BAND INTERVIEWS
Fountain Of Tears - June 2007
Images of Eden - April 21, 2006
Images of Eden - October 2006
Odin's Court - March 16, 2006
Phoenix Reign - June 18, 2006
Fountain Of Tears - July 2007
Fountain Of Tears (pictured left to right): Jeff King - keyboards, Mike DiDonato - guitar, Vonnie King - vocals, Joey Daub - drums, Erik Ney - bass guitar. Fountain Of Tears possesses abundant talent and a one-of-a-kind sound that is sure to delight gothic and progressive metal fans everywhere. (photo courtesy of Joey Daub)
In June 2007, Matt went to nearby Rexmont, PA to interview Joey Daub, the drummer for Lancaster-based Fountain Of Tears, a gothic/progressive metal band who’s unique sound defies conventional labels. Daub is no stranger to the metal world, as he was one of the founding members of the Dove Award nominated Christian metal band Believer, and has done production work with bands like Earth Crisis and Living Sacrifice.
In the interview, we discussed Fountain Of Tears and their new album Fate, as well as his past work and his other side projects (including writing new Believer material). It was a great interview and we here at RFUSA are excited to bring it to you, the fans! Read on…Matthew Bankes (MB): At what time in your life did you get interested in playing music?
Joey Daub (JD): I have been interested in music since I was a young kid (laughs). My cousin and I used to put the records on, and one would be air-drumming and the other would grab a pool cue or a tennis racket. I just always had a knack for music, it was just something that I always loved. In 4th grade I started playing the trumpet, so there’s a little gist of things. Played that my whole way though school, high school, everything. As far as getting interested in music it was definitely at a young age.
MB: When did you get interested in rock and metal music?
JD: That probably came a little later. Growing up, I was into Kiss…that was kind of like the heavy stuff at first which is pretty much the same way it is for a lot of people. I also really had an interest in the progressive bands. I loved Yes, Steely Dan…
MB: I love Steely Dan!
JD: Steely Dan is the bomb. Then you get into the…I guess you could call it progressive…it wasn’t so much in the mainstream…like Kansas, Boston, ELO. I really started to get into the metal stuff when I was probably close to an early teenager. I’d always go to the import section…looking in the imports “Oh. What metal’s out there?” and you had Iron Maiden, Saxon, Savatage and stuff like that. Then it just got progressively heavier. I still to this day love death metal, speed, thrash, grind core…all that stuff.
MB: What was the first band you ever joined?
JD: Believer was the first band that I ever played out with, and it wasn’t really a “join”, it was a “form”. It was a band that was formed. Around that time I also, with one of the guys from Believer, we formed a hardcore band called Malevalent Hoax, and we went out and played the hardcore scene for a little bit.
MB: You were one of the founding members of the well-respected Christian metal band Believer. How did that all come together and what was the experience like?
JD: Kurt Bachman, who was the co-founder, and myself had been playing in basement bands for quite a while. We just weren’t finding anybody really cool to jam with so Kurt and I decided to form this band that had a little different take on lyrical content. Kurt and I actually formed Believer and did our very first demo which was more of a power metal…kind of stuff…the early Yngwie Malmsteen kind of jam stuff, and we actually did all the recording ourselves, just the two of us. Obviously it changed as we added members and our direction changed, so we got to the current lineup that was on the first record (Extraction From Mortality) and we did a demo…people got interested…boom! We got picked up by a record company for the second and third albums. Then Roadrunner Records got interested and got in touch with us. That was a run from ‘86 to ‘93 I believe.
MB: Did pretty well, obviously. I see the award up there on the wall…”Congratulations on your 1994 Metal Album of the Year” Dove Award nomination (for their 3rd album Dimensions). That’s pretty heavy stuff!
JD: Yeah. We were very excited. For those who don’t know, The Dove Award is just like a Christian Grammy award, more or less. Our second album Sanity Obscure and (the third album) Dimensions were both on REX, which was an exclusive Christian label, but they were also on Roadrunner, so we got nominated for a Dove through the REX version of Dimensions, which wasn’t really much different. We didn’t win, but it was still cool to be nominated.
MB: It’s like, people have to bring their earplugs! You’re up there with people like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant! Might be a little loud for them.
JD: Actually, it’s funny you say that because at the awards ceremony…we drove down to Nashville and at the awards ceremony, Amy Grant was the host. It was an honor to be thought of for it (the Dove award).
MB: After the dissolution of Believer, what musical projects did you involve yourself with?
JD: I had been doing a different variety of recording as far as the actual recording process, more so than a studio player. I recorded some records for different labels. We did Earth Crisis’ renowned album, which I still think is an amazing album…not because we did it, but because it’s just a great record, which was Destroy The Machines. Also did Living Sacrifice’s Inhabit, and some other things. I was just hanging out with a friend of mine and I did, myself, some different studio drum tracks to just try and keep my chops in. I did anything from 70’s smooth sounding rock stuff to a little bit more progressive vibe stuff…just kind of keeping myself going with doing some studio drumming.
Joey Daub - Fountain Of Tears drummer. Not only is Daub a gifted and versatile drummer, he is also a well-respected producer. Daub has done production work with well-known bands such as Living Sacrifice and Earth Crisis. (photo courtesy of Joey Daub)
MB: When and how did Fountain Of Tears come together?
JD: I believe the inception of Fountain Of Tears was around 1995. Jeff King (keyboards) and Erik Ney (bass guitar) had been together in some bands, and they kind of decided to break off on their own and start writing material. So, they had been writing material, and then they hooked up with Mike DiDonato (guitars) who had played guitar with Erik in a previous band, Sacrament, which was, again, another REX band that Believer had played shows with and stuff so we were good friends. They had come to me shortly after that inception looking for a drummer. At the time I was very consumed…I was racing mountain bikes at that time…I was very consumed by that, and they were asking me if I knew anyone. I guess I was just kind of stupid at that point, and I was just like “Well, I’ll keep an eye open!”. Hence down the road, I guess about a year or so…they were like “Ok, well, How about you? Do you wanna play drums in this?”. So, what initially happened was we got together, the four of us, as an instrumental unit. The plan was to record just an instrumental CD of some songs. Then actually Erik had come across Anna DeRose (original vocalist) and we had tossed around the concept of putting a female vocalist in there. That’s what happened. We recorded the vocals and released the EP which, we were still in a project band state at the time. We released the EP out there as a project band and we got a very good response from it, actually, except for it was too short. It was the 5 songs with vocals, and the same 5 songs the original way, without vocals.
MB: How would you describe the sound of Fountain Of Tears to someone who hasn’t heard you yet? The sound is very unique, it’s very hard to describe.
JD: That is a very difficult question because we have been asked that so many times. We get pigeonholed into the Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, Stream Of Passion, kinda Nightwish…I think more so the other strictly female vocal bands. I feel we have our own kind of sound.
MB: You do.
JD: And that’s what makes it difficult to describe exactly. I would say we’re a cross between goth/prog/symphonic. It’s so hard, you know, because you could say metal, but metal is such a term that certain people are like “Oh, they’re not metal!”, but then other people say “Yeah, they’re like female fronted metal!”. So, we’re not the real heavy, dirge-y metal with an operatic singer. It’s very difficult to pinpoint that.
MB: I’m still working on the review actually, it’s a very challenging album to pin down. You do have your own sound, and that is what makes Fountain Of Tears so unique. You can’t really say “this is a Nightwish clone” or a Lacuna Coil clone. It’s actually a Fountain Of Tears original. You do have a very original sound.
JD: Thank you. I’m really glad that you see that. What we have had is certain reviews that people tend to say “Well, the guitars aren’t heavy enough” or “The vocals aren’t strong enough”. My biggest beef with that is we’re not trying to be anyone else. The way the disc (Fate) is pretty much 99.2 percent the way we wanted it to be and the way we wanted it to sound. It’s supposed to be kind of an airy…Actually I have a description card that I can read that describes Fountain Of Tears the best.
The description card reads: “The name, Fountain Of Tears, is a description of the human condition. The end result of intense emotion…be it happiness or fear, anger or sorrow., gratitude or love…is often a literal fountain of tears. It has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul. At times, when thoughts run too deep for words, the soul speaks through tears. These are the thoughts FT wishes to express through its music.”
MB: You all were able to put together a fantastic group of musicians with really strong credentials for Fountain Of Tears. What is it like to work with them?
JD: Oh, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. Each individual that is within the band has their own style, and that’s what I feel is so unique and so cool about it. Erik (Ney, bass guitar) has just his own way of playing, which a lot of people don’t understand (laughs). It’s very percussive. Mike (DiDonato, guitars) is one of those guitar players who totally plays outside the box, not just within the leads, but also rhythms. Jeff (King, keyboards) is just such a phenomenal keyboard player…classically trained, and I think that’s what really helps add to Fountain Of Tears’ sound, the way he manipulates the piano and the keyboard together. Vonnie (King, vocals) just adds such a soulful tone to the music that’s different from the majority of the stuff. Like I said, one of the closest bands I think we could be compared to would be Stream Of Passion, because Marcela Bovio’s voice is just so different.
MB: Speaking of Vonnie King…I’m going out of order here…How did she end up joining the band?
JD: I’ll back up a little bit here, if you don’t mind. After we put out the 5 song EP, time went on and we were doing some promotion for it, trying to sell it. Then we more or less…well, actually I came to the guys and I was like “You know what, let’s turn this from a project into a band.” We all kind of agreed, I’m not saying I was the one that decided that.
MB: Oh, no, not at all.
JD: From there we started searching for vocalists, which was a nightmare! If you have ever seen American Idol, and you see the crazy people that come in there, that’s virtually what we had to deal with at certain times. People were convinced they could sing, and they couldn’t. It actually was a very hard process. Right when we were about ready to settle on someone, we had one more tryout, which was Vonnie, and she came in, and she sang an Alicia Keys song acapella, and we were like “Wow, this girl can sing”. So, we laid it out there for her, and it was up to her to make the choice. We heard back from her, and that was that. Prior to this, she actually sang in an all girl band called R Angels, which was signed to Motown Records. If you have, and she’ll kill me for saying this, if you have the Stuart Little (movie starring Geena Davis and Michael J. Fox) DVD, they have a song that’s on that Stuart Little soundtrack (“I’ll Be There For You”) and the video is actually on there and Vonnie is in there with the other 3 girls, and they have the video for this song. Every time I see it, it just cracks me up.
MB: Do you think the sound of Fountain Of Tears has evolved since the first EP back in 1999?
JD: Yeah, absolutely. When the material for the EP came along, it was more or less already written, and I put drums to it. But, with the inception of Fate, some of the songs and ideas were kind of stuck in storage and we broke ‘em out but then we also wrote together. I think all of us writing together and putting forth our individual input has just totally made us grow as songwriters and as musicians…playing with good guys around you, it makes you just play better and be more creative, I feel.
MB: Can you give us a description of the album Fate?
JD: There’s really not a concept to it per se. Some of the songs were written strictly from a fantasy point of view, some of the songs were written from life experience and just what’s going on. It kind of deals with a lot of emotions, a lot of different emotions I think is probably the best way to relate the album.
MB: What’s your favorite song off the album if you had to pick one?
JD: I’d say it’s probably a cross between “Falling” and “Fate”, and the reason I say “Fate” is because that song…well, lyrically, I wrote that song more or less about a friend of mine so it has a stronger place in my heart. I do like the way it feels as well. Not to sound like a jerk, but, I think all the songs on the album are good. I really enjoy writing them and playing them, and I think they are good songs.
MB: Where did you record the album and what was the experience like for you and the band?
JD: We recorded the majority of the tracks where we are right now, here, at my studio which I call Trauma Studios. Some other tracks were recorded at Jeff King’s studio which he calls The Kauldron (in Lancaster, PA). The vocals were actually tracked at a place called The Studio in Philadelphia, PA, and we also mixed there. We tracked vocals there because we wanted to get an outside person to try and…you always hear about people saying “Oh, we worked with so and so and he was able to pull more out of the vocalist”, so knowing the engineer, Jim Bottari, at The Studio, and knowing he dealt with a lot of female R & B vocalists, we used him to see if he could pull some more from Vonnie and get some more input as far as harmonies or whatever. The experience was good and bad, I won’t lie. It was definitely not the experience I’m used to with recording previous CD’s and stuff I’d been on with Believer and stuff. It was a long process. It probably took us between two and three years to actually do. A lot of that has to do with people being able to come in and cut some tracks and time issues with individuals. When it came down to mixing and cutting vocals we were on someone else’s time, whereas here, it’s my house, I can maneuver my schedule and get you in whenever you’re available. That kind of aspect was a little unnerving, but it’s good. When you hear the end result…when we sat down to listen to it, and also having it mastered in The Netherlands…
MB: I was about to ask you about that. That’s cool that you got it mastered in The Netherlands!
JD: Actually, we did some research, and Peter Van’t Riet…we enjoyed the stuff he did. He mastered some of the After Forever, Stream Of Passion, he did some Symphony X, I think he did some Saga, he did a lot of mastering and we really liked his touch so we had actually got in touch with him and sent it over, asked him if he was willing to do it, and it was good. He was just very gracious and very good to work with.
MB: What has been the critical response to Fate? Has it received good press?
JD: It say for the most part it has been phenomenal. Really, It has been great. There were a couple reviews that were done that said stuff like I touched on earlier, like they’re critiquing it, looking at it like we’re coming in and trying to be Nightwish, or trying to be After Forever or Epica. I just kind of take that with a grain of salt because the bottom line is if people genuinely don’t like it, I don’t have a problem with that. But when people go about it like “Well, the vocals aren’t strong enough” I mean, again, we’re not trying to be someone that’s out there. We’re trying to be who we are and who we feel. But, I think for the most part it has been awesome.
MB: Do you have any touring plans now that Fate is out?
JD: We’re working on that. Summers are always difficult when you have a band that has people that rely on an income (laughs). Not to sound ignorant or stupid there, but we have homes, and it’s one of those things. So, what we are trying to do is we want to strategically put together shows that we can all be comfortable with. There’s some good tours coming out in the fall…Nightwish is going to be out, Epica, Leaves’ Eyes…there’s a lot of stuff that’s out there. If there is a possibility for us to maybe tap on to some shows or something, that would be great. We’re definitely in the works, it just might take a little bit. We’re going to try to throw some local gigs in there. Again, with all original music, most of the venues that used to have it in this area…don’t have it anymore. But there’s some new ones popping up, which is good, so we’re feeling it out and we’ll be getting out there eventually. We just want to make sure when we get out, we take everybody for a ride…like “Wow, this is good. This is better than the disc!”
Fountain Of Tears kickin’ out the jams on stage! After listening to their newest album, I can tell you that this is one band that is not to be missed live! (photo courtesy of Joey Daub)
MB: What has been the most memorable show that you have done in Fountain Of Tears?
JD: We’ve had some decent shows. Playing for the first time at the new Grape Street in Philadelphia was really cool. Actually, playing at the old Grape Street for the very first time was awesome too. It’s just fun to get up there and play, be on your game and play, and have people really stop. One thing I have noticed when we play these clubs is the majority of the people have no idea who we are. So when we get up on stage and we have a female singer they kind of get intrigued. Once we start playing, and you look out in the crowd and you actually see people sitting there not talking, and just kind of paying attention, which is what we want to do. We want to capture people. That’s a good feeling.
MB: In your whole musical career, have you done any really memorable shows that stick out in your mind?
JD: Oh yeah. I’d say, with Believer, we were over in Europe for three weeks or so back in ‘92 and that was great being over there playing for people that are so far away from us and were just so into us. Also, prior to, more or less, the disbanding of Believer, right before Dimensions would be recorded, we went out and did a 4 month run with Bolt Thrower and Sacrifice which was a great U.S. tour for us. We had a very good time with it, picked up new fans, and it was just good.
MB: Living in Central Pennsylvania, have you found it hard to locate venues that will host original acts?
JD: Yeah. It’s difficult because the one thing I’ve never done is that I’ve never been in a cover band. I’ve never played covers. Fountain Of Tears has never played covers. Believer has never played covers. So, back in the Believer days you had a bunch of people that would put on shows…I mean they still do it now, but they put on shows at a VFW or whatever. Yeah, it’s tough. The Croc Rock in Allentown, PA, they book a lot of original bands, I guess the Sterling Hotel in Allentown does that too. The Chameleon in Lancaster, the Champion Ship (in Lemoyne, PA), but there again, Fountain Of Tears is one of those bands…we’re not “emo” and we’re not “metal”…straight up metal. We’re kind of an oddity to get booked in because we’re not emo, but we’re not hardcore or brutal metal. It’s tough for us but hopefully we’ll be able to tap into certain bands that will work with us, that we can get shows within the area.
MB: What drummers have been a big influence on your style?
JD: There’s so many. The one thing I do want to say is I pick up anything from anybody. Everybody out there would influence me one way or another. Probably the biggest influences, well, my earlier drumming with the style of power metal, would be the drummers from Iron Maiden, whether it be Clive Burr or Nicko McBrain. Anders Johannson, who played drums for Yngwie, and then of course Lars Ulrich is in there, he has to be. The Dark Angel days with Gene Hoglan…awesome. The list just goes on as far as the heavy guys. Obviously Neal Peart is an influence to all drummers, I would say. A lot of jazz guys…there is just so many. Alex Holzwarth from Sieges Even is just amazing, and of course Mike Portnoy.
MB: What are your favorite bands and artists to listen to?
JD: You could always pretty much catch me listening to anything from Dream Theater…early or new. Steely Dan, Sieges Even, Fates Warning, Rush, Yes. I love Devin Townsend too, Strapping Young Lad, all of Devin’s solo stuff. There’s just so much stuff. I could go from one extreme to another.
MB: All right! Same here, man!
JD: Portishead, I’ll put in some Portishead. I’ll listen to The Gathering, listen to Bjork, next thing you know I’ll be listening to Into The Moat.
MB: If you could pick 3 albums to take with you to a desert island, what would they be?
JD: Let’s see. The Pet Shop Boys discography. That will soothe all kinds. I will just have to say a Dream Theater album. It might be Train Of Thought, it might be the new one (Systematic Chaos), I don’t know. I’d have to say a real heavy album like Carcass’ Heartwork or something, or a Death album.
MB: I’m the same way. I could listen to Dead Or Alive, the dance group from the 1980’s who did “You Spin Me Right Round” and then I could listen to Slayer or Therion…things like that, then back to Steely Dan, Saga, Rush. I’ve been listening to a lot of Steely Dan lately.
JD: Oh yeah, that would be tough there. I would have to make it four because I would have to take a Steely Dan album along too. I would have to say my favorite Steely Dan album would have to be Aja.
MB: I read on your website that you have an instrumental side project in the works. Could you tell us about that?
JD: Yeah. The keyboardist from Fountain Of Tears, Jeff King, and myself are doing kind of a…here it is again. You try to explain it but it‘s really difficult. I would say it‘s kind of like a “rock fusion” rather than jazz fusion…”rock jazz fusion”. The stuff’s kind of in the vein of Liquid Tension Experiment, Allan Holdsworth, Steely Dan, Derek Sherinian stuff…that’s another one. It’s kind of in that vein. We have a bunch of ideas down which we are moving along, but since I’m involved in writing a new Believer album as well…
MB: Whoa, whoa, whoa! So what I saw on Wikipedia wasn’t a typo! You are writing a new Believer album! Awesome, that’s excellent!
JD: Having said that, the project, which is called Year Of Plenty, is kind of put on a little hiatus now, but we’re definitely going to continue to do it and it will be finished and put out down the road.
MB: You just said you were writing for a new Believer album. How did a Believer reunion come about?
JD: Kurt and I have been toying with the idea for a while, just to get back and see if our chemistry was there, and we were just interested in writing again. So we actually got together a year ago and we just started fiddling around a little bit, and we came up with some ideas, and we decided that “Hey, let’s pursue this” and it just kind of floated around as things were getting solidified with the Fate album. Now that’s all done and out of the way, Kurt and I have been getting together on a regular basis. We have about six tunes…yeah. It’s all good. It’s kind of picked up 14 years later where we left off.
Joey Daub lays down some thunder on stage. With influences ranging from Steely Dan and Kansas to Savatage and Strapping Young Lad, Daub is one of the most skilled and diverse drummers in the metal scene. (photo courtesy of Joey Daub)
MB: Has Fountain Of Tears written any new material lately, and do you have any idea when a new album will be on the horizon?
JD: No. Actually, our main focus up to this point was to really concentrate on getting the disc done and get it out, and then concentrate on our stage show and our live performance, and then get out there and continue to push Fate. With my involvement in Believer and other side projects, there’s really no need at this point to even start writing new material yet because we really want to get out with a bang with the Fate album.
MB: Thanks a lot for your time, Joey. It’s been a lot of fun talking to you. Can you give us a closing statement for our readers?
JD: One thing I would like to say: We did just recently sign a worldwide distribution deal with Nightmare Records which is very cool. Lance (King, head of Nightmare Records) has been awesome. We are also getting hooked up with Silent Planet Promotions, too, which is good. They seem to be really excited about working with us. That’s really good on that note. My biggest thing I need to say about Fountain Of Tears and to those potential listeners out there is what you had said earlier. I think people need to really give Fate the benefit of the doubt. This is definitely one of those discs that there’s a lot going on, and maybe after the first listen it’s not all sinking in, and by maybe the second or third listen there’s really a lot of stuff in there that really tugs at your ear, and that’s from my own experience, even recording the disc! (laughs) I feel that I should state one other thing, just because this is a question that is brought up to us a lot, and that was the situation between whether Fountain Of Tears is a Christian band or not. Fountain Of Tears is not a Christian band. There are Christians within the band but people have brought up the question because “Well, I’m just curious because of Believer, Sardonyx and Sacrament. Is it a Christian band?”. The band does not promote religion. It’s music. It’s a bunch of talented musicians that got together, and within those talented musicians they asked me to join. (laughs) We’re just playing music and writing about fantasy things and real life experiences and emotions, whatever. I just hope people will enjoy it, and I also just hope they take away from it what they want to take away from it. Hopefully they just enjoy it.
Thanks a lot Joey! It was a pleasure interviewing you and we had a lot of fun talking music and just hanging out in Trauma Studios. We look forward to the rise of Fountain Of Tears, as well as the reformation of Believer and we also wish you the best of luck in all of your other projects. Joey Daub is a great person and a great musician, and Fountain Of Tears has a sound that truly has to be experienced. Open your ears and your mind, and you will truly be amazed.
If you want to check out Fountain Of Tears, visit them on the web at http://www.fountainoftears.com
and be sure to purchase the new album Fate, which is also available on iTunes! Stay tuned to RFUSA for a review of Fate, which is coming soon! You can also visit Joey Daub on the web at http://www.joeydaub.com!
Images of Eden - April 21, 2006
Images of Eden (pictured left to right): Bryan Wierman - bass guitar, Gordon Tittsworth - lead vocals/keyboards, Matt Kaiser - drums/percussion, Dennis Mullin - lead guitar
On a Friday in late April, Matt made the trip to Gordon’s home in Red Lion, Pennsylvania to interview the Images Of Eden (sometimes referred to throughout the interview as IOE) front man. Matt was fighting a cold but managed to gut it out! Gordon is a class act all the way down the line. In this interview, we go inside the mind of the front man of one of Prog Metal’s great “rising forces”. Enjoy!
Matt Bankes (MB): When did you start to get into Rock and Metal music?
Gordon Tittsworth (GT): As far back as I can ever remember. I remember probably being like three or four years old, and whenever we would go visit my grandmother, my uncle, who lived with her still, he had a whole record collection. Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith…everything. I just took to it immediately, and my mom even told me I was probably even as young as two playing his records on the record player. It’s been as far back as I can remember, and it’s just been in the blood ever since.
MB: What made you decide to want to be a musician?
GT: I was probably about five- or six-years-old when I got my first real rock record which was Kiss Alive!. My cousin gave it to me, and I was five-years-old and I was just a Kiss freak by then. I would probably say I was six or seven when I said “I want to be a lead singer in a band”. As much discouragement as there was at the time, and even still today, I’ll never stop.
MB: What was the first band you performed in?
GT: It was in 1988, and we were called Burning Ambition. We were kind of like a less polished Images Of Eden, and a little more of the core 80s sound. Think hair metal with a hint of prog. Take a very early Queensryche meets very early Fates Warning and not quite as polished.
MB: How did you decide on the name for your current band Images Of Eden?
GT: To take you there, I am going to have to take you back a little bit further. I’ve always wanted to be in a band and I’d been in different bands over the years through the late 80s and early 90s. In every band I was in, as fulfilling as it may have been, there was always some kind of element that it was lacking. Whether it was butting heads with other musicians or somebody not being up to par, or dealing with arrogant assholes and just basic bullshit artists. Because of that I was like, it’s time now. I was in this one band called Out Of Nowhere just before IOE. It was a decent bunch of musicians but there was a non-motivated guitarist who just tried to run things. He had no knowledge or no means to even think he should have been running anything. We really butted heads. I had kind of had my fill with non-hackers over the years. It’s kind of funny…ironic actually, the guitarist (of Out Of Nowhere) I guess could sense I was trying to run the show a little bit, so he sent the bass player out to fire me.
MB: How unprofessional.
GT: So the bass player fires me, and at the time I was pretty fed up with the band. It wasn’t doing what I wanted so I was thinking of a reason to quit, so it just kind of worked out perfectly. Right when that happened I still had a couple of songs together from my previous band which was called Midnight’s Tide. That band was actually with a good friend of mine on drums, Ryan Day. I actually sang lead and played lead guitar and we went through a couple of bass players. That was really the first band where I could open up my full creativity to its full potential. I was only in Out Of Nowhere a couple of months. After Out Of Nowhere, I pulled six of the best Midnight’s Tide tunes and decided, “Alright…I’m going to do an album with me playing everything” and I had a friend of mine at the time who was a drummer who said, “Dude, I’ll play drums for you, no problem, let‘s do this thing, let‘s get you jump started” (Steve Kilgallon). I took the six best Midnight’s Tide tunes which were “Stealth“, “September”, “Brave Horse”, “Only In My World”, “Dawn (Another Sunrise)”. All the songs sort of had a theme going and I just let the creativity go. I finished the other six songs and then I had twelve songs. They all had a theme. At the time I was actually going to call the album “Images Of Eden” so I had the album title, but I didn’t have the band name. So I was like, “Alright, I got an album called Images Of Eden”, I didn’t know what band name I was going to use. I was going to use my old band name Midnight’s Tide, but I thought Midnight’s Tide stood for something back then…it’s time to start brand new. I was talking to my wife one night and we were talking about it. She knew most of the tunes and the themes. She said, “You know what, why don’t you call the band Images Of Eden? It totally goes with what you’re trying to say and it totally goes with the uplifting, spiritual theme that there is.” I was like, that’s it. It’s done. I recorded the album and strategically placed the songs to show an entrance into an Eden or a perfect world. The theme of Chapter 1 was just all the elements of a new found perfect world that I kind of came in to, so, there you are.
MB: About Chapter 1, you recorded that album almost completely by yourself (with a session drummer) to use it as a basis for forming the new band. What was it like to record an entire album by yourself? What kind of experience was that, was it a tough experience?
GT: It was probably the best recording experience I’ve ever had in my life. The reason I say that is because I was going through a lot at the time. I was in the process of getting married, and in the process of just starting a whole new life and kind of leaving the past behind. It was the first time where I had free reign to do anything I wanted with no prior expectations of me, and no standards that I had to hit. It was just pure uncensored creativity. It was probably the only time in my life I ever had that. I didn’t have that with Spirit, I probably wouldn’t have had that with Spirit, and I wouldn’t trade Spirit for what it is. Basically it was pretty cool as far as the recording process. I gave Steve Kilgallon (session drummer) a demo tape of the songs in a really rough form. He learned the drums in a couple of weeks, we went into the studio, he recorded all the drums in a matter of about two days, and then I spent the next year and a half piecing it together. I would do all the guitars, all the heavy guitars, all the acoustic guitars, all the bass guitars, all the keyboards, all the lead guitars, some little sound effects and then I did the vocal tracks and then we mixed it down. It was great, it was nice to see that album piece itself together. Took a long time on it, and of course I funded it myself. Right when it was done, it was just like climbing Everest. The best part about it was there was no more compromising. It was, this is what I’m doing, here it is. If you like it, let’s talk, if not, sorry.
MB: How quickly did interested musicians come forward to join up with you after you finished Chapter 1, and was it a tough process to choose the right musicians?
GT: Yeah, very tough to choose. I had a drummer who I worked with who was on board and ready to go as soon as we could get the rest of the musicians. I had a keyboard player who I worked with who was also on board. I put an ad on BaltimoreBands.com (http://www.baltimorebands.com) and I immediately got a response from a guitarist named Dennis Mullin. He shot me an e-mail and we talked for a while on the phone and things worked out. He sent me a copy of his Illuvatar album Story 3 Days Wide and I sent him Chapter 1, and as soon as I heard his guitar playing, I said, "This is the guy for the job as long as he wants it." I knew that we were done. The initial bass player was someone that Dennis knew. We all kind of got together for the first couple practices, and they were rough. The drummer couldn’t hack it so we had to get rid of him. I put in another ad for another drummer, got him. The keyboard player couldn’t do it, he left, so I started playing keyboards. The bass player left. So here we are, we’re a three-piece. Dennis Mullin, Bobby Minter playing drums and me singing lead, playing bass and playing keys. The simple Rush thing, only I didn’t really want it to turn out that way! It kind of worked out that way for a little while. It ended up not working out with Bobby, and right around the same time Matt Kaiser came on board, who I also found through BaltimoreBands.com. That was about three years ago, so we played as a three-piece for awhile. Then Brian Gulin from Hyperchild joined for a little while (on bass guitar). He left, we recorded Spirit, and then a friend of mine named Bryan Wierman who I had been in touch with and had known for eleven years shot me an e-mail from out of the blue. He was a phenomenal guitarist turned bass player and as soon as we jammed with him it was like the fourth piece of the puzzle. I took about four and a half years to form the unit as it is right now, so let’s hope it doesn’t change anymore, man!
MB: Dennis Mullin, Matt Kaiser and Bryan Wierman seem to compliment you perfectly. What is it like to work with them in the studio and on stage?
GT: It’s nice to be able to work with phenomenal musicians who are probably the best musicians I have ever jammed with, and to know that no matter what we attempt to do, they can pull it off, and pull it off well. So I never feel limited at all, and I don’t think any of us do. So when we all piece everything together there’s this magic that happens, and it can’t be compromised.
MB: Have you considered hiring a permanent keyboardist?
GT: Yes, we want a full-time keyboard player. Finding a full-time keyboard player is, I’m sure, going to be rough, and I have got so many other things on my plate that it’s not the first and foremost thing, although it would be nice. Our songs take a little bit of a different turn live because not all the keyboard parts are there, but I think that our live show has gotten a little bit more punch, a little more drive. With that said, I’d love to have a full-time keyboard player. So, anybody who reads this, if you’re interested, come find us!
MB: Yes, e-mail Gordon at gordon@imagesofeden.com. Free advertising!
MB: The latest record, Sunlight of the Spirit, I think is a great record. When did you start writing for this album and how long did it take from start to finish?
GT: It was kind of wild, the actual writing process for Spirit. I actually enjoyed writing Spirit more than Chapter 1, just because I really felt like things were coming out quickly and in abundance. Right when Chapter 1 was in the process of being recorded and I was finishing up the recording of Chapter 1, “Dream-Catcher” was actually the first song that I wrote. I liked it so much I would have wanted to put it on Chapter 1 but it was kind of too late. It’s kind of a good thing because it really worked out on Spirit. I wrote “Dream-Catcher” and then some time went by and I would piece a couple of songs together and have some parts done. I had about four or five songs done, and then there was a couple of weeks where I was in between jobs and I had a lot of spare time. I had all the notes made, I had a lot of lyrics done and I had a lot of general notes on how I wanted some songs to be. I actually knocked out close to half the album within a week's time, so all in all, it took probably a process of a year and a half, but not full-time. The way I write, I never make time to write. Inspiration finds me and I capture it at the time. So I could be anywhere, in traffic, in the shower, sleeping, and I always got a notepad and I am always writing stuff down and it just so happened that in that couple-of-week period is the time I took my collection of notes and I actually formed the songs. Another thing about writing Spirit, if I actually sit down and try to write something, and try to think about something and make something happen, it doesn’t work. There are actual times when I’ve either sat down with my guitar or in front of the keyboard and you just get in to this consciousness, you feel there’s this mental and emotional gate that’s open, and this inspiration just kind of flows through you. It’s almost kind of creepy. There have been times where I’ve sat down and I started playing stuff and I get into this zone and I can’t really describe it, but a musician who writes will know what I’m talking about. “I Remember When” for example is a song where I just sat down and within about an hour and a half time I had a four-track recording of the entire song, completely finished, and when I listened to it back I was like, “Where did that come from?" It’s almost as if you’re this medium of a higher being channeling the song through you. It’s almost kind of scary because I’ve had a couple of other instances of that happening. Once was with ‘Dream-Catcher”, another one was with “Brave Horse” and “Stealth” off of Chapter 1, and even parts of “Beyond The Horizon” .
MB: I think the production on Sunlight of the Spirit is really great. Did you have access to Pro-Tools?
GT: Yeah, as a matter of fact, a friend of mine, Dave Lemme and Mike Donoghue from Shadow Recording Studio did the recording. We’re friends with them. Dave was in a band called Cycle Of 3 that we played with so it was cool, it was like fellow musicians and friends. He actually used a 36 tracker, Pro-Tools. Dave Lemme actually started the recording, we did the drums and the guitars over there and due to cost, he actually did the rest of the recording at Illuvatar bass player Dean Morekas’ place. He actually used SONAR, so it’s a mix between Pro-Tools and SONAR, but it was actually fully mixed and mastered in Pro-Tools. We spent a lot of time on it. We had six sets of ears just listening to it and tweaking it out. The experience of the people involved, they just had phenomenal ears and all of us really made that production happen.
MB: Can you give us a brief description of the album and what it’s about?
GT: The one thing about Images Of Eden, and this wasn’t something that I meant to do, it’s just something that kind of started so I’m running with it...each album starts where the last one leaves off. It’s like an ongoing story and progression through life, told in a positive and uplifting way. The first album began as thematic. It’s about putting the past behind and starting brand new, finding this “estranged”, peaceful world...after the “demons” have all gone away. The ending of Chapter 1 is “Autumn’s End” and is actually a transition into this second chapter, if you will, which is called Sunlight of the Spirit. If you listen to “Autumn’s End” it's almost a little bit of a reflection on a new inner peace, knowing that life will go on and the sun will rise again tomorrow. This metaphor of “The End” is actually a transition that leads into the first track on Spirit which is “Ascension” (into “Eden”), which then leads into ‘Kaleidoscope” which is being in this “perfect world”. I’ve always looked at Eden not as a physical place, but more of a metaphor, like an internal peace. “Kaleidoscope” is kind of secluding yourself in your own perfect world, whether it is mental or physical…whatever you want to call it. A perfect world can exist but it definitely isn’t on this earth, it has to be emotional. Sunlight of the Spirit is an actual spiritual phrase. It is basically living your life the best you can, seizing the day, making it happen and you’ll see this reward come in turn. The theme of “Beyond The Horizon”, I look at it as more of a found spirituality, whatever brings you an inner peace, whatever makes your world better, use it that way. If it happens to be Christianity, then so be it. The whole theme of the actual song “Sunlight of the Spirit” is kind of like going through anything that has totally changed your world, and turning something negative into a positive. The first part, “Emerald Rain”, is about any kind of change, whether it’s something bad, whether it’s not there anymore, any kind of loss. It’s about working through that and working into a better place, getting yourself into a better place and just kind of holding on to the memories, and knowing everything bad that’s happening is really making you stronger, which is the whole point of that song. At the end of the album, you’ll notice there’s a lot more in between, but it all takes place in this “Eden”…the very last song “Midnight’s Tide” is a major reflection on life and beating yourself up and having regret, being sorry for the things you have done, the negative things. It’s about redemption, about forgiving yourself for the mistakes you have made in the past and knowing you can’t change the past, but we’re going to go on from here and make it the best we can. The end of “Midnight’s Tide” leaves a wide open door for the beginning of the third CD.
MB: I went through an experience like that, and I could share it with you after this interview.
GT: I think it’s relatable for everybody. When I write, it’s not specific enough where you know exactly what’s happened to me, I make it general so that you can relate it to your own life but it’s based on something specific for me.
MB: I think you write some really awesome lyrics. They have that ability to take me away from my troubles. What experiences influence your lyrics?
GT: Nothing influences my lyrics except life experience. Somebody had told me one time that it really feels like I generally live what I’m writing about, and that’s the absolute truth. I think if you don’t live and feel 110 percent what you are writing about, it doesn’t come across as genuine. Anytime something extremely positive or negative happens, I capture the opinion that I have in my lyrics. I let the lyrics kind of form themselves and then I piece the lyrics together to form the album later in a way that kind of tells a story. I don’t know what the next album is going to be about until I write it. I didn’t know what Spirit was going to be about until it pieced itself together.
MB: What singers have influenced you the most? You put me in mind of a few people but you have your own flavor.
GT: I would have to say there are four that are the major ones. First it was Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden, then I found Geoff Tate from Queensryche right when The Warning came out and I was twelve-years-old. I was twelve-years-old and I knew that this is one of the best singers on the face of the earth, so I was fairly smart for my age, at least I think! (laughs) After that, I found what I would say are my two favorite singers now. John Arch, the former singer of Fates Warning. He writes in a way that his albums, specifically Awaken The Guardian, just take me totally out of the world I’m in and place me where I want to be, in that “Eden”. To date, my favorite singer of all time, who I haven’t kind of listened to in a while, I don’t know why, but I just recently picked up their old albums is Ray Gillen from Badlands…
MB: May he rest in peace.
GT: Yes, may he rest in peace. I have the first two Badlands albums. I have just recently acquired Dusk, and I listened to Dusk, and this guy has everything. He’s got the most phenomenal voice and he’s got this soul sound to his voice that nobody else has. As phenomenal as Tate is in a textbook sense, Ray’s just got this emotion that grabs you a little more. He was in my opinion the best vocalist.
MB: You do have great stage presence. Is stage presence an important part of a live performance to you?
GT: It’s about 50 percent of it as far as I’m concerned. As a musician I can stand there and watch people stand there like logs and bang out the most phenomenal music in the world and be fine with it, but not everybody is a musician, and the non-musicians want to see you move, they want to see you get into it. Even the musicians do too. I mean, if the band is awful, but they are just really phenomenal on stage, I still might actually see them again if it was a high energy performance. As far as us, we try to put as much stage presence into everything. Sometimes it’s a little difficult when you’re playing something a little more on the technical side , it’s hard to do back flips. I try to lay into it, I try to make you see and feel that I’m giving 110 percent and I always feel like that If I’m not borderline being carried out on a stretcher at the end of the show, I didn’t put my full into it and I feel almost like I did an injustice and a disservice to everybody.
MB: What in your opinion was your best live gig so far?
GT: I would say our CD release party (at Mac’s The Club in Essex, Maryland) back in November of ‘05, only because there were so many factors to getting Sunlight of the Spirit recorded and released. I think the stars had to line up perfectly in so many ways. I was actually shocked that we got it finished, and I was actually shocked that we had got copies made. There were so many obstacles working against us that my goal was to get to that CD release. We had practiced and rehearsed for that release party and it had been a year and a half since we had played a live show. I was actually fighting off a cold that week, I fought it off long enough to get that show done, and I almost completely lost my voice for the next couple of days and I lost a couple of days of work because that cold finally knocked me on my ass. So, with the full energy and every ounce of spirit, that was my favorite show because of what it stood for and it was like I almost climbed Everest twice for that show to happen.
MB: Your worst show?
GT: I’m glad you brought this up because this is a fun story to tell. We had a “Spinal Tap” moment a couple of years back when we had our old drummer Bobby Minter. We had played a great gig this one weekend at a place called The Vault, had a ton of people show up, really cleaned house financially and did a great show. The very next week we had a gig at the now defunct Eight By Ten in Baltimore, although I think it’s back now. We were the headlining band and everybody came out the week before, so…we got there that night and the first band was a five-piece ska/funk/jazz/pseudo something or other from Boston.
MB: Like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones?
GT: A bit like the Bosstones but put a little more funk in it. They all had three-piece suits on and they came out and played. It was almost like a comedy routine. After that, the second band was a hip-hop band. We had brass and funk and hip-hop, and here we go…I was like, “We are going to scare these people to death!” So we get out on stage and it’s midnight. We already had beer spilled down a big stack of our equipment because there was only a couple of feet to get in. We started playing, and in the middle of the second song the place was completely empty except for Dennis’s brother, and the bartender. We played five songs and then they cut us off, then they gave us five bucks and said, “Have a nice day." The drummer was all pissed off, and I was like, “You know, this is a Spinal Tap moment."
MB: Do you have any upcoming plans for shows and places you want to play?
GT: London, Berlin, Rome…
MB: New York, London, Paris, Munich?
GT: Exactly. That would be the long-term goal, yes. Whatever it takes to get there, it’s not going to happen tomorrow. The first thing is to stir up enough buzz and what not. We have no problem with touring but we have to tour within our means. We’d definitely like to branch out,. Since I just moved to Pennsylvania, we’d definitely like to do York, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Baltimore, which is what we know. Maybe even get out to Delaware, down to Virginia…start out regionally.
MB: You just picked up a distribution deal in France and Germany! How do you feel about that?
GT: God, I’m loving this. It actually feels like things are starting to happen. First thing we secured was Hellion Records in Germany, who’s going to do some promos and get the word out and sell our CD. Then just recently Brennis Music in France who are actually going to put it in all the retail stores across France, so you could go into Paris and go into a music store and find Spirit. I had been sending out a lot of press kits to a lot of prog labels all over the world, I’ve been doing a lot of networking, radio, promo, the whole nine yards, just throwing it out there. They say the more shit you keep throwing at the wall, the better the chances of having it stick. Now we are talking to Perris Records in Texas, we're actually going to be on a compilation that’s going to be distributed nationwide and in some case worldwide. I’ve looked at InsideOut, sent them something, Magna Carta…it takes time.
MB: Have you written any new material yet, and when can we expect a new Images Of Eden record?
GT: I wish I had the next one in my hand right now! This clown gave me advice years ago and I’m so glad that he did because I so didn’t take his advice. This guy gave me bad advice when he said, “When you write your albums, write it but don’t shoot your load on each album. Save some for the next album." I said that’s the worst advice, man, because the only way you are going to improve is if you totally outdo yourself on an album and be like, “What the hell am I going to do now?” , because there is nothing left in the vault. That’s what I did with Chapter 1, and I said, “Oh my God, how am I going to do another album, I don’t have anything left,” and then I started writing and inspiration came through and I started writing Spirit, and then after Spirit I was like, “You know, I’m tapped out but at least I know it’s not over,” because I know more stuff will come. What’s happening now is I’ve got about 90 percent of the lyrics done for the next album and I’ve got the whole concept, and it picks up in the exact place where Spirit leaves off. On both Chapter 1 and Spirit, each album had kind of a finale at the end of the album that really summed it up, then the next one will pick up from there. That’s how I like it. At the end of an album, I want the last thing you hear to be kind of mind-blowing. This next album is a major progression, lyrically, from Spirit, and it has the ultimate finale that actually sums up all three albums, not just itself. I can’t wait to unleash that, as far as when it will be, I don’t know. I don’t even want to project a date. The one thing I know is it’s definitely a departure from Spirit almost in an opposite direction but turns around and does a full 180 in the end. There are several surprises that take everything to the next level, even higher.
MB: Do you have any closing thoughts?
GT: Definitely check us out at http://www.imagesofeden.com. I appreciate you doing this, Matt. My whole thought is that it’s give and take in this business. It’s great to have people who will spread the word of your band, so I appreciate you doing this and we will definitely help you guys out anyway we can, it’s great. To everybody who is reading this definitely check us out, probably unlike any other band you’ll really hear today especially from a local standpoint. We hope you like what you hear, and stay tuned. There’s always more coming.
Thank you, Gordon! You are definitely a class act all the way. The progressive metal world needs to be prepared for Images Of Eden, as they have re-written the rulebook with their latest record Sunlight of the Spirit. Be sure to go to their official website at http://www.imagesofeden.com and pick up a copy of both Chapter 1 and Sunlight of the Spirit today!
Images of Eden - October 2006
Images of Eden (pictured left to right): Bryan Wierman - bass guitar, Matt Kaiser - drums/percussion, Gordon Tittsworth - lead vocals/keyboards, Dennis Mullin - lead guitar
Many new and exciting developments have happened with Images Of Eden in the last few months. First off, Images Of Eden (sometimes referred to throughout the interview as IOE) was taken under the umbrella of Silent Planet Promotions. Then, the band was picked up by Nightmare Records for a worldwide distribution deal! You can imagine how excited that makes us here!
Being that Images Of Eden is the subject of our Spotlight section, we felt the need to conduct a follow-up interview to bring you fans up-to-date on the exciting times surrounding this up-and-coming progressive metal force! So, we asked front man Gordon Tittsworth about all the great events that have happened to Images Of Eden as of late.
Matt Bankes (MB): Well, Gordon, many big things have happened since we last spoke! First off, you hooked up with the promotional company Silent Planet Promotions...how did that come about?
Gordon Tittsworth (GT): Back in April/May of this year [2006], I was in the process of shopping many labels, distributors, promoters, webzines, etc. searching for distribution/promotion. I received many favorable responses, more than I actually had anticipated. One of which was Mark Blair Glunt of Silent Planet Promotions [SPP], so I sent him a copy of Sunlight of the Spirit. He e-mailed me back stating that we were exactly the type of band he wanted to work with: Progressive Hard Rock with an uplifting spiritual vibe. We spoke for about an hour on the phone talking about both SPP and IOE. I had previously been in contact with about five or six promoters but I knew just after our conversation that SPP was the promotion company I wanted to work with. I got an immediate sense that Mark was 100 percent genuine and he is totally dedicated to his bands. This is not the type of person you run into every day in this business. For every genuine person I’ve met, I had to go through about 25 crooks to get to them. In the last six months, Mark has turned into more than just a promoter. He has become a friend and someone I can count on for direction and inspiration in this “most rewarding yet frustrating business in the world”.
MB: And the biggest news of all...you got a worldwide distribution deal with Nightmare Records! We here are very excited about that! How did that come to pass?
GT: As soon as I started shopping for labels/distributors, I had sought out advice from some colleagues in the business (specifically Frank Hill/Eric Compton from Maximum Metal, Maurice Taylor from All Too Human, Chris Lotesto from Ion Vein, Trey Gadler from Azrael’s Bane, Johnny Lokke, Tom Argo from Progman Records, and several others) and many of which had suggested to contact Lance King at Nightmare. Well, after my first conversation with Mark at Silent Planet, he decided to contact Lance directly to have him personally check us out. At the same time, I sent him a copy of Sunlight of the Spirit. About a week or two after that, I got a voice mail from Mark stating that Lance was ready to do a full, worldwide distribution of the CD. Needless to say, I was very pleased. Now I have a dedicated promoter and a well-respected label in the metal industry. Life had gone from good to great!
MB: Do you feel any added pressure on you and the band because of the fact you now have a worldwide deal?
GT: Taking this next step and exploring new waters not knowing what to expect is always a bit of added pressure, but it’s a “problem” that I’ve wanted to deal with my whole life, so I welcome and embrace any new “pressure”. I’m a lot busier now with many more opportunities coming down the pipeline, but I really feel that IOE is finally moving in the forward direction. There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling stagnant. The pressure I feel now is, “What more can I do to get the name out there and get people prepared for the release?” I know a lot of it is timing and because of that, I’m also in the process of writing the next CD. I figure if I start now, it should be ready to release when the time is right. I’ve really learned a lot about how the music biz works and how one goes about getting a CD distributed worldwide. There’s no one single way to do it. It’s a combination of a lot of things. All we can do is get the name out here, drop the record, cross our fingers, and pray.
MB: Do you think offers for national tours or opening slots for national headliners are possibilities now?
GT: I really do believe that many more doors will open (and are already opening). With Lance’s support and Mark’s worldwide contacts/promotion, etc., we have a much better than average chance of things happening. I’ve seen first-hand what Lance and Mark are capable of, and with that, I know we have all of the resources to get overseas and do a tour. We really can’t beat having our name next to Nightmare and SPP. I know the first step is to get the CD out there (Nov 21st) then we’ll talk about the next step. The goal is to get to Europe, South America, Japan, etc. and live the dream. Nothing will stop us. It’s just a matter of “when” and not “if”.
MB: The worldwide release date for Sunlight Of The Spirit is November 21, 2006. What are you doing to gear up for it? (Thank you for using a quote from us in your ad campaign!)
GT: No problem, brother. Thanks for the quote! Yes, Mark has already launched a worldwide promotion/radio campaign. This consists of webzines, magazines (print and otherwise) and many radio stations including Internet. I’m also in the process of saturating the cyber landscape with our logos and advertisements. The goal is to get people so sick of seeing our info that they feel compelled to check us out.
MB: Is there a possibility that Chapter 1 will be re-released, or re-recorded with the whole band or re-mastered?
GT: Absolutely. I’m going to wait about a year to 18 months before tackling that. Since Chapter 1 was never officially released in retail, I’m going to take some time to really think about the approach. Lance already said he’d pick up Chapter 1 and release it for us. I just don’t know when yet, but I’ll know when the time is right. It will be the same recording but I will definitely be re-mastering it before releasing it. Also, some of the internal artwork will be changing. I will be thinking more of how I want to market it also. I don’t want people to think it is a “post-Spirit” release. It will be made clear that it is before the fact... basically the beginning “solo album”, if you will. I may even put a bonus track or two on it. Who knows?
MB: Do you fear that a worldwide deal will cause you to lose touch with the following you have earned in the Baltimore area? Do you fear it will cause you to change as a person?
GT: Not at all. I really feel that this is something that we (IOE) needed to progress and go further as a band. We weren’t getting the recognition I feel we deserved in Baltimore. I feel extremely grateful for our fans and to local bands that we’ve become friends with over the years for supporting us, but personally, I have no loyalty at all to the Baltimore club scene. Frankly, I’d be grateful to be able to get the hell out of the Baltimore scene altogether. Bands are treated as second rate citizens and basically have to beg to play, then the club owners want you to sell tickets to promote their club, which is something they should be doing anyway. If you don’t sell “enough” tickets, the club won’t have you back. Also, if you don’t play covers, they don’t want you because you won’t “draw”. It’s a double-edged sword that only benefits the owners and screws the bands. The only thing that the Baltimore scene has done for us is make us realize that our true destiny lies outside of the town. Unless you’re a “modern rock cover band”, you are not appreciated in Baltimore and in a lot of cases, not welcome. On the other side of that coin, we’ve experience a whole new attitude here in York, Pennsylvania. The club owners have been wonderful so far and very willing to help us out. They also appreciate original music more. For example, we had a club owner call us and offer us a major gig with a national act on New Year’s Eve, giving us the 10:00 p.m. slot just to “help us out” because he really liked our music. On top of that he insisted we play our originals. That kind of offer would NEVER happen in a million years in Baltimore. Do I sound sour? Nah!
As far as changing as a person due to any success, I only see myself becoming more peaceful, and more appreciative of the things that come. When I got into this business, I realized right away that more bad things will happen than good, and to really appreciate the good. I think that money and success only enhances the current attributes of a person. If you’re a genuine person, you will only become a more genuine person, and if you’re an a-hole by nature, you’ll only be a bigger a-hole with money and fame.
MB: On a separate note, you are offering your services as a session vocalist. Can you tell us more about it?
GT: This is something that I refused to even consider awhile ago, but then it hit me all of a sudden... why would I limit myself when I could contribute to other projects and possibly learn something by exploring different styles and expanding my limits? I have been approached to join a few different bands over the years to do studio work (or more) but I never could at the time. My services are more for studio session vocals. If there is a project that is ready to go, but just needs the vocal tracks, I’m available. I haven’t even thought of what I would charge yet. It would depend on where the band is located, whether they are paying major $$$ for studio time vs. recording it themselves. I’m not about to bankrupt anyone. If a band really liked my style and really wanted me to sing on their record, I’d work with them and find a way to make it happen.
MB: It's been an honor getting to know you and Images Of Eden. We wish you the best! Can you say a few kind words about our crew at Rising Forces USA (RFUSA)?
GT: Matt, it’s been an honor getting to know great people like you, Andrea, Keith and all of RFUSA. You have really done some great things for us and other local/regional bands. Anyone reading this should really get to know you and your work because you really stand behind the bands you cover, not just review the material then move on.
Odin's Court - March 16, 2006
Odin's Court (pictured left to right): Savino Palumbo - keyboards, Craig Jackson - bass, Matt Brookins - lead vocals/guitar, Rick Pierpont - guitar/backing vocals, John Abella - percussion/backing vocals (photo courtesy of Odin's Court's website)
On March 16, 2006, Matt Bankes drove to Odin’s Court guitarist Rick Pierpont’s house in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania to interview the band. They burned through a killer rehearsal and afterwards I had the honor to sit down with guitarist/lead vocalist Matt Brookins, guitarist Rick Pierpont and drummer John Abella for the very first interview Rising Forces USA ever conducted. Despite the late hour, the guys were welcoming, extremely funny, and more than willing to share their story. This is where it all starts! Enjoy!
Matt Bankes (MB): I guess we should start from the beginning…when did you all start to get into hard rock and metal music?
Matt Brookins (Matt): 1984. Van Halen 1984. I was young. Rick was probably already out of the Marines and college and all that, you know. He pretty much lived a full life by then.
Rick Pierpont (Rick): That’s true
Matt: Yeah, about 1984, you know, Van Halen and then I went to Ozzy and Metallica and all that, Van Halen broke the ice for me.
John Abella (John): I started with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd…
Matt: He was around when they were still teenagers…
John: The early years!
Rick: I started in sixth grade, which I think would have been 1981, with AC/DC, then I moved on to Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Ozzy and Accept and that was my entry into the underground scene and then…Accept was really…I never really wanted to turn back…Metallica Kill ‘Em All, you know, Megadeth and hearing that was a rumor…so yeah.
MB: What made you want to do music for a living?
Matt: Still not doing it for a living (laughs), in fact I’m doing it negative for a living!
MB: Ok, for spare time, or just doing it period? I mean, what made you want to pick up a guitar, or pick up a pair of drumsticks?
Matt: Tom Petty…
MB: Tom Petty?
Matt: Actually the first thing I learned was "Free Falling". (Rick makes a joke and to Rick, Matt says) It was easy! My friend had a guitar…actually the first thing I really learned was (Metallica song) "Welcome Home, Sanitarium". Actually my mom had an old acoustic guitar that was at my grandparent’s house when we went to Florida one year, and it was strung for a left-handed person ‘cause my mom’s sister is left-handed I learned on it. So I actually learned on a left-handed guitar for the first year, and then I switched…that’s why I suck so bad. I’m confused…I don’t know if I should do this or that so I just end up somewhere in between.
Rick: Actually it’s a pretty simple one (for me). I was eight years old, my sister was babysitting me, she was taking guitar in high school and she needed something to keep her bratty brother busy, so my parents were out Christmas shopping, so she taught me the names of the strings, gave me a couple notes for each one, and a couple months later I was blowing her away! (Laughter all around) Then I guess it was about five years later that I started playing electric and just started really digging it all.
John: Well, I don’t know if I had any direct influences, I just liked drums and felt like I had a natural ability to do it so...
MB: …start out banging on pots and pans…
John: Yeah.
MB: Because that is basically how it all starts out, you know, we all like to hit things when we are kids..
Matt: He actually used a trash can lid, he was the original Lars St. Anger snare sound…that came from him.
Rick: There was a song that was defining for me, when "Dust In The Wind" was on the radio, from Kansas, I remember that really piqued
my interest, so when she started teaching me in the guitar, I was like "I wanted to".
Matt: But you still to this day can’t play it correctly…
Rick: Exactly. I never learned how to do finger picking.
MB: What was your first band you guys were in?
Matt: My first band was Dying Breed, that was what is was called because we…
Rick: …That was how they sounded…
Matt: …No, we were metal and we were the last, because, you know, the whole grunge thing was coming about so were sort of, a dying breed because we covered like, Metallica and Ozzy and Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath and all that good stuff, shut up Rick. And, you know, we sucked. We played a church "lock-in" and I learned the whole solo to "Fade To Black" and I thought it was so awesome, and then I heard the recording of it years later, and I was like, "My God, that is embarrassing." It was the most choppy, disjointed, piece of junk I ever heard. But, you know, we thought we were great.
Rick: I think my first band, unless you wanna count folk group in church (laughter all around)…that was in sixth grade…no, I think the first group I played in was a bunch of guys in high school and we were called Fusion. I was majorly into Slayer and all the thrashy, crunchy stuff back then, but you couldn’t really find people into that, so I was playing in a hair metal band doing Bon Jovi, Poison and Cinderella, Europe and all that good stuff.
Matt: And to this day, John wishes we were doing that kind of stuff.
John: Yeah.
Matt: Every time we say, "John, let’s cover some Motley Crue," he gets so excited.
John: Oh yeah, I love hair bands!
Rick: Yeah, we do Motley Crue.
John: My first band was Sorcerer, we were kind of like a metal band.
MB: Cool name!
John: That was way back in high school.
Rick: …in LA!
Matt: Yeah, where did you play, though? You played in LA. He was part of the LA scene back in the heyday of the hair bands.
John: Grew up in Hollywood.
MB: Wow! That’s awesome! Exciting time, from what I hear.
Matt: You played in all those places too, right? Whiskey A Go-Go…
Rick: Did you play the Whiskey?
John: No, we didn’t play the…well…(laughs) That was way after, in my later years, but no. I never played the Whiskey. Played the Icehouse…
Matt: The Icehouse, huh?
John: They have good comedy there, now.
MB: Good beer!
MB: This is mainly for Matt and John…
Matt: Yeah, because Kenny G (referring to Rick), we don’t care what he has to say. Go play your alto sax!
MB: (laughs) So when and how did you form Odin’s Court?
Matt: Well originally, John wasn't even in the band, we were just a cover band. It was me and Scott (Adley), who was the original bass player who had just left, and a guy named Troy. We played covers and then we started doing originals and then our drummer at the time was kind of wishy-washy, and so we got John. We took off, and we started playing original music. But, you know, I was in a top-40 band at the time and I was sick of playing covers and I was ready to get back into the original thing. It was like, you know what, I don’t want to do this top-40 thing anymore. It might pay money, but I’d rather have fun.
John: Yeah, Matt and Scott kind of tricked me into joining the band because they said it would be…
Matt: Pulled him out of retirement.
John: ...was going to be a jeans and t-shirt, drinking beer band and that’s what…
Matt: That’s what Scott said. I never said that because I didn’t drink beer.
John: ...and next thing you know, we’re playing Jaxx.
MB: And it just grew from there, I guess.
Matt: I’m like, "Alright guys, we’re going to be practicing almost every day this week, cause we’re opening for Symphony X in a couple of months."
MB: Wow!
Matt: And John, of course, was like, "Who, where, what?" He was living under a rock from about 1985 to about 2003.
Matt Brookins
MB: How did you decide on the name "Odin’s Court"?
Rick: Yes, Matt. How?
Matt: Yes, well…
Rick: I’d like to hear this.
Matt: Would you? But you’re in the band…
MB: Is Rick interviewing you too?
Rick: Yes.
Matt: Well, um, honestly me and Scott and Troy sat around, we were batting around names. We each had a long list of stuff, and of course it’s always a big argument, what the name should be because you want it to sound cool, but you don’t want to sound too arrogant and all that, or you don’t want it to sound too goofy or whatever. But we wanted it to sound like a name that…
John: So you came up with Odin’s Court? (John and Rick laugh)
MB: I love that name!
Matt: I wrote it down, and it was more like I was thinking you know, like a group, where you don’t focus on one person, you know, like
David Lee Roth or Steve Vai, you know like it’s a group, so it’s Odin’s Court. We’re all part of Odin’s Court. Not any one of us is Odin, of course. My name on message boards was Odin’s Court, people started calling me Odin, so that kind of defeated the whole purpose. But, also coincidentally it’s the name of a Black Sabbath song, but it has nothing to do with that song. But, that is a good song.
MB: Well, that’s cool. That’s really cool and I am kind of into Norse Mythology myself.
Matt: Well, there you go Rick. Does that satisfy you?
Rick: I didn’t realize that Black Sabbath also did "Vahalla". Every time you say that I think of Manowar and Into Glory Ride, which is a great album.
Matt: No, I mean I took Latin for a year so I was always into Greek and Roman mythology, and of course I got into other types of mythology, and I thought Norse mythology was cool and that’s where I came up with Odin. Roman and Greek mythology is so common. Odin would be cool. It’s a group. Odin’s Court. I kind of beat that story to death so we will move on.
Rick: (To Matt) Would you shut up?
MB: Did anything influence your decision to play the type of metal music you do now, I mean did you wake up one day and say, "Let’s do prog metal?"
(Rick and John hi-five each other and laugh)
Matt: Actually, that’s kind of funny…what’s that all about?
John: Oh, nothing.
Rick: He’s funny.
Matt: Well, before we move on and I answer that question…
John: That was a "visual" joke.
MB: (laughs)
John: You won’t get it.
Rick: Just think of Pink Floyd.
Matt: Actually…(Rick and John keep laughing) You guys are nuts. So anyway, in high school and stuff I was into the standard type of metal, we did like Iron Maiden and Metallica-type originals and then I got out of that and I wrote my own stuff which is more of a meshing of Pink Floyd and Maiden and Metallica, so in a way it was kind of progressive metal before I knew what progressive metal was. Then, when I got into this band it started out as more of a metal band but at the time I was really into progressive metal, and I was active on Dream Theater’s message board and I thought this seems like it would be an easier kind of market to break into than something like alternative where there’s all kinds of crap, and Rick laughs at me, but honestly it has been an easier market to break into because we’ve opened for national acts. If we had to try to break into something like…
Rick: That’s true, you know.
Matt: Alternative, I mean what are the chances we’d be opening for Puddle Of Mudd, or something? So, part of it was an interest, because I have always really been into layers. Even when I was in high school, and demos were recorded, and on the 8-track (recording machine) I’d be bouncing stuff down, you know, like eight tracks to one track, eight tracks to one track, over, over and over again. I always liked layers and I always liked complex rhythms and changing time signatures. So, it was just natural for me between all those different reasons to kind of get into this. Our original drummer was always like, "It’s got a groove, it’s got a groove," and I agree. That’s why I think our music is more flow and song-oriented and less like Spiral Architect, it’s not like showing off a bunch of disjointed parts. It’s more like a song, and that’s my other side which is the whole Pink Floyd…I like groove and I like songs, but I also like complex stuff, so I threw them all together. Actually, some of the songs were songs that I wrote before we even had this band, like "Paradise Lost: Chapter 1 and 2" I actually recorded in 2000.
MB: I love that song.
Matt: I recorded that in my apartment in college in 2000. I layered everything, one thing at a time, on my computer. I made John and Scott learn it three weeks before we recorded it in the studio.
John: That was fun.
MB: Obviously Odin’s Court has had a few lineup changes. What difficulties have you encountered since the band started, and have they taught you any lessons?
Matt: Sure, definitely. I definitely learned personalities, and dealing with people more. One of the biggest criteria I have always had now is, before getting a new member is meeting the person and talking to them, and knowing them, because they can be the greatest musician in the world, but if I don’t get along with them, then I don’t want them in this band.
Rick: Fuck you, asshole!
Matt: So, I mean, yeah, and there have been past members, both members who have actually gigged with us and members who might have played only one or two practices and didn’t work out. It taught me a lot as far as what to look for and I don’t wanna…
MB: You don’t have to mention any names, because I don’t want to stir up any bad blood.
Matt: Yeah, I’ve learned a lot from that. I think it’s definitely led to the lineup we have now, which I think is not only the most solid musically, but I think we all get along really well and have a lot of fun.
MB: The current lineup seems to be the best one yet. What is it like working with this current group of musicians?
Matt: I have to work harder, because they’re all so much better than me.
John: I agree.
Rick: (laughs)
Matt: What’s actually cool about that…(he laughs and to John) you joke, but all this music I always wrote, I wrote all this stuff, and didn’t always have musicians who could play it. Nothing against past people in the band, but a lot of times they weren’t as technical, you know. We have the groove and song-oriented side, and the more technical and complex side. They were more on the one side, and I was kind of looking for "in the middle" somewhere. With this lineup, the stuff I write everyone can actually play. It’s just I can’t always (laughs)…. So I have to practice more because I throw something at Rick and he learns it, I throw something at Savino (Palumbo, keyboards) and he learns it, I throw something at Craig (Jackson, bass guitar) and he learns it, I throw something at John and he learns it. So it makes me work harder and I think it makes everyone work harder where we all end up better than we would on our own.
Rick: Absolutely, I agree with that.
John: Yeah.
Rick: If you are the best person in the band, you’re going to stagnate. This is a really unique mixture ‘cause everybody brings unique things to the table, different strong points and stuff like that. We all have to work harder to keep up with everybody else, which drives me…I mean, I can’t believe we played this Beethoven piece, I mean it’s just sick. It has really pushed us to…although you can’t print this interview before our (March 25th) show! (laughs)
MB: The new album, ReDriven By Fate seems to be the concept of the first two CDs fully realized. How did you decide on that concept?
Matt: I don’t know, I guess my mind is just kind of weird!
Rick: That’s true.
Matt: You know that fine line between genius and insane? Well, I’m kinda insane (laughter all around). That’s how I came up with all that stuff. This whole album is kind of a crossroads for us, really, because ReDriven By Fate really says why…kind of like when Angra reformed and they had ‘ReBirth" you know, it’s kind of like the same concept. We have the songs on there that are from the first CD that are our stronger songs that we play out we redid. They’ve been rearranged, different parts for all the instruments, more of a "live" approach, less layering as far as you know…10,000 guitars and all that. And redone vocal melodies and all that. The second half is an acoustic EP,which was kinda fun, we redid some of the songs in acoustic and there’s some solo pieces people just get to have a little fun with. Yeah, this CD was kind of a crossroads for us. It’s something we needed to do to get it out and give people something while we work on this next one, which we will probably start recording late this year because most of the album is written now and we’ve actually learned more than people in the band probably realize. We’re excited about the new CD, it’s definitely leaps and bounds above the last one, we’ve learned a lot.
MB: Driven By Fate was self-produced and so is the new album. Did you look for an outside producer or did you want to produce it yourself?
Matt: I wanted to do it myself. First of all I didn’t know if we could afford someone who would be good enough. Second of all I didn’t know if we could find someone who could be good enough and who would be interested enough. We learned a lot the first time. On this one we did all our stuff, everything. The first one we recorded somewhere else, we mixed somewhere else, we mastered somewhere else. This one, we did all of that ourselves. We did all the sound engineering, everything, so it was definitely a learning process. It sounds better than the first one, I think, by leaps and bounds and the next one will sound even better because we learned so much, so we know what to do and what not to do and all that good stuff. And, it saved us a lot of money.
MB: What influences your writing style…books, movies, albums that you’ve heard?
Matt: Sure, on the CD there are two things based on literary works. "His Dark Materials" is based on a trilogy by Phillip Pullman called His Dark Materials…it’s kind of like a mesh of all three books (Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass). Paradise Lost is by John Milton…it’s an epic poem. To me, it’s always been something that I learned in 11th grade when I had British Lit, which was my favorite subject in high school. It was an awesome, romantic era.
Rick: (in British accent) Shakespeare?
Matt: This is a lot older.
MB: To metal or not to metal, that is the question.
Matt: Musically, I have a whole bunch of (influences), I mean, you made a joke earlier about Lionel Ritchie, but I have a whole gamut of things I like, you know, all the way from the whole Motown thing to the whole hippie thing as Rick calls it with Pink Floyd, and metal with Metallica and Iron Maiden. I like country…Blackhawk, Alabama, I like pretty much everything…Blues, BB King, Muddy Watters…I like everything so all that kind of contributes. I like classical, that’s where I get a lot of the layers and rhythms…
Rick: …counterpoint.
Matt: Counterpoint…yeah, actually my writing has a lot of classical influences. I took theory in high school and I have a lot of that stuff in there.
MB: Name off a few bands that have influenced you the most.
Matt: Boston, Pink Floyd, Journey, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Yanni…yes, I said Yanni. Yanni is one of my favorites of all time. Everyone go buy Yanni. I don’t really listen to a lot of new things for influences, in fact, I don’t even listen to a lot of new music. If Rick didn’t force me to, I probably wouldn’t listen to a lot of stuff I do listen to ‘cause I tend to like older stuff. Nothing against bands like Circus Maximus, you know, some of these new prog bands, you know. That’s cool, but I’m into older stuff, and new stuff which is not metal. I actually like everything.
Rick: I guess I can definitely safely say that Metallica and Iron Maiden were huge influences, Yngwie Malmsteen was huge at some point. Once I started getting into the proggier stuff it was Rush, Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Symphony X. If I was contributing to the writing…what kind of riffs would come out…
Rick Pierpont
Matt: He’s not allowed to write.
Rick:…but you know, solos and stuff like that would probably come from that mish-mash.
Matt: And just for the record, John has done some writing. On the new CD (upcoming album), "Animaulic", actually, he was a big contributor. For the new stuff I have been trying to get people to contribute more besides just me, so, anyway…carry on.
John: Well, I have to go way back because I’m older. Have to start with the older guys because I’m an older guy. John Bonham, Neal Peart…some of the newer guys…Mike Portnoy and someone you probably don’t even know…Dave Weckl, he’s a jazz guy. Awesome drummer. Rush, Genesis…
Matt: Yes (the band).
John: Yes. Of course.
Matt: Yes and Rush are the two I hear the most in your playing.
John: And Symphony X. Shhh!!!
MB: Since you are a Yes fan, I guess you like drummers like Alan White…
John: And Bill Bruford.
Matt: Since you are a Yes fan you probably like the album Talk, because that was their best album.
Rick: That’s not Yes! (laughs)
MB: The only Yes album I have is 90125, and that’s a pretty good album.
Matt: It is, but Talk is better! It blows away their old stuff.
Rick: Fragile is good.
Matt: Yeah, John you rock.
MB: The DVD shoot - I know you are excited about that. Why did you decide to do not just a video but a DVD, and why at Jaxx?
Rick: What?
MB: The DVD shoot.
Matt: Shhh…I haven’t told them yet, they still think it is a regular show.
Rick: (laughs)
Matt: Because Jaxx is kind of like our home away from home, I guess. We probably do better there than anywhere as far as draw. You got D.C., Richmond, Northern Virginia in general is just huge, and Maryland. We have people coming from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and South Carolina and West Virginia…all over the place.
Rick: It’s the premier club on the East Coast!
Matt: It is the premier club on the East Coast, yes. Jaxx and BB King’s are the only two that always get every band in our genre and the power metal genre. There are others, The Vic, The Agora, House Of Blues…they get ‘em. Jaxx and BB King’s always get it. So, of course Jaxx is very well known in our community, and we do well there. They actually asked us to headline a show and I thought, "Well, we’ve never done that there before, that would be interesting. What could we do to make it special?" to get a good turn-out and really promote it for our first headlining show. I thought a DVD would be kind of cool so we looked into that and it’s very expensive. But, we’re doing it anyway.
John: It’s only debt.
Matt: It’s only debt.
Rick: So buy it, dammit!
MB: You guys have opened up for some great bands like Symphony X, Helloween, Sonata Arctica, King’s X, Seven Witches, Funny Money…the list goes on. Did any of the bands share any advice with you which has helped you out?
Matt: Yeah, actually. Of course, Steve Whiteman (ex-Kix and current Funny Money frontman) is my vocal coach, so he had been the most helpful out of everyone because I see him every other week, actually for awhile I saw him every week. He’s been very cool. He gives all kinds of advice and any question you ask him…he will give you years of knowledge more so than any other band we’ve opened for. They were actually doing stadiums for a living big time, which is a different perspective of course. And then, Symphony X actually, Mike Lepond (bass player) was very cool and very helpful. Very cool guy, and not only because of talking to him at the show. He listened to our CD, he e-mailed and you know, gave nice compliments. Devin Townsend was pretty cool. Most of the other bands, you know, they do their thing. A lot of times they just play, they don’t really talk, they don’t really hang out.
MB: Could be a language barrier.
Matt: Yeah, but Symphony X was very cool, King’s X was very cool, Funny Money was very cool. Not anything against European power metal bands, but they tended to be the ones…I don’t know if that’s a language thing, but they tended to be the ones who hung out on their bus, took a long time soundchecking, went back to their bus, played, went back to their bus, didn’t talk to anyone. It just seems to be all the ones that we’ve opened with Europe, power metal, that’s how they were. The ones from America, or the more prog rock, seemed to be a little more friendly towards the little guy.
MB: Could be more of an "ugh, Americans!" sort of thing…
Matt: Could be that too, but you know, if they feel that way they probably shouldn’t be here playing.
Rick: To get our money.
MB: This is more of a three part question…
Matt: A trilogy! An opus!
MB: What in your opinion was your best live gig?
Matt: My favorite one so far, probably to date has been…I don’t know if I can pick one, but Symphony X was good because that was our first big one. It had this whole magical feel to it, we really practiced a lot up to that, we were really on top of our game, and it was fun. King’s X, I think, was when we really started to open up with our stage presence and break out. Of course, our most recent gig, which was not really opening for anyone at Mac’s…that was really where we, stage performance, hit the next level I think, finally. As far as the feeling of, "Wow! Holy Cow!," was probably Devin Townsend and Symphony X. It was a sold-out show, we were playing on a big stage…nationals for the first time.
Rick: Next Friday is going to be it.
Matt: Yeah, I can’t say that! I was talking about the past…I don’t have a time machine so I can’t go to the future and predict how I’ll feel…I assume I’ll feel a certain way.
Rick: So far, out of our gigs I’ve played in with this band, I really felt that Mac’s and the Braddock were some of our best shows…
John: Braddock’s was good.
Matt: (with a slow, unsure drawl) Braddock’s was good.
Rick: We got very well received there, it was a good feeling.
John: Different.
(At this point we ramble off about how late it is!)
Matt: So, Rick’s predicting the future, I was going with past gigs, but I agree with him. I do think the DVD one will be the best, but I can’t say that. Ask me next Friday.
John: I’ll have to agree with Matt. Symphony X was a highlight as far as the band’s career, Braddock Inn…that was a weird gig but it turned out so well. Great audience. Hopefully the DVD should turn out very well.
Matt: I hear they’re turning that place into a Starbucks (Braddock Inn).
MB: Worst gig?
All almost in unison: Kamelot.
Matt: Not because of the way we sounded, well…
Rick: There was a tuning issue…
Matt: There was a tuning issue because they gave us…
Rick: Ten minutes…
Matt: No, ten SECONDS…like, after your line check…guitar…one!…OK…good!…guitar two…Ok…good!…Keyboard!…OK!…Snare!…Kick!….vocal…go! (imitating angry club owner) "GUYS IF YOU DON’T START NOW, YOU DON’T HAVE A SET!" Ok! Then they cut us short from 45 to 27 minutes. People said we sounded great out front and there were a lot of people who never heard us before who were very excited and got into us from that gig. So, apparently we didn’t sound too bad. It just was very nerve racking…
Rick: Yeah, it was not fun.
Matt: I mean, normally when you do that kind of thing…it is nerve racking, but this was even more so. This was to the point of "ughh!" Again, European power metal bands! Yes, two of the guys are from Florida, but they have the European power metal band mentality. In general, some places, what tends to happen is the local headliner or sub-headliner gets penalized when things run over because the headliner…bottom line…will not be penalized. If things fall behind for whatever reason, technical difficulties, bands dragging their feet, stage catches on fire, fan has to be taken out on an ambulance, whatever it is, the band who goes on before the headliner usually is the one who is hurt the most…because they go on before the headliner and they’re the only person who gets their time cut, because you gotta make sure the headliner gets all their time, which happens to us quite often. It happened to us at Mac’s, happened to us at Jaxx… It happens all over the place.
Rick: At Mac’s we were the headliner, what’s up with that? (laughs)
MB: What was the funniest thing to ever happen to you guys on stage?
Matt: A moment that wasn’t funny was when Rick knocked my Les Paul over at Fat Daddy’s in Pennsylvania. That wasn’t very funny.
Rick: It was just a Les Paul, come on!
Matt: Oh, I do have something, well, I don’t know if it’s funny. We played this place in Waldorf, Maryland called Memories, which is basically a biker bar. It smells like stale smoke but that’s beside the point. We’re playing, and we’re on stage and there’s this girl there. We’re progressive so we have a lot of odd times and changes, it’s not just 4/4. So, this girl is dancing to these songs as they change times, I don’t know how she does it. That was funny, but then she came on stage and started "grinding" on me, and everyone in the band thought it was funny. They started egging her on, you know, Craig (Moran, ex-keyboards) and John and Scott…and of course I’m like "uhhh"…and she just reaches around and grabs my crotch, and that’s where I drew the line, I was like, "Whoah! Hello!," and they started laughing…
Rick: (in falsetto) Ahhhh!!!
Matt: And Scott, there’s actually a picture of her behind me, and Scott loved that picture. He printed it out, he put it on his Odin’s Court binder that he keeps his sheet music in, and he thinks that picture is hilarious because I was so irritated.
MB: The current state of metal in the United States, can you give us your opinion on that?
Matt: I think it’s going up, I think it’s on the rise. I mean, you got bands like Coheed & Cambria and Avenged Sevenfold who are very weird and different from your normal…pop metal if you will, you know, like alternative and modern rock kind of feeling stuff. That’s kinda cool, they’re on the rise. There’s still bands…I know some people will say Bon Jovi’s not metal but in a sense they kind of are and there are still bands like that who headline. If you are talking newer stuff…I mean, I know people don’t like "nu-metal" and I’m not quite sure what nu-metal is anyway…
MB: Limp Bizkit.
Matt: Yeah, but stuff like that’s been headlining stadiums. Kid Rock is at the MCI Center (in Washington D.C.) I think the same night we are doing our DVD show, of course he’s "country" now…Disturbed…there’s plenty of bands out there that I think are pretty cool now…Like Tool. Tool is a great example. They’re an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a mystery. They’re complex, they have odd times, they’re very unique, very strange yet they play these huge stadiums and sell ‘em out.
Rick: That’s how popular they are.
Matt: Yeah, they play them on the radio. So, in a sense, a lot of it is huge. It’s a great market right now. But for us, prog metal, you’re talking about a niche inside of a niche, I mean we’re like a small community and, you know, we might not be as proggy as Dream Theater at times…at other times we are, but, you know I think we have a harder time because we appeal to a smaller sub-set of the metal community. Rather than just "metal" OK…Disturbed…people in prog like it, people in power like it, people in pop like it, maybe they don’t but they appeal to a wider audience.
Rick: I think the whole prog/power thing is on the rise, though, because of bands like Avenged Sevenfold. They’re kind of proggy and powerish, they’re bringing elements of Helloween and Iron Maiden into mainstream music that 12- and 13-year-olds are digging. Then you got Gigantour where you have Dream Theater and Symphony X…like whoa! What’s that? I’m hearing there’s a rumor that Dream Theater might be playing Ozzfest this year…just a rumor, but that’s huge to me.
Matt: And Strapping Young Lad is playing Ozzfest this year. Ozzfest, second stage, they usually have some pretty cool bands.
Rick: Dream Theater obviously wouldn’t be second stage. Lacuna Coil is playing there this year…
Matt: They played last year, too.
Rick: But you see stuff like that. ProgPower festival…
Matt: That’s true too. Bands like Lacuna Coil and all those bands that are heavier like that from Europe. There’s that whole offshoot…what’s that called…mallcore? That whole death vocal, power metal thing is kind of on the rise.
MB: Metalcore.
Matt: Yeah, that kind of thing really seems to be on the rise.
MB: Like Shadows Fall, Trivium, bands like that.
Matt: Yeah! All of that stuff.
Rick: Guitar solos are coming back in vogue.
MB: I know, thank God!
John: Actually, I’m still being exposed to some of this stuff. Like Matt said, I was literally almost under a rock. After listening to some of these newer bands, well, new to me…it’s very exciting.
Matt: He said something to me one day. "How did I miss this stuff man, this is great!"
MB: You said you were working on songs for a new concept album. I cannot wait for that. Can you give the readers a little taste of what we
can expect?
Matt: Sure. It’s basically going to be a concept album about despite all the great advances that the human race has made, technology, advances in medicine…there are still all these shortcomings that we still have as a species. Each song will have a theme, but they all kind of tie into that. The order will all kind of build, and the artwork, I got some stuff laid out and planned out which I was telling John about earlier. We’re shooting for eight to ten songs, total of about 70 minutes plus. There will be a pseudo cover song on there, which we will be playing at the DVD show, which is kinda cool, put a little flavor on an old song.
John: So pay attention.
Matt: We are playing some of these songs out. I’d say about 95 percent of it is written, but that doesn’t mean it’s finalized. We learn it, I have all the sheet music drawn up, and I present it to the band and we learn it. We go through it and you know, you might do some things a little different here or there, you might change some stuff, or you might decide something’s no good and you scrap it. Most of it’s written, the foundation is there, probably about 40 to 50 percent of it is realized. We’ve been playing out four of those songs now. We’re on our way.
MB: Can each of you give a closing statement for the people who will be reading this interview?
Matt: I think that it’s really cool that you’re doing this, and there are people out there who are interested in bands like us. We’re slowly gaining a following around the Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, D.C. area. Globally, I guess we’re kind of slightly known in very small pockets. The Internet’s been a great resource. It’s kinda cool that there our people out there who give unsigned bands the time to check ‘em out, to support, to buy their shirts and their CDs and to go to their shows. That’s pretty cool, to let us kind of experience our dream, have fun, get away from our day job, and escape. And, I think it’s really cool that you’re doing this, I mean, you drove down to do this. We appreciate it and it’s very cool.
Rick: Closing statement from Rick…
Matt: I AM NOT KENNY G!
Rick: Yes, I am not Kenny G. I agree with Matt, I do think it is cool that you are doing this because it’s a sign. It actually starts to answer one of your earlier questions…what’s the state of metal? We’re discovering more and more people like you through doing this and it’s just a really good feeling. You realize that wow, there are people that really enjoy music and metal in general and are willing to, you know, enjoy it to the point where you’ll support it. A lot of people whine "why doesn’t this band play here, or this band play there" and that’s like…because America is so spread out, that it’s hard for prog and power metal to be big. But when people like you come out to support bands like us, especially if we are opening for a national or doing our own thing, it really does validate that this genre is real and it’s growing, and that there is a chance for Americans yet.
Matt: Americans have crappy taste in music.
MB: I agree.
John: Well, this has all been a great experience for me. I’d like to thank the fans, of course, because I can’t believe people are watching us! (laughs) It’s incredible! And of course our families for putting up with us.
John Abella
Matt: Yeah, that’s a good point, especially since I’m the bank for the band. I’d like to thank Nicki for not beating me up for spending lots of money. I’m the bank that gives the band the loans.
John: Yeah, Matt has been putting a lot of personal money into this and we try to work it off for him. He cracks the whip, so we jump (laughs). And thank you, Matt (Bankes).
The Chapter continues…
Matt Bankes sent out some follow-up questions to Odin’s Court front man Matt Brookins in May 2006 to get his thoughts on the DVD shoot, the recording of ReDriven By Fate and the band’s future plans. Here is what he had to say.
Matt Bankes (MB): Now that the DVD show is all said and done, looking back, how did you feel about it? I mean, it must have been awesome to headline at Jaxx!
Matt Brookins (Matt): Yes, (it was) simply amazing to headline Jaxx. After the Spock’s Beard show last week where we received a mixed reception of cheers and jeers, I went back and watched one of the camera’s footage while using the treadmill at my house. It was really amazing! Made me want to get moving on getting it done. The energy with the band and crowd was very intense, and I could tell everyone was having a great time. It’s still kind of surreal that we headlined the infamous Jaxx, and the numbers of fans that showed.
MB: What has it been like to dive into the aspect of editing a DVD? Has it been difficult?
Matt: Well, to be honest, I haven’t really started the video yet. I’ve been trying to get the audio perfect first. I think the video will be a bit easier. And with all we’ve had going on lately (May was busy for the band – both professionally and personally), I haven’t worked on it much. Plus, with all the focus on the band from about November through May, I have been taking time out to spend more time with my wife.
MB: No argument there! OK, about ReDriven By Fate, this was your first experience producing a whole record by yourself. Where did you record the album, how long did it take, and what was it like to get real “hands on” in the whole process?
Matt: It was the first I did from start to finish, yes. However, I was very hands on for Driven By Fate too, I just didn’t know as much, so I trusted the studio owner. Since then, I read a bit and built up my own “studio” in my house. So, to formally answer the question, it was done in my house at “D2C” studios. We started in August of 2005. It was actually recorded with Scott (Adley, ex-bass guitarist) on bass. After Craig (Jackson, bass guitar) had been in the band awhile, it made more sense for us to have him record the bass since he was now an integral part of our live sound and we were presenting many old songs in a new light. So from August to February we worked on it (we have day jobs too of course!). I really enjoyed the whole aspect of things. Honestly, I enjoyed playing producer/mixer/masterer as much as the performance part. And truth be told, studio isn’t nearly as fun for performance as live. It’s more serious as it is going down permanently captured in time. Plus, you don’t have a crowd to play off of and get energized with.
MB: What future plans are in the cards for Odin’s Court?
Matt: Well, there are two main focuses right now. This summer I want to get the DVD done, and get rolling on the next CD. Since the next CD is mostly written, I’ll probably start recording my parts now and use keys/MIDI for the other parts to kind of “demo” things for the rest of the band. Then they can record their parts as time permits. My goal is a new CD by summer 2007. As for shows, well, we don’t have a lot planned right now. Nothing big at least. Just some fun all night “bar” shows to pay some of these huge bills we’ve been mounting up lately!
MB: Since you have been working with us and getting to know us, use a few words to describe the Rising Forces USA crew.
Matt: Dedicated! Seriously, a great group of folks who obviously have a passion and love for music. YOU ALL ROCK!
Well, it’s been a pleasure talking with Odin’s Court. They are a great band with a very big future ahead of them! They are also great guys as well, a pleasure to talk to. So be sure to go to their official website at http://www.odinscourtband.com
to check ‘em out, buy a copy or 100 of the new album ReDriven By Fate, or to buy one of their cool t-shirts (or buy both!), or to just hang out on the forum and say hello. Be sure to tell them you heard about them here!
Phoenix Reign - June 18, 2006
Phoenix Reign (pictured left to right): Kostas Psarros - guitar, Chris Pollatos - bass, Wayne Noon - drums, Theresa Gaffney - vocals, Billy Chrissochos - guitars
On a hot Sunday afternoon in June, Matt ventured into Astoria (Queens), NY to interview 4/5ths of the Astoria-based metal band Phoenix Reign. Despite two accidents on the George Washington Bridge, bad drivers and double parkers in Astoria, and the oppressive heat, Matt would not be denied and we all convened at vocalist Theresa Gaffney’s apartment to do the interview. Phoenix Reign has the honor of being the first female fronted metal band to be interviewed by RisingForcesUSA. The band is a group of wonderful and talented individuals and we had a blast. Read on and get familiar with who could be the next big metal band to come out of the Big Apple! Cheers!
Matt Bankes (MB): When did you all start to get in to rock and metal music?Theresa Gaffney (TG): I started getting into metal by the exposure of my cousins in junior high school. My first bands were Metallica, Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, but I’d really say that Iron Maiden pushed me into pursuing more metal in my life. (laughs) And then I just eventually picked up the guitar.
Billy Chrissochos (BC): From early music, I don’t remember much. I lived in Greece, I used to hear Elivs and stuff like that. The first metal tune I probably heard was when my brother showed me “Flight Of Icarus” by Iron Maiden and I thought it was great. Afterwards it was basically that, Scorpions and Manowar.
Wayne Noon (WN): I got into metal around 1990. I probably started with Metallica stuff, and onto more harder stuff like King Diamond and Iron Maiden and Guns N’ Roses, stuff like that.
Chris Pollatos (CP): I guess it was late-mid 80’s, I was listening to 95.5, back then I didn’t know what it was called, and they were playing the Pyromania album of Def Leppard, and that just got me interested, and of course being friends with Billy and all the influences when I met him when I was 10 years old, Iron Maiden and the rest.
MB: What made you all decide to become musicians?
TG: Well, I played piano since I was about 10. I’m not like a virtuoso or anything but I always enjoyed playing music. I don’t think I ever really considered performing music until the end of high school when just a lot of friends of mine would just start assigning instruments to people and, you know, when I was 16 I picked up the guitar and I wanted to just play guitar, but then I realized I could sing too and I’d rather pursue that too. I had a band I was jamming with my former roommate in another band and she would play drums and I would play guitar and sing and we had a guitarist, but that didn’t work out. Then I found Phoenix and it worked out from there, that I was just singing, and I play guitar too once in a while, but singing is the destiny! (laughs)
BC: Originally I started taking guitar lessons in 6th grade, but I didn’t like the guitar, then eventually I picked up the saxophone from junior high school and in high school I became first alto sax, which I like. My father kept pushing me to play guitar because his father was a like a famous player. I didn’t like until high school, then I started to get more into metal and stuff like that, and I picked up the guitar and that was it from then, I knew that was the way to express myself. I knew that was the instrument for me.
WN: Actually, I started out playing guitar at first, and then during one of my sessions I heard somebody playing the drums in the background. I actually thought that sounded really cool, and I figured why am I playing guitar, I’m going to start playing drums because it sounds like there’s a lot more involved with it, and I could annoy more people with it. So, I listened to Def Leppard and Rick Allen. He was one of my favorite drummers and he inspired me to play, especially after he lost his arm, I was like “wow, if he can play, so can I.”
CP: When I was 5 my mom made me play piano and I liked it, it was interesting but I didn’t think I was going to go into it. After I kept playing it and playing it gave me a good background of music and then around high school time Billy and I joined up with the jazz/rock band where we performed at the high school with different people. Right at the end of senior year, Billy’s like “alright, let’s do this.” We played with a bunch of Cuban brothers, our red headed brothers and it was fun! We just went on from there.
MB: What was the first band you were all in?
TG: The band that I was in first was titled by the other guitarist we had named Billy. Shadowzone, It was pretty retarded, we never ended up playing a show, we just practiced a lot. I didn’t work out, but it was a fun experience…you know, whatever. You learn.
BC: I don’t remember what…
CP: It had to be called BC…
BC: (laughs) BC…Billy Chris..
TG: (giggles)
CP: And he said it was Billy and Chris, but it was really Billy Chrissochos!
BC: My initials were conveniently put in…
CP: Yeah, conveniently! (laughs) BC!
BC: and somewhere down the line it just became Phoenix later on, many, many moons later.
WN: My first band was actually called Brainwashed after an Iced Earth song. We didn’t really do much, we had a really good singer and all of a sudden he just stopped talking to us and we lost contact with him. Our guitar player tried to sing for a little while. We actually almost sounded kind of like Nirvana-kind of stuff. Then we just all lost contact with each other and basically broke up.
CP: Yeah, same thing. It was BC. I remember we were in Billy’s room there, and our first song was called “Cool School” (Theresa, Billy, Wayne and I laugh loudly) for our high school.
MB: Billy and Chris, You are the two original members of Phoenix Reign, how and when did you start the band?
CP: Greece, right?
BC: Yeah, it was the summer of ‘98, we formed Phoenix…
CP: You and I were playing…
BC: Me and Chris played before…
CP: And you met Gus (Psarros, guitar)…
BC: in ‘97, I believe…
CP: Summer of ‘98...
BC: We knew Gus already…
CP: We knew him?
BC: We met Eugene in ‘98. We made the band with Eugene, the original singer in ‘98. We were all somewhere in Mikonos hanging out and listening to Blind Guardian and Stratovarius in the morning to wake up, you know, before we go to the beach, and this guy starts singing, one of our roommates, We’re like “Oh, you like to sing music” and he’s like “Yeah, I like all this stuff!” and I’m like “We’re looking for a singer”. We’ve been looking for like a few years for a singer, on an off, so he’s like “Oh, I’ll do it!” and that was it. In the summer we came back and we met Wayne from the internet (laughs). Phoenix became in ‘98, the name Phoenix.
MB: Theresa, how did you end up joining Phoenix Reign?
TG: Well, I had known Eugene the original singer back in ‘99-00 and I continued talking to Wayne. I introduced some of my friends to the band too, like Jose, and he would keep in touch with them, and I still went to their shows. When they ended up parting ways with Eugene, I at first was just encouraging them to find a singer and at the time I was still jamming with my band, but once that broke up in January 2002 Jose had said “Maybe you should sing for Phoenix”. I never even considered it until he said that and so he convinced the guys who weren’t really considering a female singer. He really convinced you, Billy, I think, to try it out.
BC: Yeah, we were always looking for male singers.
TG: Yeah, They really didn’t care at the time for a female, so I just went in, and I did my thing and they liked it, because I had already been exposed to the music, I guess, so I had a grasp of it and actually gave a damn, so it helped. I wasn’t perfect, but I guess they liked what was going on, and the potential, so it was really cool.