Billy Sheehan is one of the most widely respected bass players of all time. He is best known for being the bassist in the rock band, Mr. Big. He has also been in Niacin, Talas, and has worked with artists such as Steve Vai and David Lee Roth.
Mr. Big will perform in Hollywood this Saturday, April 2nd at the House of Blues. This will be their first performance in America in 15 years. They have also released their first all original album since the reunion of the original four members, Billy Sheehan, Eric Martin, Pat Torpey and Paul Gilbert. Their new album, What If..., was released in the U.S. this year. The first single off the album is "Undertow", which has received rave reviews. The album was recorded with producer Kevin Shirley (Black Country Communion, Joe Bonamassa, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Rush) and will be supported by a world tour this year.
Shirley's idea for the new album was that it was cut mostly live without overdubs. In comparison to the production of Mr. Big's previous releases, Sheehan says that it was "scary because it has to be played right, with no errors". He says that he likes to review a song before it's finalized. However, Shirley had other ideas. There are so many pop performers using pitch correction and programs such as Pro Tools these days that music is not being recorded the way it should be. Mr. Big is one of the few bands today that play their own instruments on every album. They are true musicians that don't need enhancements that are being done today with music.
When asked what his favorite song to perform with Mr. Big, Sheehan says that it is "To Be With You". He said that he loves to be able to look out into the audience and see so many people singing along, and he has also heard of many different people who have said that the song has touched them in different ways. As far as what his favorite song is off the new album, he says that it's currently "Undertow". Other favorites are "Once Upon a Time", "Around the World" and "Stranger in My Life".
As far as Sheehan's biggest highlight in his career up to this point, he said that it was definitely when he sat in the chair at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after a performance. He said that it meant so much to his mother and she was very excited about it.
When asked about what music he was listening to right now, Sheehan said that he has a broad range of music that he listens to, including: heavy metal, rock, Sanatra, classical, punk rock. This is evidenced with him having 70,000 plus songs in iTunes. He says that he is "out of touch with new music" as he is always "buried in his bass." At the present time, he has been listening to a lot of Joni Mitchell on his iPod, because she always has "great bass players."
Japan is always close to the hearts of the members of Mr. Big. They will be heading to Japan next week for a tour. Even though this is a dangerous trip for the band, Sheehan says that he doesn't care, and is looking forward to seeing the joy on these peoples' faces. The people of Japan have been through so much. Sheehan is such a compassionate person. He says that "they [the people of Japan] will recover, as they have a strong sense of national pride and their ability to work is a common goal." The band has received many e-mails from their fans in Japan telling them that they want to see them. Mr. Big will not let them down. When asked how Americans can help and contribute to Japan in a meaningful way, he says that "the Red Cross is ethical and effective." He also says that the people of Japan need to try to "feel normal again", so Mr. Big will continue with their tour of Japan.
Sheehan is very excited about playing in Hollywood with Mr. Big, as he says that it will be "unbelievable and a memorable night." He's glad that the first show in 15 years will be in Los Angeles. Mr. Big will be performing in Maryland on May 14th. He did confirm that there will be more U.S. dates announced in the near future.
For more information:
To donate to Japan:
https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052
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