BAND
FAVE MAIDEN ALBUM
FAVE MAIDEN SONG
FAVE EDDIE
FAVE BAND BEYOND MAIDEN
AARON ALSO
PIECE OF MIND
UH, UHM...ERRR
KILLERS
MESHUGGAH
PLAYS BASS, GUITAR AND SPENDS WAY TOO MUCH MONEY ON GEAR
Aaron Thomas
VOCALS
Vocalist Aaron Thomas has been singing for over 30 years in numerous bands in the Cincinnati Tri-State area. Beginning in the late 80’s with Cincinnati area original acts Thruster and Deus Vult, then the initial lineup of Ceremony featuring Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O’Brien and Morbid Angel bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker.
During the 90’s, he also contributed vocals to Cincinnati’s Brothers Grimm and Mara for different recording projects. Aaron joined Cincinnati’s Naked Truth in 1995 on bass, and continues to play with them.
Over the last 20 years, Aaron has been involved with numerous cover and original bands in the area, on vocals, bass, and guitar. Aaron joined Aces High in 2018 after connecting with drummer Brian Harris regarding the band’s search for a vocalist. Aaron is a lifelong Maiden fan, his favorite Maiden recording is Piece Of Mind, with Killers being a close second.
FAVE MAIDEN ALBUM
FAVE MAIDEN SONG
FAVE EDDIE
FAVE BAND BEYOND MAIDEN
DAN IS ALSO
SOMEWHERE IN TIME
THE EVIL THAT MEN DO
POWERSLAVE
QUEENSRYCHE
PROPS & SET DESIGNER
Dan Briley
GUITAR
Guitarist Dan Briley has been playing guitar for over 30 years. His inspiration began with the early 80’s metal scene, following players like DeMartini, Lynch and Jake E. Lee. Throughout the 80's, 90’s and to the present, Dan has been in multiple bands spanning several different genres.
With a special Interest in FX and props, Dan is constantly working up new stage designs for Aces High and always looking to change the stage design to give fans the best possible Maiden experience.
As a fan of all things Stratocaster, Dan plays Fender, G&L and Jackson guitars. He plays on Fender Bullets strings and is currently gigging with Headrush gear.
Dave McCarty
GUITAR
Guitarist Dave McCarty has been gigging locally, regionally and nationally since the ripe old age of 15. Some notable local and regional bands were 5 Story Plunge, Shovelhead and Northside Tribe.
Dave jumped on board with Dan Briley after a quick phone call where Dan said “I have an idea for a project” and Aces High was off and running.
In his 'spare time', Dave likes to go down the proverbial rabbit hole in search of the perfect guitar tone. He's convinced it doesn't really exist.
FAVE MAIDEN ALBUM
FAVE MAIDEN SONG
FAVE EDDIE
FAVE BAND BEYOND MAIDEN
DAVE ALSO
NUMBER OF THE BEAST
INFINITE DREAMS
NUMBER OF THE BEAST
EXTREME
PLAYS IN TOO MANY PROJECTS & BUYS TOO MUCH GEAR
FAVE MAIDEN ALBUM
FAVE MAIDEN SONG
FAVE EDDIE
FAVE BAND BEYOND MAIDEN
RANDY IS ALSO A
POWERSLAVE
INFINITE DREAMS
KILLERS
DEATH
FATHER/PIERCIST & A MAN WHO SEEKS TO BETTER HIMSELF
Randy Gaines
BASS
“Steve Harris is the first bass player I could identify and I fell in love immediately. He’s a big reason behind my passion for the instrument," says Randy Gaines, bassist for Aces High.
Randy is a veteran of several successful musical acts, including Decay, an original thrash metal project he co-founded with Aces High drummer Brian Harris. Randy has performed and toured with various musically diverse original and cover bands over the years; as well as recording with numerous artists as a session musician.
Randy’s interests outside of music include: hot rods & muscle cars, tattoos & body piercing, books & movies, comic collecting – and most importantly – his family. A Maiden fan to the bone, his favorite album is Powerslave.
FAVE MAIDEN ALBUM
FAVE MAIDEN SONG
FAVE EDDIE
FAVE BAND BEYOND MAIDEN
BRIAN ALSO
SOMEWHERE IN TIME
HALLOWED BE THY NAME
KILLERS
RUSH
WHEN HE FIRST HEARD SOMEWHERE IN TIME, HE WAS HOOKED BY NICKO'S DRUMMING
Brian Harris
DRUMS
Drummer Brian Harris comes from a musical family, so he naturally came out of the womb playing the drums and hasn’t stopped ever since. Ok, seriously… his dad placed a pair of drumsticks in his hands around age 2 or 3 and the rest is history.
1987 is where Brian started his first band, Prowler, mostly for a high school talent show. Soon after, he met Aces High bassist Randy Gaines and they started a band in 1988 called Bedlam that only lasted about a year, so soon after, they started a thrash/death metal band called Decay. Brian tried out for Machine Head in late 1995, but that darn Dave McClain guy got the gig instead. So Brian went on to join hardcore band My Own Victim out of Louisville Kentucky, where he spent three months in Europe touring with the band in 1996 and recorded their final album for Century Media records called “The Weapon.”
Brian has over 20 album recordings to his name including session work with Miami's Solstice on their “To Dust” album, Greece’s Firewind “Between Heaven and Hell,” and a few other power metal recordings through David T. Chastain’s Leviathan Records. You can also hear Brian on a couple of his brother’s albums (Michael Harris) and plays live with him on occasion. Lastly, Brian has played with a handful of local cover bands and is currently playing everything from RUSH to Zeppelin with cover band Mad Hatter. Brian had a brief encounter with Nicko McBrain back in 1995 at the Milwaukee metalfest. But at the 2020 NAMM show, Brian get to meet him again, and this time shake his hand and get a few pictures, as can be seen on his Instagram page. Getting into Maiden a little bit late, the first album he heard was “Somewhere in Time.”