guitar and banjo music for the film and released “OM” as trancendental yoga and meditation music CD. I am also writing material for my new solo CD, that will be more of a progressive rock concept album.”

You also played on an absolute classic album named “Stand In Line” of Chris Impelliteri and Graham Bonnet. What was it like to play in IMPELLITTERI and especially working with - one of the golden voices of metal - Graham Bonnet?
Philip: “It was a very memorable experience, that lasted almost three years. We were # 1 in Japan in 1988 and played the Tokyo Dome to almost 100,000 people as well as smaller shows in other parts of Japan. The video of “Stand In Line” is still played on VH1 and and the “Live in Japan” video is still around."

You played with so many interesting musicians. Among them are members from big names in the scene like OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, KISS and BLACK SABBATH. Please tell us a bit more about these experiences. We love to hear some wonderful stories about the people that you’ve worked with over the years.
Philip: “I was in California for about two years (I had played for seven years in cover bands all over the western USA) and I was flat broke and living in my van (with my keyboard gear) in the parking lot of a music store. I had just got a job there and put an ad in the music connection with the store’s phone number. I got a call from Rudy Sarzo, who answered my ad “Keys Available”. I tried out the next day or so with Tommy Aldridge and Rudy and after a grueling two hour audition I had my first big break. Project Driver was renamed NRG, after we had Lanny Cordola on guitar and Steve Johnstad on vocals. We rehearsed, wrote and recorded for six months and showcased for all the major labels but for some inexplicable reason...no deal! Rudy and Tommy went on to WHITESNAKE and Lanny to HOUSE OF LORDS and I was recruited by Chris Impellitteri. I was also friends with VINNIE VINCENT and got to play some keys on “All System Go”. I arrived (before Vinnie) at Cherokee studios with my van of keyboard gear and proceeded to set up and soundcheck. After an hour I was ready to play, but some members of the band decided to have very unpleasant opinions about keyboards and decided that I should pack up and leave as there were not going to be any keys on the record. So...I packed all my gear up and was putting the key into the ignition, when Vinnie walked up to the van and asked me why I was so late. I explained and he told me to get my gear back in the studio and cut the tracks, so after over an hour I was soundchecked and tracking. During that era I worked with Paul Daniels and his band ROX DIAMOND and went to Japan with them in ‘92. In the dressing room Paul decided that he liked my shirt better that the one he intended to wear, so he asked me to trade my favorite shirt for his. During the show he proceeded to take off his jacket and throw it out to the crowd. A few songs later he threw my shirt into the crowd and it was ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds. I looked for another one when I got back to Los Angeles, but never found one. You can see it in the ROX DIAMOND video “Live in Japan”. While on the ‘92 Monsters Of Rock tour, that had IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH as headliners, I would play the hotel pianos whenever possible. One lovely afternoon in England, Dave Reynolds from Kerrang magazine was in the hotel lounge trying to watch the sporting event on the TV, while I was trying to practice, drowning out his football game.He wasn’t too happy about it. After the game, we got aquainted. He was an IMPELLITTERI fan and later wrote a WASP review, that started off with a feature on myself, which didn’t make Blackie Lawless very happy.”

Maria, you started out as a model and as an actress. Didn’t you want to continue in that direction, and how did you actually find out that you also are gifted with a very nice singing voice?
Maria: “Well, I’m not really tall enough to be a real successful model and I knew that, but I could never have been fulfilled in a profession, where I was judged solely on my looks. The acting I fell into, because at the time that I did it, I was friends with the son of Karyl Miller, who wrote for the Cosby Show and My Sister Sam. I actually got to meet actress Rebecca Shaeffer a couple of times, before she was murdered by a crazed fan - a terrible tragedy that’s always stayed with me. The acting was a fun and interesting experience, but not something I was driven to pursue. Long hours of waiting around - I’m too restless for that! When did I discover I could sing? Well, I used to like to sing along with my favorite songs, which were somewhat varied in terms of vocalists and styles, and I knew I sounded good on them. By the time I was asked to sing backup in the duo Phil was working in, I was relatively sure I could pull it off and it sounded like fun as well.”

Did you have any singing lessons?
Maria: “Sure I did. I really wanted to be the best I could. I had an excellent vocal coach, who I have been going to on and off for years. I believe there’s always more to learn.”

Do you also play an instrument yourself?
Maria: “I was always interested in drums and took some lessons a number of years ago. It gave me a good sense of rhythm and timing. I do play a little percussion sometimes. On the first GLASS WOLFE CD, I played tambourine and bongos/conga drums. In 2002, we were gigging around Los Angeles and I was playing the keyboard parts on “Lost Without Your Love”, so Philip could be front and center on stage, singing and playing the flute.”

Please tell us more about your band UV17. What kind of songs did you perform?
Maria: “UV17 was our tribute to the females of classic rock. Besides Philip and myself, we had two guitars, bass and drums. We had considered keeping the name for our original project, but changed our mind.”
Philip: “Our material included HEART, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, PAT BENATAR, PATTI SMITH, THE MOTELS, MELISSA ETHERIDGE and BERLIN. It was a lot of fun!“

You played all around the local club circuit, didn’t you?
Maria: “Yes, and it was a lot of fun! I had cut my teeth, so to speak, on the females of classic rock, so I was very familiar and comfortable with singing that material. And even with all the tribute bands in town, no one else was doing it as far as we could see. Philip did try to talk me into doing the Lilith Fair singers, since that was popular at the time, but I never could get into that material. We recruited a band and played some live gigs. Since I liked female classic rock singers, that were vocally diverse from each other, I tried to incorporate that into the set. It was great fun and went over well with the audience. Unfortunately, we lost both of our guitar players (one broke his hand and the other wanted to give up music to pursue an acting career), so we opted to concentrate on our originals instead. We did record a rough demo though and have been considering fixing it up and releasing it, but we’ll see.”
Philip: “Our first gig was in a gentlemans club, which featured exotic female dancers between the bands sets. Now that was exciting!!”

I guess, it’s time to chat a little more about your most recent album “Predator” now. How are the reactions of the press so far towards this new album?
Maria: “Favorable for the most part. We’ve already gotten reviews and interviews in the Netherlands, England, Norway, Belgium and Italy. We also received airplay in the Netherlands and are on the mini-bytes section of Melodic Rock.com, which is based in Australia. I’m anticipating there will be more, as “Predator” has gone out worldwide for reviews, interviews, airplay and distribution.”
Philip: “So far so good. It is more or less what I expected.”

Are you happy with the final result or what would you like to change, if you still had the chance?
Maria: “Overall, I’m satisfied with the result. I think there’s always things you feel you could do better. But the CD had already taken so long to complete, so there comes a time where you have to say OK, it’s done and we’re happy with it. Or else, it would never get finished!”
Philip: “On this one I would make the cover art brighter and more vibrant and maybe remix a few songs.”

What’s your favorite GLASS WOLFE album and why?
Maria: “My favorite GLASS WOLFE CD would be “Predator”. Musically and lyrically, I like it better and I got to stretch my wings more on this CD than the last one.”
Philip: “Predator” is a progression from the first CD and my favorite so far. It is harder, heavier and more progressive and more focused than the first. We intend to take the third one to the next level.”

Are you planning to tour to support the release of this album?
Maria: “We are in negotiations for a possible tour of China but nothing is definate yet.“
Philip: “All options are on the table. We would love to play in Europe, and especially the Netherlands. Any promoters reading this are invited to reply.”

There were a lot of guest musicians involved on this new album. Wasn’t it possible to record this album with a steady band, and how did you get so many interesting names together to help you out?
Maria: “Well, GLASS WOLFE is comprised primarily of Philip and myself. We had worked with various musicians in the past before deciding on the band that played on the debut CD, who were really more session players than band members. After that CD was completed, we did put together a few different versions of the band to play live, but they didn’t work out. Next thing we knew, a couple of years had passed and we had made virtually no headway on the new CD. So it was time to think our priorities. Philip knew and had worked with so many talented musicians and decided to go through his contacts, to find many of them were working on their own respective projects. So Philip ended up playing on a lot of those projects and those musicians in turn played on ours. Since each player adds their own signature stamp on the songs, it ended up being a more diverse CD.”
Philip: “I agree. I think we made a better and more interesting CD, because of the contributions of the guest stars.”

I rated the new album with eight points out of ten, comparing you to RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE (Joe Lynn Turner era), and Maria sounding like Betsy of BITCH (US Metal band from the early eighties). “Liar”, “State Of Mind” and “Prophecy/Autumn Moon” are my highlights on this album. Any comments here?
Maria: “Well, I haven’t heard Betsy from the band BITCH, so I can’t really comment on the comparison. The comparisons to RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE are flattering. Both bands had an influence on GLASS WOLFE. But we are also heavily influenced by bands and singers with a more classical than blues feel, so you will probably see more of that direction on future material.”
Philip: ‘Thank you! I find that very encouraging. John Lord was definately an influence. I love using the Hammond B3 and Minimoogs and other vintage synthesizers in that style along with my Korg CX3, Triton88 and Kurzweil K2500XS.”

I also stated, that the image of Maria has changed since your debut album. She looks very much like Xena the Warrior Princess now. Are you perhaps a fan of her, because you could easily fill in for her. Nobody would probably see the difference!
Maria: “I don’t really watch that much television, so I can’t say I’m a Xena fan. It wasn’t really my intension for the CD and actually Philip was the one, who came up with the warrior princess idea. He’s very interested in Japan and the whole Samurai thing and all of the swords you see in the photos are his. I had a great photographer, Stephen Manley (who incidentally was a child actor, who appeared in numerous TV shows and even played the teenage Spock in the ’84 Star Trek III movie; “The Search for Spock”). Stephen and I did a number of photo sessions set in different scenarios: the various sword shots, shots with a bow and arrow (which I actually do own), glamour shots, shots in his studio with a type of camouflage backdrop, shots in and on the hood of a corvette, outdoor shots, etc. I had a wide variety of great shots and it was a difficult decision on which ones to pick. But in the end, we went with the sword shots since we thought they went best with the title of the CD. The others will probably show up on future releases or other promo.”
Philip: “I swear, I never saw the female warriors on the Metal Maidens site, until after we had our artwork and photo sessions. I was a longtime big fan of the Boris and Frank Frazeta “Conan / Sonja style” artwork and wanted something in that style for our cover.”

Actually, I think your music sounds a lot sweeter than the CD indicates. I see the warrior princess, a wolf, and a huge pile of skulls…. Aren’t you afraid that people expect to buy an ultra loud warrior metal band, instead of a melodic rock band?
Maria: “I never really thought about it that way. I wanted a motif to go with the “Predator” title (and almost every day, incidentally, we see that word - on the news, in newspapers, magazines, etc. It’s uncanny!). Stephen Manley was the one, who referred us to Mitch Lewis, the artist who did the cover. Our main criteria was the girl and her wolf (Mitch even scanned some of Stephen’s pictures of me in his computer to make the girl look more like me!). And though Philip came up with the warrior princess idea, Mitch came up with a lot of the other artistic ones - the skulls, dead trees, etc. He would email us a rendition of the artwork every week or two and we would email him back with things we liked or wanted changed. So it took some time to evolve. Unfortunately, when the CD was pressed, the artwork wasn’t as vibrant as the original, but we can’t do much about it now. We are still in touch with Mitch, who has agreed to do our next cover. It will still have the girl and her wolf (which I would like to be the running theme), but probably in an entirely different scenario. I like to change things up a bit.”
Philip: “I guess we will just have to make our music match the artwork better on the next CD.”

Are you already writing new material for a third album and what can people expect from it?
Maria: “Yes, we are. We just received a song from Dennis Lotka, who brought us “Children Of The Night”, but this one is more up tempo. Philip and I have been writing new ones and have a few on the backburner we may bring out. For this next CD, we are leaning more on a classical as opposed to blues influence.Probably more keyboard heavy with strings and choir.”
Philip: “Our sound and style are still evolving and it may take a few more CDs to really come into our own.”

What are your future plans, on the long and short term?
Maria: “Working on the third CD and pushing “Predator”. Once we get some new songs under our belt, to play out and get a great DVD. Keep plugging away!”
Philip: “The third CD and a DVD are our next priorities before the end of this year. Hopefully, that will make us viable to tour and take it to the next level.”

Maria, we are an online zine, completely focussed on the female musicians in the (hard)rock and (heavy)metal scene. Do you think, that female musicians still need the special attention that we give them? Or do you think they already get all recognition that they deserve?
Maria: “Absolutely! I think that female musicians deserve and need the extra attention. There are so many talented women out there! Metal Maidens is a great zine for that.“

We are based in the Netherlands. What else do you know abut our country, besides the facts that we have beautiful windmills and colourful tulips?
Maria: “I have had the opportunity to visit your lovely country. My mother was born and raised in Belgium and I have relatives there. All the people I encountered there were so friendly and helpful.”
Philip: “I actually played a few shows there, when I toured with WASP and IRON MAIDEN. I remember Tilburg among others. I visited several museums and art galleries and walked all over the place. It was very beautiful and I felt very safe on the streets (no one walks in Los Angeles).”

To what kind of music do you like to listen nowadays?
Maria: “I like to listen to music with great vocalists. I listen to a lot of QUEENSRYCHE as well as DIO, Bruce Dickinson (solo as well as with IRON MAIDEN), Rob Halford (solo and with JUDAS PRIEST), SARAYA, HEART, EVANESCENCE, LACUNA COIL and NIGHTWISH. I’ve been trying to check out more female fronted metal/progressive bands and often search the internet to find them.”
Philip: “Mostly the classical music radio station KUSC in L.A. which plays all the great masterworks without commercial interuption, and my CD collection of prog rock favorites like YES, GENESIS, ASIA, KING CRIMSON, JEAN LUC PONTY, TOMITA, and others.”

Do you have any other interests or hobbies, besides playing in a rock band?
Maria: “Writing is a passion (as I’ve mentioned) - lyrics, poetry, etc. I spent a year researching Pompeii and Herculaneum for a book I wanted to write that would be set there. Eventually, I intend to do that. One creative endeavor at a time! But I also love to read - mostly true crime (Ann Rule is a favorite) and biographies (mostly music, vintage Hollywood actors/actresses, historical figures). I like to shop (I’m a woman after all!), kick back and watch a great movie or documentary, shoot some arrows at the local archery range, ride my bike, dine out and checking out local talent on the club scene (all of this when time permits!).”
Philip: “A bit of kickboxing on the heavy bag in the backyard, archery at the local shooting range and a little yoga practice.”

Do you have any messages for our readers?
Maria: “Whatever endeavor you choose to undertake, believe in yourself and try to do it the best you can. There will always be someone who can do it better and someone who is worse than you. You can’t worry about that. Your own fulfullment and happiness should come first!!”
Philip: ‘It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock, but the main reason we play and record is because music is our passion and a panacea for living in this world - a journey of artistic endeavor and self expression.”

The last words of this interview are for Maria, Phil and GLASS WOLFE....
Maria: “I just want to say a big heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported GLASS WOLFE though the years. And a special thank you to Metal Maidens for not only giving us an opportunity to introduce us and our music to your readers but for your ongoing support to all the very talented women trying to make a mark in this genre. Keep up the great work!!”
Philip: “Thank you for your very thoughtful and provoking questions. It has been an honor and a pleasure to be interviewed by Metal Maidens.”

interview by: Toine van Poorten, February 2006.