Lauren Harris is known in music circles as the daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist/founder Steve Harris first, and as a vocalist second. If she has her way that’ll change over the next year, and she’s off to a promising start

This interview never would have come to pass if it wasn’t for a tip from ex-MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young, who suggested checking out an indie band called SIX HOUR SUNDOWN on YouTube during a weekly round of “Look what I found…” They came across as a better than average ‘80s-flavoured hair band for the modern day (minus the poofy hair), and the singer was a familiar face. Quick online investigation confirmed that it was indeed Lauren Harris front and center, but Six Hour Sundown’s appearance in the ring has been so low key that most of the initial attention received is the result of genuine curiosity rather than Iron Maiden family tree hype.

“It has been rather low key,” Harris agrees, “because we were doing the Maiden thing through 2008 and 2009, and there was a lot of hype around it at the time. I haven't really been in the spotlight for the last couple years, and I've started up a new band using a new name rather than using my own name again. I've started from scratch, really.”

Most people would agree that dropping her own name in favour of Six Hour Sundown can only benefit Harris in the end. The move was made, she says, when her touring band fell apart.

“The first album was a solo thing, but when I was on the road with the guys it turned into more of a band. It was only natural for that to happen since we spent so much time together, and we really were like a family. You hear about some bands that just don't get on, they're not like real friends, but we were friends. But, because of other circumstances, it couldn't continue. Randy (Gregg/bass) was in New York and we couldn't keep flying him over to the UK because money was an issue. And with Richie (Faulkner/guitars), well, he went off and joined JUDAS PRIEST (laughs). Tommy (McWilliams/drums) left a while back because he was never going to do the drumming originally; he was part of the producing side of things, and he became our drummer because we needed one. It just became a long term thing. When Olly (Smith/drums) got involved he became part of the family, so Six Hour Sundown is me and Olly continuing on with a new band (also featuring Tom Gentry, James Bennett and Mitch Witham) which we started when Richie left in February 2011.”

Having grown into the band dynamic, Harris’ new musical direction stomps all over her pop-rocked debut, Calm Before The Storm. Six Hour Sundown won’t be mistaken for a metal band any time soon, but the new music is much more guitar oriented, well rooted in the ‘80s if the songs ‘Jekyll And Hyde’ and ‘Angels’ are any indication.

“I was involved in some of the writing for Calm Before The Storm, but a lot of it was written long before I was involved,” Harris reveals. “When I did come in, some of the material I wasn’t initially involved with was rearranged and rocked up, and when that happens you can’t really change the song from what it is. With the new material, I suppose it was a case of my influences coming in. Richie and I did most of the writing together. Olly came in later and he was part of a few of the songs, so it was a long process of people coming in and out. When Richie left, Olly and I continued writing.”

Harris concedes that Calm Before The Storm was, at its heart, a vehicle to get her name out there.

“Yeah, definitely. With the first album, like I said, a lot of the songs were done before I was even around. Some of them were written four years previous to me getting involved. It’s actually very accurate to say that.”

Some people might consider Harris’ debut a case of taking the easy way through the front door. Now, however, she can be held accountable – for better or worse – for everything that goes down from here on out.

“I’m happy for it to be my fault now, to be honest (laughs). I guess with the first album, because we were put out with Maiden and Within Temptation and bands like that, I kind of felt because of the type of music I was doing that I probably would have done better if I’d gone out with someone more mainstream. That’s why it was a bit of a battle. I’m a bit uncomfortable with playing some of the songs on Calm Before The Storm to those audiences anyway, really. With Six Hour Sundown, it’s completely me, where I co-wrote every track on the album and it’s the direction I want to be going in.”

“When I think about it now, I can’t believe how much we actually got away with,” she adds. “I really can’t. Richie and I and our label were talking about it before he left the band; we were listening to the album and said we couldn’t believe it. And some of it we didn’t get away with because people did give us a lot of stick for it, which was fair enough.”

At this point, a release date for Six Hour Sundown’s debut has yet to be finalized, but they’re hoping to have something out before summer in order to take advantage of the festival circuit. Smart money has the band issuing a second single in early 2012 to keep the buzz going; momentum that will likely grow thanks to Faulkner’s presence on the new album. Like it or not, he’s a selling point for anyone who considers him a worthy replacement for Judas Priest’s K.K. Downing.

“Yeah, it will be a selling point, which is great. We obviously didn’t know what was going to happen when we recorded the album, because we recorded it last January and Richie left the band in February to join Priest. We were saying ‘Oh my God…’ because we’d just paid for the recording and thought we might have to do it all over again. We decided no, we can’t go back and re-record everything because it would destroy us financially. But, we’re very happy for Richie because Priest is a great opportunity for him.”

As opportunities go, supporting Iron Maiden in any capacity ranks near the top of the heap, and Harris doesn’t downplay the significance of that achievement. For a young artist presenting music better suited at the time to an Avril Lavigne-oriented crowd, it sometimes amounted to a hazing at the School Of Rock, and Harris learned a great deal from the experience.

“Something like that does teach you a lot. Over that two or three year period I grew so much as a performer. I learned how to deal with things like people giving me the finger and spitting at me… I learned to deal with any situation. When I first started to read comments on YouTube or on forums where people were completely slagging me off, it really upset me like it would with anybody. But towards the end of that period and now, I don’t give a shit what anybody thinks. I’ve done it all. I’ve been in a total male environment as well, which was really difficult to start off with because I had to prove myself, and some men don’t want to give you, as a woman on stage, the time of day.”

“We really did go out there as a band fighting every night. Some nights we didn't know how things were going to go down, especially in specific regions or countries where there was a heavier music scene. It wasn't all bad. We played in front of something like 50,000 people in Sao Paulo, and had similar numbers in Porto Alegre, and we had great responses from people. I wish I had the chance to do that with this album, because I think people would accept it a lot more and the music would have more credibility.”

By her own admission, however, Harris doesn’t see another tour with Maiden as the best thing for Six Hour Sundown.

“I don't think I'll go out with Maiden again. Obviously I'd love to, because who doesn't want to play in front of thousands of people and travel the world? But, I don't think it would be right to do that again.”

There's always the Priest connection…

"(Laughs) Again, that might not be the best thing for us, but who knows? It would be amazing if it was a one-off show or something like that, but definitely not a tour."

Having quite literally grown up within the world of Iron Maiden, Harris has the unique opportunity as a musician to pick the collective brains of her extended family. Business advice, songwriting tips or second opinions, she has a treasure trove of industry expertise to draw from if need be.

“I have in the past, definitely,” she admits, “but with having a new band we're stepping away from all of that. It's nice to have the connection there, of course. We've also made friends along the way like photographer John McMurtrie, whom we met on tour, and he shot the 'Jekyll And Hyde' video for us. Things like that have really helped us out a lot.”

As for how Harris’ father may have influenced her, it clearly wasn’t on a musical level. Then again, Steve Harris is about more than just songwriting and on-stage machine gun bass lines.

“It's taken me a long time to figure out that I wanted to do this on my own,” says Harris. “We did two tours with Maiden, and for the first one my dad was saying 'Come on, do the tour, you'd be crazy not to.' Maybe he influenced me that way, because we did do a second tour as well. But, because I've grown up a lot I've found my own voice. When I started I didn't know a lot about the music industry other than what I learned from being around it. There were also people looking out for me, so I wouldn't have as much of a say in things like I do now. I think my dad influenced me in the way that he's so focused and sticks to what he believes in. That's the whole Maiden mentality anyway. They've never succumbed to any fashion, they've never done what people tell them to, they've always done what they wanted. That's something I've learned from him, definitely.”

Harris has also come to understand why rather than merely accept the fact her father is viewed by some Iron Maiden fans as a living legend.

“I do understand that. When I was a little kid I didn't know any different, and I didn't really take it in until I was a little bit older. When people are literally shaking to meet him or they're crying, it's like 'Wow.' Obviously it's a big deal for some people. On the other, it's just my dad, so it's kind of weird (laughs). I'm sitting there having breakfast with him one day, and the next day people are freaking out over him. I totally get that, though, because of what Maiden are all about, their music, and what they stand for.”

There’s something to be said for accompanying Dad to work and being thrown out on stage to greet 50,000 people.

“Exactly (laughs). When you go out there and see that many people, you go 'Yeah, I guess Dad is a big deal (laughs).'”

Six Hour Sundown

Promo and live photos by John McMurtrie