Yngwie Johann Malmsteen

Barcelona, Spain, 2008

Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Malmsteen became known for his neo-classical playing style in heavy metal. Steve Huey of Allmusic stated that, "Yngwie Malmsteen is arguably the most technically accomplished hard rock guitarist to emerge during the '80s."

Biography

Early Life
Malmsteen was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck in Stockholm, Sweden, the third child of a musically-talented family.
Malmsteen has stated that Jimi Hendrix had no musical impact on him and didn't contribute to his style, but the fact of watching at age seven the September 18, 1970 TV special where Hendrix smashed and burned his guitar made Malmsteen think: "This is really cool". To quote his official website, "The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Yngwie was born".
At the age of 10 he took his mother's maiden name Malmsten as his surname, slightly changed it to Malmsteen, and Anglicised his third given name Yngve to "Yngwie". Malmsteen created his first band "Track On Earth" at the age of 10, consisting of himself and a friend from school on drums (Armin).
With the passage of time, being a teenager, he got a major influence from classical music, mainly from 19th century violinist composer Niccolò Paganini, and also discovered his most important guitar influence: Ritchie Blackmore.
Uli Jon Roth is also cited as a significant influence, as is Brian May of Queen.


1980s
In early 1982 (at the age of 18), Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteen's playing from the 1978 titled Demo Powerhouse, brought Malmsteen to the U.S. He had brief engagements with Steeler, for their self-titled album of 1983, then Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz, for their 1983 debut No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll, and the 1984 live album Live Sentence. Malmsteen released his first solo album Rising Force in 1984, which featured Barrie Barlow of Jethro Tull on drums and keyboard player Jens Johansson. His album was meant to be an instrumental side-project of Alcatrazz, but it contained vocals, and Malmsteen left Alcatrazz soon after the release of Rising Force.
Rising Force won the Guitar Player Magazine's award for Best Rock Album and was nominated for a Grammy for 'Best Rock Instrumental', achieving #60 on the Billboard album chart. Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force (as his band was thereafter known) next released Marching Out (1985). Jeff Scott Soto filled vocal duties on these initial albums. They recruited drummer Anders Johansson and bassist Marcel Jacob to record and tour with the band. Marcel left in the middle of a tour and was replaced by Wally Voss. His third album, Trilogy, featuring the vocals of Mark Boals, was released in 1986. Yngwie played the bass on this album himself. In 1987, another singer, former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner joined his band as well as Bob Daisley on bass. That year, Malmsteen was in a serious car accident, smashing his V12 Jaguar E-Type into a tree and putting him in a coma for a week. Nerve damage to his right hand was reported. During this time, Malmsteen's mother died from cancer. In the summer of 1988 he released his fourth album Odyssey. Odyssey would be his biggest hit album, mainly because of its first single "Heaven Tonight". Shows in Russia SSSR during the Odyssey tour were recorded, and released in 1989 as his fifth album Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad. The classic Rising Force lineup with Yngwie, Jens and Anders split in 1989 when Jens joined Dio and Anders Blue Murder.
Malmsteen's Neo-classical-style of metal became popular among some guitarists during the mid 1980s, with contemporaries such as Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore becoming prominent. In late 1988, Malmsteen's signature Fender Stratocaster guitar was released, making him and Eric Clapton the first artists to be honored by Fender.


1990s
In the early 1990s, Malmsteen released the albums Eclipse (1990), The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection (1991), Fire and Ice (1992) and The Seventh Sign (1994). Despite his early and continuous success in Europe and Asia, by the early 1990s heavy metal styles such as neoclassical metal and shredding had become out of fashion in the US.
In 1993, Malmsteen's future mother-in-law - who opposed his engagement to her daughter - had him falsely arrested for holding her daughter hostage with a gun. The charges were dropped. Malmsteen continued to record and release albums under the Japanese record label Pony Canyon, and maintained a devoted following from fans in Europe and Japan and, to a lesser extent, in the USA. In 2000 he signed a contract with a US record label Spitfire, and released his 1990s catalog into the US market for the first time, including what he regards as his masterpiece, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, recorded with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague.
In the mid-90s, Malmsteen released the albums Magnum Opus (1995), Inspiration (1996), Facing the Animal (1997), Double LIVE! (1998) and Alchemy (1999). In 1996, Malmsteen joined forces with former band members Jeff Scott Soto and Marcel Jacob on the Human Clay album where he played lead guitar on the track "Jealousy". He guested with Saxon on the song Denim And Leather on their live album The Eagle Has Landed - Part II. Yngwie recorded a few tracks with his former band members Jens Johansson and Anders Johansson on their album "Johansson/Sonic Winter", called "Enigma suite" and "All opposable thumbs".

Malmsteen in Barcelona

2000s
After the release of War to End All Wars in 2000, singer Mark Boals left the band. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Doogie White, whose vocals were well received by fans. In 2003, Malmsteen joined Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as part of the G3 supergroup, a tour showcasing guitar performances. Malmsteen made two guest appearances on keyboardist Derek Sherinian's albums Black Utopia (2003), and Blood of the Snake (2006) where Malmsteen is heard on the same tracks as Al Di Meola and Zakk Wylde. In 2004, Malmsteen made two cameo appearances on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. In 2005 Unleash the Fury was released through Spitfire Records. As stated in an issue of "Guitar World" magazine, he titled this album after an infamous 'airline incident', which occurred in a flight to Japan during a 1988 tour. He was drunk and behaving obnoxiously, until he fell asleep and was roused by a woman pouring a jug of iced water on him. Enraged, he shouted, "You've unleashed the fucking fury!" The audio from this incident was caught on tape by a fellow band member. Malmsteen says that the name of the album refers to both the energy of the album and the incident. The release of Unleash the Fury was followed by a DVD release of Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar And Orchestra In E Flat Minor, Op. 1 -- With The New Japan Philharmonic Live. The DVD chronicles Malsteem's first time playing in front of a live audience with an orchestra, an experience that he describes as “fun but also extremely scary”.
In 2007, Malmsteen was honored in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. Players can receive the "Yngwie Malmsteen" award by hitting 1000 or more notes in succession. February 2008, saw the replacement of singer Doogie White with former Iced Earth and Judas Priest and current Beyond Fear singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, with whom Malmsteen had once recorded a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's song "Mr. Crowley", for the 2000 Osbourne tribute album Bat Head Soup: A Tribute to Ozzy. The first Malmsteen album to feature Owens is titled Perpetual Flame and was released on 14 October. On 25 November 2008, Malmsteen had three of his songs ("Caprici Di Diablo", "Damnation Game", and "Red Devil") released as downloadable content for the video games Rock Band Rock Band 2 and later Rock Band 3.
In 2008 Malmsteen was a special guest on the VH1 Classic show "That Metal Show". On 10 March 2009, Malmsteen's label Rising Force has launched his new release Angels of Love, an instrumental album which features acoustic arrangements of some of his best-known ballads. In August 2009, Time magazine named Malmsteen #9 on its list of the 10 best electric guitar players of all-time. Malmsteen recently released another album compilation entitled High Impact on 8 December 2009.

Yngwie Malmsteen performing in Gävle, Sweden,
July 7th 2012

2010s
On the 23rd of November 2010 Relentless was released, the second album to feature Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals. The US version features a remake of "Arpeggios From Hell" as a bonus track. Yngwie appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon along with Dana Carvey on 3 February 2011 to promote his album. On 6 August 2011, Malmsteen made another appearance in the United States, playing a rendition of Star Spangled Banner before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.
Although rarely seen in his homecountry Sweden, Malmsteen decided to do one gig in Sweden in 2012. On the 7th of July, he ended the Getaway Rock Festival in Gävle, which he was headlining together with Nightwish and Manowar.
On December 5th 2012 Yngwie released the album Spellbound. Yngwie played all of the instruments on this album, along with providing the lead vocals.


Personal Life
Malmsteen is married to April (Ebru Solmaz, born in Istanbul, Turkey) and has a son named Antonio after Antonio Vivaldi, and they live in Miami, Florida. A Ferrari enthusiast, Malmsteen owned a black 1985 308 GTS for 18 years before selling it on eBay, and a red 1962 250 GTO. He is also a Rolex enthusiast and is reported to own over 40, including several worth $100,000.
In a 2005 issue of Guitar Player magazine, Malmsteen discussed his often-ridiculed behavior, saying that, "I've probably made more mistakes than anybody. But I don't dwell on them. I don't expect people to understand me, because I'm pretty complex, and I think outside the box with everything I do. I've always taken the un-traveled path. Obviously, people have their opinions, but I can't get too wrapped up in that, because I know what I can do, and I know what kind of person I am. And I have no control over what anybody says about me. Back in Sweden, I'm 'Mr. Personality' in the tabloids. But, obviously, I can't take that seriously. I know in my heart that if I do the absolute best I can do, maybe ten years from now, people may turn around and say, 'He wasn't that bad."


Equipment
Malmsteen has been a longtime user of Fender Stratocasters. His most famous Stratocaster is his 1972 blonde Strat, nicknamed "The Duck" because of its yellow finish and the Donald Duck stickers on the headstock. An alternative nickname for this guitar is "Play Loud" due to a sticker on the upper horn of the guitar. Fender made 100 replica copies of this guitar and marketed it as the "Play Loud Guitar". He also has a signature Stratocaster. It comes in a Vintage White finish with a maple neck, either a maple or rosewood fretboard with scalloped frets and, from 2010, Seymour Duncan STK-S10 YJM "Fury" Model pickups. There is also a signature YJM100 Marshall amplifier, based on the '1959' amplifier range.
Malmsteen has stated that he prefers the Stratocaster (from the period of 1968-1972); he claims that the bigger headstock on these generates more sustain. Malmsteen customizes his guitars by fitting a brass nut, removing the middle string tree and scalloping the fretboard. He previously disconnected the tone controls on his guitars but has said that he no longer does this. Malmsteen now uses his signature Seymour Duncan YJM Fury pickups. Before using the YJM's, he used DiMarzio pickups - most notably the HS3 model and the HS4 model. Malmsteen would use a HS3 in the bridge and HS4s in the middle and neck positions. In even earlier recordings, Malmsteen instead used the HS3 model in the neck and bridge positions and a disconnected stock Fender single coil pickup in the middle.
Malmsteen also plays what looks to be a Godin Multiac Nylon Duet Ambiance classical guitar.


Guitar Rig & Signal Flow
A detailed gear diagram of Yngwie Malmsteen's 1988 guitar rig is well-documented.

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Mr. Big

Mr. Big in 1992

Mr. Big is an American rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. The band is a quartet composed of Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass guitar), and Pat Torpey (drums); The band is noted especially for their musicianship, and scored a number of hits. Their songs were often marked by strong vocals and vocal harmonies. Their hits include "To Be with You" (a number one single in 15 countries in 1991) and "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind".

Mr. Big claim to have remained active and popular for over two decades, despite internal conflicts and changing music trends. They broke up in 2002, but after requests from fans reunited in 2009; their first tour was in Japan, in June 2009.[3] The band released What If..., their first album in 10 years, in January 2011.

The band takes its name from the song by Free, which was eventually covered by the band on their 1993 album, Bump Ahead.

History

Formation (1988–1989)

After bass player Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's backing band in 1988, he began piecing together a new band with the help of Mike Varney from Shrapnel Records, a label specialized in the shredding genre. He recruited Eric Martin, of the rock-oriented Eric Martin Band and also soul-leaning solo artist, and soon thereafter added guitarist Gilbert and drummer Torpey. Gilbert was already a well-respected guitarist who had released two albums with his Los Angeles-based band Racer X. Torpey came to California from Arizona, and had previously recorded and toured with a number of high-profile artists, most notably Robert Plant.

Breakthrough (1989–1997)

The newly formed band hired Herbie Herbert, the former manager of Journey, Europe, and Santana, to be their manager. By 1989, they signed with Atlantic Records and released their self-titled debut the same year. The record did not gain the band a mainstream rock audience stateside, but was a success in Japan.[citation needed] In June 1990, the group toured in America opening for Rush. In August 1990, two songs, "Strike Like Lightning" and "Shadows", performed by Mr. Big were exclusively released on the soundtrack album of the action film Navy SEALs.

Mr. Big's second album, 1991's Lean Into It, was a major commercial breakthrough, especially two ballads, "To Be with You" (number one song in fifteen countries) and "Just Take My Heart", as well as the song "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind". Lean Into It's front cover featured the 1895 Paris express train derailment. They toured the UK in April and May 1991 and again in 1992, releasing a live album, Mr. Big Live, in 1992. For three nights, they opened for Aerosmith at London's Wembley Arena.

In 1993, another ballad, a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World", (from their third album, Bump Ahead) peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although it is said that the band also contributed the soundtrack to the Sega Mega-CD release of The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin, the songs actually featured Eric Martin with musicians hired by Sega.

They released Hey Man in 1996. The song "Take Cover" was included on the soundtrack to the cartoon series Mega Man.

Although the band never replicated its earlier success in the US market, their popularity continued to soar in Japan and in much of Asia. They continued to sell out tours in the Asian market, resulting in a number of live releases for the Japanese market.

Live At Budokan was one of those live release intended for the Japanese market only. By the time that album appeared the group had been put on ice as the individual band members became more engrossed in other projects; the band temporarily broke up in 1997.

Gilbert's departure and new line-up (1997–2002)

Gilbert left the band in 1997, and eventually reformed Racer X. Richie Kotzen, another Shrapnel artist and former guitarist for Poison, was brought in as a guitar player. Two studio albums were released by this lineup: Get Over It in 2000, and Actual Size in 2001. Get Over It was released on September 1999, in Japan, and yielded "Superfantastic," to lukewarm audience response. Mr. Big performed a twenty-date tour of Japan followed by a New Year's Eve 1999 show with Aerosmith at the Osaka Dome in Osaka. Get Over It was released in the US in March 2000, followed by a short club stint at "Roxy", California.

Several music videos for songs on Get Over It were recorded (for Electrified and Superfantastic), however the director claimed rights to the music videos and the videos were never released.

In 2001, Mr. Big released Actual Size in Asia. The CD sat on the charts in the number three spot and "Shine", the first single, was number one. The song was also used as the ending theme for the anime series Hellsing.

However, tension had developed between Billy Sheehan and the other members when Billy began touring with Steve Vai. Eric Martin, Richie Kotzen, and Pat decided to write songs without Billy, and Billy was only given credit for two songs on Actual Size. Eric Martin and the others were also upset for Billy Sheehan's attitude during the recording of the Shine music video. This was when Eric Martin and the others decided the only way to keep moving forward was to fire Billy Sheehan. Without Sheehan and Gilbert Mr. Big's fan base shrank dramatically forcing Eric Martin and the others to ask Billy Sheehan if he would like to rejoin the band. Sheehan agreed to rejoin the band, however only for the farewell tour.

Due to all this, Mr. Big broke up in 2002 after a farewell tour.

Reunion and What If... (2009–present)

A near Mr. Big "one-off" reunion took place on May 13, 2008, in Los Angeles at the House Of Blues when Paul Gilbert was joined on stage by Pat Torpey, Richie Kotzen and Billy Sheehan for renditions of Humble Pie's '30 Days In The Hole' and original Mr. Big composition 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy'. Reportedly, the three had such an amazing time that they decided to contact Eric Martin a few days later, and a reunion of the four original members (Paul, Eric, Pat, and Billy) was put into motion.

On February 1, 2009, a radio announcement for "Koh Sakai’s Burrn Presents: Heavy Metal Syndicate" contained a short message from Mr. Big, announcing the reunion of the original Mr. Big line-up to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their début album. A press conference in Japan in February generated much excitement, and a tour of the country starting in June was announced, with shows in ten locations (including the Budokan). They held their first reunion concert outside Japan at Rock Cafe in Tallinn, Estonia on September 2009 continuing their tour.

Warner Music Japan released remastered copies of their four studio albums, as well as a greatest hits CD and DVD. There are two bonus studio songs on the album, new track "Next Time Around", and a cover of Argent's "Hold Your Head Up".

Mr. Big toured India in October 2009 as part of the Reunion Tour, playing to huge crowds at Bangalore and Shillong.

In September 2010, Mr. Big recorded a seventh album with producer Kevin Shirley at a Los Angeles-area studio. The album was released in Japan on December 15, 2010, in Europe on January 21, 2011 and in the US in February 2011. What If... is their first album of new material in nearly 10 years.[12] The band also toured in support of the album.[13] The tour to support the album kicked off at The House of Blues, in Hollywood, California on April 2, 2011 and ended at Rockout Festival in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2011. The band also appeared at Download Festival on June 2011.

As part of the album release, the group created a music video for the song "Undertow". Directed by Vicente and Fernando Cordero, it featured the band in an industrial park.[14]

On May 10, 2011, Mr. Big performed at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. The band performed most of the songs from Lean Into It, and introduced a couple of songs from What If. Additionally the group toured the UK and Europe, with both Gilbert and Sheehan performing solos at the majority of shows.

Band Members
Eric Martin – lead vocals (1988–2002, 2009–present)
Pat Torpey – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1988–2002, 2009–present)
Billy Sheehan – bass guitar, backing vocals (1988–2002, 2009–present)
Paul Gilbert – guitar, backing vocals (1988–1997, 2009–present)

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Eric Lee Martin

Martin in 2011

Eric Lee Martin (born 10 October 1960, Long Island, New York) is an American rock singer/musician active throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s both as a solo artist and as a member of various bands. He earned his most prominent success as the frontman for the hard rock/glam metal band Mr. Big, a supergroup (currently reunited) who scored a big hit in the early 1990s with "To Be with You," a song that Martin wrote during his teen years.

A local of the San Francisco Bay Area, Martin first started his career in the music industry in 1978.

Early Years

Eric is the son of Frederick Lee "Pepper" Martin and Iris Martin. He has three younger siblings Dan, Joan and Laurie; and is half-Irish, half-Italian.

Musically, Eric Martin was first influenced by his father, Frederick Lee “Pepper” Martin. Pepper Martin had a gig as drummer for the band “The Buzz”. This first gig would actually be an opener for Sérgio Mendes, a renowned jazz/ R&B artist in the 70s and 80s.

Martin was a drummer only for a while. Realizing it fit his personality better, he opted for the position of front man / lead vocals in the next bands he was in. He played in a handful of teen rock groups such as “S.F. Bloodshy” and “Backhome” while attending Southside High school in Southside, Alabama. He also was part of a band called “Stark Raving Mad” (which also included future Winger guitarist/keyboardist Paul Taylor) in Santa Rosa, California.

During the summer break in 1974, Martin joined a Musical Comedy Workshop held at Southside High school in Southside. He auditioned for the part of Judas, but wasn't given the part. Instead, he was the understudy.

Martin credits the honing of his voice to his teacher, Judy Davis. She taught him diction, stamina, and breath-control.

The Martin family finally settled in the San Francisco Bay Area at about 1976. Martin attended Foothill High School and met up with some of the guys who would join him in his first successful venture – the band “Kid Courage”. Kid Courage opened for AC/DC for two shows in the Bay Area, which were actually AC/DC’s first shows in America.

Musical Influences

Martin has always been able to sing either rock, soul, or even country music. He grew up listening to both soul and rock icons in the 70s, such as Otis Redding, Paul Rodgers, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. When he was about 13 to 15 years old, while living in Italy, he was introduced musically to different artists under Motown Records and Stax/Volt Records.

He also has a partner and mentor in songwriting – his friend Andre Pessis, whom he still writes and performs with up to date.

415/Eric Martin Band 1978–1985

Martin had decided to live independently by the age of 18. His first job was selling ice-cream.The big break he needed came when John Nymann, guitarist for the band “Mile Hi”, gave him a call and asked if he would want to form a new band together. The two had known each other from the past, since their former bands (Mile Hi and Kid Courage) had played together at the Mabuhay Gardens on Broadway. In agreement, John Nymann and Eric Martin got together people from both their previous bands and formed a new group named 415 – it was the area code for the San Francisco Bay Area, as every person in the band was from that place.

415 was formed in late 1979. It marked the start of Eric Martin's career as lead vocalist. Eric says, "415 played hundreds of shows at area nightclubs, beer parties, even high school and college dances before eventually headlining San Francisco's premiere night club – the Old Waldorf. Selling out in advance, word quickly spread about our dynamic live shows and soon we were opening for established acts like Billy Squier, Hall & Oates, Rick Springfield, Molly Hatchet, Marshall Tucker Band and Foreigner, to name a few. Eventually, without yet being signed to a recording contract, we played in front of 60,000 fans at the Oakland Stadium at Bill Graham's Days on the Green Concert." The band became a popular local draw, all the while still being an unsigned act.

415 was later signed on to Elektra/Asylum Records under the management of Walter “Herbie” Herbert and Sandy Einstein. Both persons managed and worked for the band Journey. The management decided to change the name of the band to the “Eric Martin Band” (EMB), as singer-named bands were popular during that time. EMB debuted their first album in 1983, entitled Sucker for a Pretty Face. The LP received a gold disc (certification?), and consequently led to the band’s appearance in American Bandstand and in various arena tours as the opening act for the likes of ZZ Top, Night Ranger, and Journey. In one of the interviews, Eric mentions they “worked thousands of shows from clubs, to frat house parties, Bill Graham concerts, opening to anybody and everybody.” One of the most acclaimed performances of the band was a solo tour in 1983 held at Honolulu, Hawaii. But despite continuing to land high-profile gigs as support for some of the most popular acts at the time, the band decided to split up in 1985 after returning from the ZZ Top tour.

Solo career after Eric Martin Band 1985–1988

After the break-up, Martin continued involving himself in several recordings and gigs. He contributed to the track "I Can't Stop the Fire" from the movie soundtrack Teachers, as well as "These Are the Good Times" and "Eyes Of The World" from the movie Iron Eagle. In 1985, Eric Martin released a self-titled album – Eric Martin – which was followed later on in 1987 by another album called I’m Only Fooling Myself. These solo albums exemplify Eric's unique soulful voice and candid lyrics. The latter, I'm Only Fooling Myself, was re-issued in 2008 by Rock Candy Records. The said album is a compilation of songs written by such people as Myles Hunter, John Waite, and a whole host of other established songwriters. It also included top West Coast session musicians such as drummers Mike Baird (who worked with Rick Springfield and Journey) and Mickey Curry (with Bryan Adams and Hall and Oates), guitarists Richie Zito, Tim Pierce, Michael Landau, and Rick Nowells.

A compilation of the two solo albums are available on Soul Sessions - The Capitol Years CD. At his young age, Eric had also been invited to audition for various iconic bands in the 70s-80s such as Van Halen, Toto, and Rainbow.

Mr. Big 1988–2002

In 1988, Martin would team up with Billy Sheehan, Pat Torpey, and Paul Gilbert to form Mr. Big – one of the few much-vaunted supergroups to actually combine chart success with longevity. Mr. Big forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark "shredding" musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The reputations of the players generated immediate interest particularly amongst fellow musicians, and the band was signed to Atlantic Records in 1989. At the same year, they released a self-titled album, Mr. Big, which received critical and commercial success in the US and Japan. In June 1990, the group went on tour through America with the Canadian band Rush.

It was Mr. Big's second album in 1991, Lean Into It, that provided a major breakthrough for the band. The album featured two ballads that established them as a commercial success: "To Be with You” (number one song in 15 countries) and "Just Take My Heart". The album propelled Mr. Big to huge international record sales in the multi-millions. It also contained rock songs that would remain popular for years to come. The release of Lean Into It was followed by a British tour in April and May of the same year, supported by bands The Throbs and Heartland.

Another British tour ensued before the quartet opted to release the Mr. Big Live album in 1992 and set to work on a third album to be released in 1993. As live headliners across the U.K. in December with Forgodsake as support, the band notably broke away from this run to play as support act for Aerosmith’s three-night, sold-out stand at London's Wembley Arena.

In 1993, another ballad from Mr. Big's new album Bump Ahead rose to the top 10 of the charts – a cover of Cat Steven’s "Wild World". Although the band was unable to sustain commercial success in the US, their popularity in Japan continued to soar (resulting in countless sold-out tours and such Japan-only live albums as Raw Like Sushi I, Raw Like Sushi II, Japandemonium, Mr. Big in Japan, etc.).

While in Mr. Big, Martin was also involved in other projects on the side. In 1995, Martin was the vocalist in The Power Rangers Orchestra, which also featured Guns 'N' Roses member, Matt Sorum. Their version of "Go Go Power Rangers" was featured in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.

In 1996, by the time another album of Mr. Big emerged (entitled Hey Man), the group was able to gain a stable following in newer markets such as Thailand and South Korea. However, the change in attitudes towards Hard Rock and the media treatment of so-called "80s' Hair bands" meant that sales were poor in America and Europe, causing the group to drop any plans they may have had to tour anywhere other than the Far East.

The group's album, Live At Budokan, was another live release intended for the Japanese market only. By the time Live At Budokan appeared the group had been put on ice as the individual band members became more engrossed in other projects. After several years of continuous recording and touring, the band took a much needed break.

Martin's third solo album, Somewhere in the Middle was written during the two-year hiatus from Mr. Big. The CD was completed in 1998 and released in Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe. Strong Japanese sales prompted a Fall 1998 tour. Eric thought it would be fun to get some of the guys from his old band, 415, back together and re-experience some of the chemistry from those early days. A fresh EMB toured Japan and a newly energized Eric graced the stage at numerous hometown clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Amazingly dedicated fans flew in from Japan, Europe, and the East coast to watch Eric perform.

Upon regrouping to record a fifth studio album, Paul Gilbert announced his decision to leave the band and new guitarist, Richie Kotzen was added to the lineup. In 1998, Eric also recorded the song "I Love the Way You Love Me" under Atlantic Records, and was released as a solo track.

The new line-up of Mr. Big released Get Over It on September 1999 in Japan. Get Over It yielded "Superfantastic", a number one hit in Japan that went multi-platinum. It proved to be Atlantic's biggest selling release in that territory. Mr. Big put in a 20-date tour of Japan followed by a rousing New Year's Eve 1999 show with Aerosmith at the Osaka Dome in Osaka. Get Over It was released in the U.S. on March 21, 2000, followed by a short club stint at "Roxy", California.

Forward to the summer of 2001, Martin and the rest of the Mr. Big guys released their next effort Actual Size in Japan and the rest of Asia. The CD sat on the charts in the number three spot and "Shine" the first single off the album was number one. The song was also used as the ending theme for the animation series, Hellsing.

Although fans welcomed the new album, other news would come as a shock. A lot of tension had recently developed between Billy Sheehan and the other members, and this led to a breakup of the band. Despite being a multi-million record-selling band, the members of Mr. Big gritted their teeth for a farewell tour of Japan and Asia in 2002 as part of a contract they were obliged to comply with.

The career of Eric Martin as part of Mr. Big spanned for more than a decade. The band had enjoyed enormous success with the release of six studio albums, numerous hit singles and six top-selling live CDs. All combined, worldwide sales topped the seven million mark.

Solo albums and projects after Mr. Big 2002–2004
In between promoting and preparing for Mr. Big’s 2002 "Farewell Tour", Martin continued to record songs for his fourth solo album. He promised a return to his "rawk roots" and he definitely did so with "I’m Goin’ Sane" which was released in Asia, Europe and US in late 2002. After the success of a Japan tour, an appearance at the European "Gods Festival" and a 23-city US tour, Martin decided to go back to the studio to record Pure, a EP that covers his hits in an unplugged and stripped acoustic form.
In 2002, during the demise of Mr. Big, Martin married Denise, the sometime-drummer of the Eric Martin Band.
In 2003, Martin contributed his version of "Cheer Up" to the Japanese release Sincerely 2 - Mariya Takeuchi Song Book album. He also came to attention outside of his priority solo activities, portraying the character "Mr. Niko" for a 2004 "Genius" outing In Search of The Little Prince.
Later on, Martin would record another album entitled Destroy All Monsters, which would then be released in Japan, Europe, US and South America in 2004. The album's sound is something Eric calls “distorted pop” with a focus on his rock roots. That same year Eric was unable to promote the album as much as he wanted, due to a call from the biggest guitar star in Japan, Tak Matsumoto.


Tak Matsumoto Group 2004
Tak's band, B’z have sold over 80 million records and held onto success for over 20 years in Japan. Tak decided to put together a rock band called Tak Matsumoto Group, or TMG, with his favorite players; this would include Eric on vocals, Jack Blades (Night Ranger/Damn Yankees) on bass, and Chris Frasier (Steve Vai/Edgar Winter/Eddie Money) on drums, and, of course, Tak on guitar. They spent four months writing and recording an album in Los Angeles, did a 10-day promotional tour in Japan quickly followed by a Platinum album, and a 20-city sold-out tour from July to September, ending in Japan’s famous 15,000-seat arena, Budokan. The Japanese tour for TMG saw the inclusion of Mr. Big's "To Be With You" in the set list.
TMG was among the top five bands on melodicrock.com during that time, but the band no longer pursued tours beyond Japan.
During the same year TMG was in the works, Eric and Denise were also expecting twin boys by December. In light of this, Eric decided to lie low for the next couple of years.


Projects between 2004–2007
From 2004 to 2007, Martin was involved in numerous projects while remaining near home. A more comprehensive collection of his works are available on Eric Martin's Official Site. His projects included singing tracks on albums of different composers/artists, singing for karaoke games, video games and TV commercials, and joining benefit concerts all year round.
Martin wrote and recorded the theme song for the Pride Fighting Championships, which was a major mixed martial arts organization. The song, "The Last Man Standing" debuted New Year’s Eve 2006 on pay-per-view to millions of viewers.
Martin also wrote and recorded a song for guitar legend Ronnie Montrose's CD, 10x10. He sings along with nine other singers including Sammy Hagar, Edgar Winter, Davey Pattison, and Mark Farner. The 10x10 album sparked interest in Eric’s vocal performance and he was asked to sing the classic song, "Guitar Man", with Ronnie Montrose, Denny Carmasi, and Ricky Phillips to take to the Sundance Film Festival.
Martin also composed and performed a song called "Fly" for the commercial of Asahi Super Dry Beer in Japan. It is accompanied by a music video which is available at Youtube.com


International tours in 2007–2009
From 2007 to 2009, Martin toured all over Europe, South America, and India, with different local bands backing him up at each tour.
It all started as an idea a few years before; Eric and Denise were figuring out how to make tours overseas cost effective and fresh per performance. They would call promoters all around the world and book shows 5 months in advance, find the best rock musicians or the most popular bands in the big cities and have them learn 18 to 20 of Eric's tunes, send mp3's back and forth (and pray for the best). Eric performed all over the world with bands such as The Road Vultures from Argentina, Hayseed from Norway, Raw Like Sushi (a Mr. Big tribute band) from Italy, and John McNamara's band from Australia.
The tour in India came as a surprise for Martin, as he never expected to perform in front of more than 20,000 people. Martin was invited by the King of Tripura, Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman, to perform Mr. Big songs during the Rock Festival at Shillong. Shillong is well known in India as a place for avid music-lovers, especially rock. Eric and the band members (the Road Vultures) were graciously treated as state guests and were escorted upon arrival in India and during the concert. Amit Paul, a popular singer from the show "Indian Idol", together with other Indian celebrities, joined the show and sang part of "To Be With You" with Eric. The gig in India was meant to be only a seven-to-ten thousand seat show; but, as people started to break into the barricades, the crowd got larger (to about 20,800 people). The situation was handled, nevertheless, and the show was an amazing success. The whole festival in general was phenomenal.
Martin also toured with Richie Kotzen in South America, a former bandmate from Mr. Big. The two found themselves performing 15,000-seat shows and playing the songs of Mr. Big together again.


Scrap Metal 2007
While taking his family on a stroll along the Marin County Fair, Eric was able to watch a performance by the Nelson Brothers and was later introduced to them by a common friend. The Nelson Brothers, Matthew and Gunnar, invited Eric to join them in the new 80s all-star band they were forming called "Scrap Metal". Generally, Scrap Metal would be a band dedicated to performing classic heavy metal and rock n' roll hits from the 80s and 90s.
On February 3, 2007, Eric Martin, together with Matthew and Gunnar Nelson of "Nelson", Mark Slaughter of "Slaughter", Jani Lane of "Warrant", and Kelly Keagy of "Night Ranger", performed under the "Scrap Metal" banner for an MTV filmed concert at the Mohegan Sun Hotel & Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. They would compose the core of the band.
A couple of months later, he made an appearance as a Guest Vocalist of Japanese Jazz Fusion Band T-Square on their album, 33. The song he was featured in is called "Tell the Truth", which is based on T-Square's hit from 1987, "Truth".
Scrap Metal would tour around the US all year round. In most performances, they would often have different guests who were likewise players from other 80's bands.


Mr. Vocalist 1 (2008) and 2 (2009)
In early 2008, Martin was approached, again, by Sony Japan to do a project wherein he would cover (translated) famous Japanese Ballads sung by women. The album, entitled "Mr. Vocalist", was released in November 2008 and topped the charts of several cities in Japan; it was also the number-one seller in several online record stores. The album would include ballads such as "I Believe" by Ayaka, "Yuki no Hana" by Mika Nakashima, and "M" by Princess Princess.
Seeing the success of "Mr. Vocalist", Sony Japan opted to follow it up with another one. "Mr. Vocalist 2" was unique from the first because all the songs included in it were famous international ballads, and were voted in by fans either through the internet or through mobile phone. Eric and Sony Japan lined up about 30 international ballads sung by women, such as "Hero" by Mariah Carey and "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. The top 12 songs were taken from the list and were covered by Eric and Sony Japan's team of top musicians. The resulting album was released on March 4, 2009, and topped the charts all over Japan at its debut. For months, it continued to move along the top five albums in Japan.

Eric Martin at Festivalna Hall in Sofia. June 15, 2011.

Mr. Big reunion 2009 and beyond
A near Mr. Big "one-off" reunion took place on May 13, 2008, in Los Angeles at the House Of Blues when Paul Gilbert was joined onstage by Pat Torpey, Richie Kotzen and Billy Sheehan for renditions of Humble Pie's '30 Days In The Hole' and original Mr. Big composition 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy'. Reportedly, the three had such an amazing time that they decided to contact Eric Martin a few days later, and a reunion of the four original members (Paul, Eric, Pat, and Billy) was put into motion.
The reunion was first officially announced on February 1, 2009, in a Japanese radio program called "Heavy Metal Syndicate by Koh Sakai". The interviews and press conferences that followed short within the first two weeks of February revealed plans of the band to tour Japan in June 2009 and to release new albums. A world tour followed suit, with two date all across Europe, and several gigs in South East Asia, particularly in India, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea.
In 2010, Eric participated in a tribute album titled Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival, a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legend Tommy Bolin prior to his death in 1976. The CD includes other artists such as HiFi Superstar, Doogie White, Troy Luccketta, Jeff Pilson, Randy Jackson, Rachel Barton, Rex Carroll, Derek St. Holmes, Kimberley Dahme, and The 77’s. A percentage of the proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers.
Mr. Big recorded in 2010 a new album called What If... produced by Kevin Shirley and released early 2011.
On May 10, 2011, after almost two decades, Mr. Big stepped on-stage at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. The band performed most of the songs from "Lean Into It", with the crowd singing along. The band also introduced a couple of new songs from "What If". It was an amazing night in Manila and they promised to come back sooner, with Eric Martin citing the how long it took for the band before they came back. A standing ovation after the performance was hailed by screaming Filipinos fans "We want more" resulting to two more encores.
The band recently embarked on a very successful South American tour that ended with two dates in Brazil, the last of which in the city of Porto Alegre on July 10, where, according to Eric Martin himself, Mr. Big had a great "end of the tour party" live in front of over 2,000 wildly cheering fans who jam-packed the local rock venue Bar Opinião. Tickets were sold out several days in advance. Martin referred to the crowd's reaction as "phenomenal", and promised the band would be back in town in the future.

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Pat Torpey

Pat Torpey at Festivalna Hall, Sofia. June, 2011.

Pat Torpey is an American rock and roll drummer, known as the drummer of the hard rock band Mr. Big. He has also played for Impellitteri, The Knack, David Lee Roth Band and the Exile Social Club. He is noted by Neil Peart for composing unique rhythms such as that of "Take Cover", a rock song from Mr. Big.

Early Years

Pat Torpey was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 13, 1959. At age 7, he first played the drums. He tells the story: "I was at a family and friends picnic and there was a polka band. I was sitting on a railing behind the drummer and was fascinated at what I saw and heard. I went home and fashioned my own 'signature' drum sticks out of a fallen tree branch from our front yard".

In high school, Torpey immersed himself in all available music programs, concert, orchestra, marching and stage bands. About his teenage years, he says: "I wanted to play everything percussion and I convinced my mother to buy me a used drum-kit for my thirteenth birthday.” Torpey's family moved to Phoenix, where he then began honing his skills in local bands, from rock, to funk, to jazz, to pop.

Beginnings of his career

In 1983, Torpey moved to Los Angeles. He recounts the beginning of his career: "I'm a pretty good softball player and joined an entertainment league, and through that I was able to make some new friends and network my way into a couple of gigs. I became a regular on the American Bandstand and Solid Gold TV shows performing with Benny King, Mike + The Mechanics, Melissa Manchester, Bob Geldof, and a few I can't even remember."

1985, Torpey auditioned for the British pop–rock singer John Parr, who was riding high on his #1 hit "St. Elmo's Fire" and had landed the opening slot for Tina Turner on her Private Dancer tour. When that tour ended he became the drummer for Belinda Carlisle on her first solo tour, opening for Robert Palmer.

Pat narrates further, “1987, I was doing a television show with Roger Daltrey and Bobby Columby from Blood, Sweat and Tears approached me and asked me if I was available to do some studio work. Columby was producing a couple tracks for The Knack, and their original drummer had just left the band. I loved their music and what great fun for a drummer. They asked me to join the band."

Mr. Big

Playing around Los Angeles with The Knack was the pathway to Mr. Big. Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert were starting a new band and were on the hunt for a drummer. They saw Pat playing with The Knack and were impressed with his energy and style. "I loved playing with The Knack but when Billy approached me I jumped at the chance."

Mr. Big secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records but before the band started work on the first CD Torpey was tapped to play drums with Robert Plant on his Now and Zen tour. "Led Zeppelin was such a huge influence and the guys in Mr.Big knew what a fantastic opportunity it was and they gave me their blessing. "Communication Breakdown' every night, what a rush!!!"

In 1992, Mr. Big's international hit song "To Be With You" was no.1 in the U.S. and fifteen other countries and top five in many more. For fourteen years Mr. Big toured the world, headlining as well as opening for Aerosmith, Rush, Bryan Adams and The Scorpions to name a few, garnering a reputation for their world class musicianship and totally 'live' performances.

Solo Albums

Because of Mr. Big’s popularity in Japan and Asia, Pat released two solo albums overseas, Odd Man Out and Y2K in 1998 and 1999. Pat also has two instructional videos overseas, “Big Drums” with Billy Sheehan and Rock Groove Drumming. Both provide insight into his original and creative drum parts.

Gear

Pat uses Tama drums, Zildjian cymbals, and Promark Sticks. During his time with Mr. Big, he used Tama Artstar drums and can be seen in almost all the photos and videos of his drums. More recently, he has been using Tama Starclassic drums as the Artstar series has been discontinued.

Other Projects

Lately,[when?] Torpey has been involved in myriad studio projects, live performances at clinics for Tama drums in Japan, Russia, China, Indonesia, Philippines and many other parts of the world.

In 2004, he toured with Richie Kotzen as drummer for his UK club tour; he also played with Billy Sheehan in Johnny Hiland's first self-titled album, Johnny Hiland.
Torpey also played for Chris Impellitteri.
In the end of 2006, Pat joined "The Exile Social Club", a particular kind of band that relives old Rock'n'Roll hits. This band is formed also by Chuck Wright, from Quiet Riot, Jason Hook and David Victor.


Reunion of Mr. Big
In January 2009, Pat Torpey reunited with his old Mr. Big band-mates Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan for a reunion tour. In 2010, they recorded and released the album "What If..." with producer Kevin Shirley. 2011 saw them back together for a world tour supporting the new album. 

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Paul Brandon Gilbert

Paul Brandon Gilbert (born November 6, 1966 in Illinois, U.S.) is an American musician, best known for his technical guitar work with Racer X and Mr. Big, as well as many solo albums and numerous collaborations and guest appearances with other musicians.

Gilbert has been voted number 4 on a list in GuitarOne magazine of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time", as well as a spot in Guitar World's "50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time" list.

Shrapnel Records
Gilbert was raised in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Around 1981-82, he first contacted Mike Varney, founder of Shrapnel Records, asking for a gig with Ozzy Osbourne. At the time, Varney couldn't think why Osbourne would want a 15 year old guitarist, but after listening to his demo he changed his mind. Gilbert was featured in Guitar Player magazine at the age of fifteen. They talked for the next 3 years, until Paul went to L.A. for the GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology), and then was ready to record Racer X's debut album Street Lethal.


Racer X
Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Racer X originally comprised Paul Gilbert (guitar), Juan Alderete (bass), Harry Gschoesser (drums) and Jeff Martin (vocals). They were heavily influenced by Judas Priest and Gilbert's playing was reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, displaying fast-driven solos with extreme-level technique. Gschoesser was replaced by Scott Travis (later known for being the drummer for Judas Priest) in 1986, and Bruce Bouillet was added as a second guitar player. Bouillet was a very skilled player, as he had to play over Gilbert's always difficult and challenging phrases. Paul Gilbert gained recognition as one of the fastest guitar players in the world due to incredibly technical pieces like "Technical Difficulties" "Frenzy", "Scarified", "Y.R.O." and "Scit Scat Wah". Gilbert left Racer X in 1988. Racer X carried on for a short time with guitarist (and fellow GIT alum) Chris Arvin and vocalist Oni Logan (later of George Lynch's Lynch Mob) when singer Jeff Martin departed to play drums in Jake E. Lee's Badlands, in which he replaced Eric Singer who left to join Alice Cooper. Shortly thereafter, the members of the re-invented Racer X went their separate ways. The original band would eventually reform (although without Bruce Bouillet, who in-turn did produce the first reunion record).
Paul contacted the members of Racer X, and all agreed to return, with the exception of Bruce Bouillet. In mid-1999 the band recorded the album Technical Difficulties. Technical Difficulties went gold in Japan, and Racer X's new record label requested a follow-up. In late 2000, the band released another album, Superheroes. The record was mixed by former Racer X guitarist, Bruce Bouillet.
In order to further capitalize on their new-found success in Japan, Universal Japan requested that the band record a live show for another live CD and DVD. On May 25, 2001, the band played their first live performance in thirteen years to a sold-out crowd at the famed Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The show was recorded for both audio and video, and in 2002, both the CD and DVD were released under the name Snowball of Doom.
In January 2002, in support of Superheroes and Snowball of Doom, Racer X toured Japan and Taiwan. The band performed these shows in their Superheroes costumes, and the final show, in Yokohama, was hastily recorded in two tracks on the sound board and was to be later released as Snowball of Doom 2. Later that year, Universal Japan pushed for another Racer X release. In October 2002, all four members of Racer X gathered at Gilbert's house in Las Vegas to record Getting Heavier, which was sold alongside Snowball of Doom 2 in a package deal. Although the album was a successful release in Japan, some fans were disappointed with the lighter tracks, which resembled a Paul Gilbert solo album more so than a traditional Racer X album.
Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Paul Gilbert, and finally Racer X. The Racer X lineup consists of Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.


Mr. Big
When Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's band in 1988, he joined with Paul Gilbert, who had left his former band, Racer X. They founded Mr. Big, with Pat Torpey on drums and singer Eric Martin. The band was initially a huge success in Japan, and became famous internationally in 1991, with the release of their second album, Lean Into It. This album featured the ballad "To Be With You", which received strong media play and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Gilbert continued playing in Mr. Big until the late 1990s. He left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Richie Kotzen. Mr. Big disbanded in 2002.
In June 2009, Paul Gilbert reunited with original Mr. Big members; Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan, and Pat Torpey, for a world wide reunion tour. They recorded a new album with producer Kevin Shirley. titled What If.... The album was released in Japan on Dec. 15th, 2010, in Europe on Jan. 21st, 2011 and in the U.S. in Feb. 2011. A tour to support the album kicked off at The House of Blues, in Hollywood, CA on April 2, 2011, followed by several dates in Japan in the same month. In May and June 2011, the tour continues in China, Korea, The Philippines and Europe.

Gilbert performing on March 2, 2007

Projects
In May 2003 he played in an only twice-performing project called Yellow Matter Custard, a Beatles cover band consisting also of Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), Neal Morse (ex-Spock's Beard), and Matt Bissonette. In February 2011 Yellow Matter Custard re-formed for 3 Nights Across America. Kasim Sulton replaced Matt Bissonette in the 2011 shows due to other commitments. They took their name from a Beatles lyric in "I Am the Walrus": "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye".
He rejoined Portnoy along with Dave LaRue and Daniel Gildenlöw for a Led Zeppelin tribute band called Hammer of the Gods in November 2003. The same year, he toured Japan with Linus Of Hollywood, TJ Helmerich, and Scot Coogan in support of his solo albums Burning Organ, Paul the Young Dude/The Best of Paul Gilbert, and Gilbert Hotel. In September 2005, he joined Portnoy, Sean Malone, and Jason McMaster in the Rush tribute band Cygnus and the Sea Monsters. In May 2006, he joined Portnoy, Gary Cherone, and Billy Sheehan to form Amazing Journey: A Tribute to The Who, playing three shows. The band (excluding Sheehan) destroyed their equipment after the show in homage.
He was also revealed to be the guest guitarist on the Neal Morse solo album, Sola Scriptura. In 2007, Paul Gilbert toured with Bruce Bouillet for promotion of his first instrumental album, Get Out of My Yard, which was released in 2006. Also joining him was his wife, Emi Gilbert, on keyboards. Paul Gilbert also joined Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in the 2007 G3 tour. This was the 5th North American G3 run and the 12th tour worldwide since its inception.
On January 23, 2008, Paul released an instrumental CD titled Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar. It was released in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in America on April 8, 2008. This is Paul's second instrumental album.
On October 22, 2008, Paul released an album with vocalist Freddie Nelson entitled United States. The collaboration has been described as a cross of Queen and Mr. Big.
Paul with Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Gilbert, and finally Racer X. This Racer X lineup consisted of Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.
Gilbert also joined George Lynch and Richie Kotzen on the Guitar Generation tour.
On June 30, 2010, Gilbert's new album Fuzz Universe was released in Japan, with a release in America and Europe soon after. It is Paul's 3rd solo album being entirely instrumental. A cover of Johnny Cash's "Leave That Junk Alone" is featured as a Japanese bonus track.


Influences and Style
Talking about his influences, Paul mentions many different artists, including: Randy Rhoads, Kim Mitchell, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony Iommi, Alex Lifeson, Jimmy Page, Robin Trower, Ritchie Blackmore, Pat Travers, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Judas Priest, Akira Takasaki, Steve Clark, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, and The Ramones. Paul has stated many times that he was heavily influenced by his uncle Jimi Kidd who was instrumental in getting Paul interested in playing the guitar. He is also a great fan of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. He states on the Space Ship Live DVD that George Harrison is one of his favorite guitar players. Guitar World magazine declared him one of 50 of the world's fastest guitarists of all time, along with Buckethead, Eddie Van Halen, and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, funk and european classical music, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed. He is noted in particular for his efficient picking and his tendency to pick many notes rather than relying on legato for fast passages.


Instructor
Paul Gilbert wrote his own section of the British guitar magazine, Total Guitar, where he normally demonstrated guitar techniques in the magazine and accompanying CD. Even before that, he contributed instructional articles to Guitar Player Magazine in a late 1980s/early 1990s series entitled "Terrifying Guitar 101". His period of working with Total Guitar spanned thirty-one issues until the November 2006 issue. Paul also teaches at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) regularly, and is also an "honorary dean" of the GIT division in Japan. Paul visits Japan, enjoying the lifestyle like his Shrapnel labelmate Marty Friedman, who still lives in Japan and speaks Japanese fluently. Gilbert is known for his instructional videos, which are often comical in nature. One of his instructional videos includes him pulling a rabbit out of his guitar, putting his guitar in a straightjacket and having presents thrown at him by members of the film crew. Paul also was, for a short time, the guitar teacher of Buckethead, Joey Tafolla, Russ Parrish (A.K.A. Satchell from Steel Panther), Michelle Meldrum (The late wife of Europe guitarist John Norum) and Nicole Couch of Phantom Blue. Gilbert now writes a column for Premier Guitar entitled "Shred Your Enthusiasm".

Gilbert playing his signature guitar 2007

Gear

Paul Gilbert primarily uses his Ibanez PGM signature series guitars, identified by the unique painted on "F-holes". Although earlier PGM models featured the Ibanez Lo-Pro/Edge double locking tremolo system, many of his guitars (such as his main PGM300) were modified to accommodate a fixed bridge after he stopped using whammy bars in the early 90s, hence the Ibanez PGM301 guitar. Along with his signature guitars, Gilbert often uses his sticker-covered "Dino" Ibanez RG750, in addition to a wide variety of Ibanez solidbody and semi-hollow electric guitars. Recently, Gilbert has been using Ibanez "Fireman" (a reversed-body Ibanez Iceman with single-coil pickups and an extra cutaway) guitars, which he designed himself. A red version The Ibanez Fireman is to be mass-produced for consumers at a more affordable price than the Ibanez PGMFRM1 (current Paul Gilbert signature Fireman) in Fall 2011.
Regarding amplifiers, Gilbert used A/DA preamps (A/DA MP-1) and rack effects units early in his career prior to switching to Laney amplifiers. He praised the Laney amps as having "the best natural distorted sound of any tube amp ever heard" Since the G3 2007 tour however, Gilbert stated that playing with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci inspired him to take a closer look at his own guitar sound. As a result of his search he found the Marshall Vintage Modern series. He currently uses the Marshall Vintage Modern 2266c combo amps. Paul now uses the Marshall JMD:1 (specifically JMD501) amplifier along with his Vintage Modern amplifier. Paul uses Jim Dunlop Tortex picks, of which he prefers the orange (.60mm) picks. As far as cables Paul uses Bullet Cable 30' Coiled Cables, Bullet Cable SLUG DIY solderless patch cables for his pedalboard and effects.


Paul has been known to use the following effects:

• Home Brew Electronics Bajo Mos
• Home Brew Electronics Detox EQ
• TC Electronic Nova Delay
• Home Brew Electronics Compressor Retro
• MXR Phase 100
• MXR Phase 90 w/Script Logo and LED
• BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay
• Ibanez AF2 Airplane Flanger
• MXR Blue Box
• Home Brew Electronics THC Chorus
• Robert Keeley Nova Wah LE
• Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress
• Korg Pitchblack tuner or Boss Chromatic Tuner (depending which is more visible in stage lighting)
• Majik Box Fuzz Universe (as of 2010)
• X-otic AC Booster
• X-otic RC Booster
• Jim Dunlop 535Q Crybaby (as of 2010)

Paul also used a modified vintage A/DA Flanger from the 1980s (source: Berlin VIP session interview). You can hear it on tracks like 'Bucket of Rocks', and he also uses it on the 'Snowball of Doom' DVD. Paul stated the flanger had been modified. He would set the flanger to self oscillate, which would make the pitch of the resulting signal alternate up and down to create a sound similar to a dive bomb or a pull up on a whammy bar. Unfortunately, during Paul's 2008 European tour, his trusty A/DA Flanger broke. Thankfully, before the pedal broke, he and Ibanez collaborated to make a similar pedal, with both a regular flanger mode and a mode which can be set to create a close approximation of the A/DA pedal's sound, and the pedal has been released as the Ibanez Paul Gilbert AF-2 Airplane Flanger. He also uses the Psilocybe phaser and THC chorus pedals from Home Brew Electronics.
In the intro to "Get Out Of My Yard" Paul uses a Boss DD-3 Delay pedal to achieve the altered pitch looped effect at the beginning of the track. This was also demonstrated by Paul on the instructional DVD of the same name.
He is also famous for using a Makita cordless drill with three picks mounted on the end of it, which he used most famously on the Mr. Big track "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy".
In 2009, Ibanez released a new PGM model, the Ibanez PGM401, which is rather different from most of Paul's previous models, with an ash body (most of his previous models were made of basswood, although his PGM800 guitar was made of lightweight ash, a similar but different wood than that used in the PGM401), Trifade Burst finish, Cosmo Black hardware and a regular headstock replacing the reversed one of the previous models. Also, rather than the DiMarzio PAF Pro, Tone Zone and Super Distortion pickups used in his previous models, the PGM401 comes with Paul's favorite humbucker model for the past five years, the DiMarzio Air Classic, arranged in a dual humbucker arrangement. Paul has stated that he had the bridge pickup moved 1mm closer to the neck, which he said results in a warmer and thicker sound, particularly for the high notes he often uses in soloing. The F-holes are 3% smaller, to make the look more balanced with the pickup mounting rings. But perhaps the biggest difference from other current Ibanez guitar models, is that the PGM401 uses the old late-1980s neckjoint, which is thicker than the current neckjoints on other Ibanez guitars.
In 2011, Ibanez released a new model for Gilbert the FRM100. The design of the FRM100 was inspired by many hours of playing and performance by Paul Gilbert with the original Ibanez Fireman model featuring a distinctive reverse Iceman body outline.


Guitar Rig & Signal Flow
A detailed gear diagram of Paul Gilbert's 2000 guitar rig is well-documented.

Personal Life
Gilbert currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his second wife, Emi Gilbert, whom he married in 2005. Prior to this, Gilbert was married from between 1993-96 to 1998 to Patricia Patterson.

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William "Billy" Sheehan

William "Billy" Sheehan (born on March 19, 1953, in Buffalo, New York) is an American bassist known for his work with Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, and Niacin. Sheehan has won the "Best Rock Bass Player" readers' poll from Guitar Player Magazine five times for his "lead bass" playing style. Sheehan's repertoire includes the use of chording, two-handed tapping, right-hand "three-finger picking" technique and controlled feedback.

Career

Early years
Billy Sheehan's first electric bass was a Hagström FB, which was soon joined by a Precision bass similar to Tim Bogert's. After acquiring the Precision bass, he removed the frets from the Hagström. Over the years, he heavily modified the Precision bass as well, adding a neck pickup and additional support for the bolt-on neck, which Sheehan considers its greatest weakness. The neck pickup was added for what Sheehan referred to as "super deep low end" modelled after Paul Samwell-Smith of the Yardbirds. The Gibson EB-0 type pickup in the neck and the original split Precision bass pickup each have their own separate output jacks on the bass itself, allowing for control of the tone via the bass. Sheehan also uses two amps to achieve his signature tone (as do Chris Squire of Yes and Doug Pinnick of King's X), one with full distortion and notch filtering to sound more guitar-like for solos, and one super-clean for the low end of the neck pickup. This bass has been retired, but he affectionately refers to it as "The Wife"."Gear article". Billysheehan.com. Retrieved 2011-08-09. Sheehan's signature Yamaha bass is based on this Bass.


Talas
Sheehan's first full-time band was Talas, a power trio with Dave Constantino on guitar and Paul Varga on drums. The band played a mixture of cover songs and original material, and all three instrumentalists alternated on lead vocals.
Talas was one of Buffalo's most popular local bands for over a decade, arguably attaining cult status which spread into the northeast US and into Canada. In 1978, Talas released their eponymous debut album, which generated the regional hit single, "See Saw". It was during this time that Sheehan wrote some of his most famous songs, namely "Shy Boy" (later re-recorded with David Lee Roth), and the complex and frenetic "Addicted to that Rush" (later re-recorded with Mr Big).
In the late 1970s, Sheehan also played in a band called Light Years with drummer Ron Rocco who had earlier played in a band called Black Sheep with Foreigner singer Lou Gramm in Rochester, NY. After Sheehan returned to Talas they opened a show for UFO in Buffalo. This led Sheehan to an association with guitarist Michael Schenker and also helped land him the job touring with UFO in 1983.
Talas' first national exposure happened in 1980, when they opened thirty shows for Van Halen. However, success was elusive, and even as their brand of what came to be known as "glam metal" gained popularity over the next few years, Talas remained an unsigned act, due largely to poor management. They independently released their debut eponymous "Talas" LP on Evenfall Records (reissued by Metal Blade) and then "Sink Your Teeth Into That" on Relativity Records.
Seeking to take Talas further than just regional success, Sheehan reformed Talas with another drummer (Mark Miller), guitarist (Mitch Perry, also later of Heaven), and a dedicated vocalist, Phil Naro, with whom in the late 1970s Sheehan had previously worked in his side project (the Billy Sheehan Band). Talas would release only one more album, Live Speed on Ice. After Mitch Perry left the band, he was replaced by Johnny Angel, who played guitar with them for their 1985/86 US tour opening for Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force. There was a fourth Talas record, tentatively titled "Lights, Camera, Action" to be issued on Gold Mountain/A&M, but it never got past the demo stage due to Sheehan leaving to join David Lee Roth's solo band. Talas did briefly continue on under Phil Naro sans Sheehan, enlisting Jimmy Degrasso on drums, Al Pitrelli on guitar ,Bruno Ravel on bass and Gary Bivona on keyboards but by this time Talas was dead Ravel formed Danger Danger.
In the early 1980s, Sheehan became involved with the proto-thrash metal band Thrasher, during this time he shared the stage with future Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz. His involvement with Thrasher did not last long but he did play on 2 songs from the self titled LP, which has not been released on CD to date.

Billy performing with Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherininian and Tony MacAlpine
at De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands (October 21, 2012)

2000-present
In January 2009 Billy Sheehan reunited with his old Mr Big band members: Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert and Pat Torpey for a reunion tour in Japan. In April 2009 Sheehan's third solo album, Holy Cow!, produced by Simone Sello, was released by Mascot Records. The album features guest appearances from Paul Gilbert, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and King's X bassist Doug Pinnick. Gilbert has stated in an interview that his amicable collaboration with Billy on Holy Cow!, recorded prior to January, was likely a factor in the decision to reunite Mr Big. Mr. Big is still together and their new album What If... produced by Kevin Shirley was released December 15, 2010 in Japan, and January 21, 2011 in Europe. It was released February 8, 2011 in the U.S.
Sheehan reunited with his fellow Talas bandmates for a reunion concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls, New York on July 28, 2012.


Personal Life
Sheehan has been an active member of the Church of Scientology since 1971 and appeared on the street offering to defend it during Project Chanology.

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