Reporting for The Metal Voice on the East Coast Kenny Kessel sat down with Mr. Big Frontman Eric Martin at Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY doing an acoustic set on Dec 16 2021.
Martin spoke to him about touring with Geoff Tate, singing on the next Avantasia album, the legacy of Mr. Big, Rush and the passing of MR. Big drummer Pat Torpey plus a much more.
When asked if there are any new plans to work on a new Avantasia Album “I just sang on the new Avantasia record, I just did that me and Tobie (Tobias Sammet) and through Avantasia I got to be really good friends with Geoff Tate.”
When asked about the upcoming Geoff Tate Tour in 2022 ” Both of us are flying to Germany (Geoff Tate and Eric Martin) and rehearsing with Avantasia (End of May 2022 about). Then June, July, August 2022, about 15 shows with Avantasia. Now in between those things Geoff goes off to Ireland and I am playing all over Europe doing acoustic. I might be out there for three months in Europe. Then when I come home August 2022 I don’t know if I can say this or not but then I ‘m going to go out with Geoff Tate for three months in the USA.”
Mr. Big ‘s vocalist Eric Martin will play nine dates across the U.K this December forming an exclusive UK tour that includes a date at The Underworld, London (Friday 12th). The tour will begin with a Scotland Exclusive at Bannerman’s, Edinburgh on Dec 4th and will then visit Newcastle, Grimsby, Bolton, Sheffield, Chester, London and Birmingham before closing in Swansea, Wales on Dec 14th.
Eric will be performing a crowd pleasing mix of his solo material along with Mr. Big hits that fans all over the world have grown to love throughout their career.
U.K SOLO ACOUSTIC TOUR DATES & VENUES:
Thurs 4 Dec – Bannerman’s Bar – Edinburgh
Fri 5 Dec – The Think Tank? – Newcastle
Sun 7 Dec – The Yardbirds – Grimsby
Mon 8 Dec – The Railway Venue – Bolton
Tues 9 Dec – The Corporation – Sheffield
Thurs 11 Dec – The Live Rooms – Chester
Fri 12 Dec – The Underworld – London
Sat 13 Dec – The Oobleck – Birmingham
Sun 14 Dec – Static – Swansea
Hard rock’s original supergroup, MR. BIG are back with a vengeance with their new album “…The Stories We Could Tell”. The band’s eighth studio album is slated for release in the UK on Monday 22nd September, followed by North American release on Tuesday 23rd September via Frontiers Music Srl. “This new album rocks,” says Paul Gilbert. “I love playing guitar, singing, and writing with Eric, Billy, and Pat. And after 25 years, I’m proud that we can make an album that is melodic, powerful, interesting, groovy, and emotional.”
“We wrote songs individually and collectively on this new record,” says Eric Martin. “To me this is the album that we’ve threatened to make decades ago. A classic, groovin’, blues-rock record with the spirit and spark of our rock and soul idols from the 70’s. Hells to the yeah it’s a Mr. Big album complete with all the trimmings. I think whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or just starting, you’re going to dig where we are coming from and where we’ve been.”
The original line-up comprised of Eric Martin (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey ( drums), are back with some of their most powerful material to date. The new album is the follow-up to the 2011 release “What If,” that marked the band’s return to their signature hard rock sound. The new album is available for pre-order via Amazon UK. Mr. Big kick off their European tour on Friday October 17th at London’s Koko. Visit the official Mr. Big website to view all their 2014 tour dates.
The band recently announced that drummer Pat Torpey has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis has left him unable to perform his normal drumming duties on the band’s upcoming World Tour. He did complete all of the drumming on the upcoming album, but unfortunately touring will be too difficult for him at the present time. Mr. Big intends to announce a drummer in the near future who will handle most of Mr. Big’s drumming duties on the Fall 2014 tour and expects Torpey to jump on the drums on suitable live songs as well as participating in the group’s acoustic set.
Album Track Listing:
1) Gotta Love The Ride
2) I Forget To Breathe
3) Fragile
4) Satisfied
5) The Man Who Has Everything
6) The Monster In Me
7) What If We Were New?
8) East/West
9) The Light Of Day
10) Just Let Your Heart Decide
11) It’s Always About That Girl
12) Cinderella Smile
13) The Stories We Could Tell
14) Addicted To That Rush (Live – Exclusive Bonus Track)
MR. BIG frontman Eric Martin has been confirmed as one of the guest musicians who will appear on “The Mystery Of Time”, the new album from EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet‘s AVANTASIA project. Also scheduled to make appearances on the CD are Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, HELLOWEEN), SAXON frontman Biff Byford, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, drummer Russell Gilbrook of URIAH HEEP, AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen (also ex-BODINE, VENGEANCE) and Ronnie Atkins of Danish hard rock veterans PRETTY MAIDS. Martin will also join AVANTASIA on stage during the “Mystery World Tour”, starting in April.
A video message from Eric regarding his involvement with the new AVANTASIA album can be seen below.
The new AVANTASIA CD is being recorded in part at VOX Klangstudio in Bendestorf, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth (KAMELOT, EDGUY, EPICA, RHAPSODY).
Immediately after the release of “The Mystery Of Time”, a metal opera based on a story written by Sammet, the band will embark on a full-fledged indoor tour, during which the band and special guests will bring the epic undertaking to the stage.
Since the performances will embrace all the different eras and history of AVANTASIA, these shows will feature an extended playing time and the entire evening will be dedicated to AVANTASIA with no support acts.
Tobias originally wanted to put AVANTASIA to rest after the release of the “The Flying Opera – Around The World In 20 Days” concert DVD in April 2011, but he has since had a change of heart. He explains, “Even though I love to record and tour with EDGUY, I didn’t foresee how much I need AVANTASIA when I decided to finish this chapter of my life in 2011. I didn’t know if there would be another AVANTASIA album one day, but I didn‘t feel like doing it. After the worldwide success of the latest studio releases, an arena world tour that was sold out pretty much everywhere, collaborations with childhood heroes like Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Eric Singer of KISS, etc. I ‘knew’ that I had said everything I could possibly say in the name of AVANTASIA. But that’s not what AVANTASIA is all about. I wanna create more great music, I wanna create more fantasy worlds, the bigger and the more epic, the better. And listening to the material that I have created for this forthcoming chapter in the history of AVANTASIA, I know there is no way I am not going to do it! I have got the feeling and the certainty that this is absolutely meant to happen and to be!”
Hard rock vocalist and MR. BIG frontman ERIC MARTIN has announced a stop off in Ireland at Auntie Annie’s, Belfast on Sunday, March 3rd, with very special guest ‘The Professor’ PAT McMANUS (ex-MAMA’S BOYS, CELTUS) performing a solo acoustic set.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, December 13th at 9 AM, at this location.
Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone recently conducted an interview with vocalist Eric Martin of MR. BIG. Martin spoke about never auditioning for VAN HALEN, and playing in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. You can now watch the chat below.
Frontiers Records has set a February 28 North American release date (four days earlier in Europe) for MR. BIG‘s new acoustic live album, “Live From The Living Room”.
At the end of January 2011, during a week-long promotion trip to promote for its latest reunion album, “What If”, and tour, MR. BIG was invited to the WOWOW TV studios in Tokyo to perform a special show in an intimate setting.
When the talk of a broadcast first came up, the band wanted to present something different from what they’ve ever done before. Thus the idea of an acoustic show came about and a string quintet was brought in to enhance the project even more, with arrangements provided by Takashi Miyazaki. Although Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan hooked up electric on a few songs, the show was still very much acoustic in nature throughout. Pat Torpey played various acoustic percussion instruments during the gig.
Commented Eric Martin: “The idea for the show came out of a quick conversation the four of us had after a day of interviews promoting the new ‘What If’ CD.
“We did an acoustic show at the Hard Rock Café in Singapore in 1996 that, to this day, is one of my favorite live recordings. It had a stripped down, up-close and personal feel to it.
“If we were going to do something like that again it would have to be extra special.
“We were talking about the old days when musicians used to live together in a band house and practice day and night. Our favorite rock band posters and tapestries adorning the walls, family hand-me-down furniture, amps that doubled as lamp stands, friends hanging out and the usual cluttered mess on the floor, lyric sheets, guitar cases and chords, music stands, beer cans, pizza boxes, wine bottles etc. ‘Live From The Living Room’ was born out of that.
“We wanted to recreate a harmonious atmosphere and treat our fans to an informal jam session of songs from the past and present while throwing in a few surprises from our wish lists (strings, Japanese taiko drums).”
The result from that magic night in Tokyo is now here: 10 MR. BIG classics in a completely new and fresh dress and a portrait from the very first ever acoustic show from the band.
“Live From The Living Room” will be exclusively released in a glossy digipak and will include the following songs:
01. Undertow
02. Still Ain’t Enough For Me
03. As Far As I Can See
04. Voodoo Kiss
05. Take Cover
06. Around The World
07. Stranger In My Life
08. All The Way Up
09. To Be With You
10. Nobody Left To Blame
“What If…” was released in Europe on January 21 via Frontiers Records. The North American release, also on Frontiers Records, followed on February 8.
“What If…” is MR. BIG‘s first “all-original” album since the reunion of the four original members, Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey, back in early 2009. Sixteen years after the release of “Hey Man”, the new recording is set to bring back MR. BIG on the height of the current hard rock scene. The CD was produced by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, RUSH, IRON MAIDEN).
Formed in 1988, MR. BIG forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark “shredding” musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The original lineup produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres, be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits included “To Be With You” (Billboard Hot 100 number one single in 15 countries for weeks, in 1991, propelling the band the band to huge international success and record sales in the multi-millions), “Wild World”, “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind”, “Just Take My Heart”, and a host of heavy metal songs that were played mostly during their live performances: “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy”, “Addicted to that Rush”, “Colorado Bulldog”, and “Take Cover”. Source: Blabbermouth.net
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 