Gordon Titsworth (of 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 21^st) 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.