BILLY SHEEHAN Says He 'Just Played Bass' On MR. BIG's New Album 'Ten': 'I Couldn't Make It For The Writing Sessions'

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan spoke about the band's tenth studio album, "Ten". Released on July 12 via Frontiers Music Srl, the LP features 11 new original tracks written by singer Eric Martin and guitarist Paul Gilbert, along with André Pessis and Tony Fanucchi. "Ten" was produced by Jay Ruston and MR. BIG.

"Well, we took a break on a tour and were able to go in and record," Billy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I was super busy and couldn't make it for the writing sessions. So I came in and just played bass. And that was kind of cool. Just 'cause, 'What do you got? Okay. Maybe this will work.' And I would put a little bass line down. I do that a lot here in my home studio, record for a lot of clients around the world. And they'll send me — some of them are pro or semi pro, so what they send me is pretty good. But some are brand new or they've never made a record before, they're not sure what to do. And so we get all these disparate parts that haven't congealed into a song yet. And so we have to, with this, kind of make it work. So it's kind of a challenge. So we discovered over the couple of years we've been doing this, me and my engineer Scott, that bass can really — not necessarily me or my bass — but bass itself really can make or break a recording. It's amazing how much that low-frequency note translates the rest of everything else in a song. And we would get a song and we'd look at each other, like, 'Oh man. What are we gonna do? Jeez. Uh, let me try this,' and hit 'record' again. And by the end of the day, we're going, 'Hey, this thing is working.' So, fortunately with MR. BIG, we did not have nearly that bad readiness — the songs were very together — but it was nice to be able to just come in and create a bass line that just came from nowhere and just from my first impression of how the song went. So I didn't have a lot of time to even rehearse the songs. So in a way, that was kind of good too, because it was spontaneous and I didn't think it through. Thinking will ruin a song pretty easy — too much thinking about it. Just go for what you go. And that happens with writing a lot. You just come up with a part: 'Hey, I like the part. Cool. All right.' The next day, 'Maybe we should…' Hold on a second. Wait, we had it. And now you're changing your mind. So that was a cool way to approach it. I just went in and played bass and we came up with some cool stuff."

MR. BIG drummer Nick D'Virgilio is missing most of the final European leg of the band's "The BIG Finish" tour due to his commitments with his band BIG BIG TRAIN. He is being temporarily replaced on the trek by Edu Cominato, an experienced drummer from São Paulo, Brazil who has previously played with Sheehan and Martin, Jeff Scott Soto and Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE),among others.

MR. BIG recently completed the European leg of "The BIG Finish", which saw the veteran band performing MR. BIG's 1991 album, "Lean Into It", in full, along with other cuts from the group's history.

When MR. BIG announced "The BIG Finish" tour last year, the bandmembers said that it was "time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy" after drummer Pat Torpey lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2018. The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August 2023, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

As a session musician and touring artist, Nick has worked with many different kinds of artists and bands, from TEARS FOR FEARS, Sheryl Crow and Kevin Gilbert to Peter Gabriel and Eric Burdon and the ANIMALS. In 1996, Nick took Phil Collins's place in GENESIS and played on their "Calling All Stations" album. He has also carved out a major presence in the progressive rock world with his bands, SPOCK'S BEARD and BIG BIG TRAIN.

Before joining the Sweetwater team, Nick spent almost five years touring with Cirque Du Soleil's "Totem" as drummer, vocalist, and assistant bandleader.

MR. BIG's last-ever live album release will be "The BIG Finish Live", which is due out September 6 via the Evolution Music Group.

"The BIG Finish Live" is a brand-new live album and concert film of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" farewell tour, where the band played their million-selling "Lean Into It" album in its entirety, plus additional MR. BIG classics. Filmed in 4K at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan on July 26, 2023, this historic performance will be available in many different multiple high-quality formats: 180g black vinyl (3-LP),Hybrid Stereo Multi-Channel SACDs (2),MQA-CDs (2),MQA-CDs + Blu-ray (2),4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (featuring behind-the-scenes and interview footage),and cassette (2). All of these formats will come with a booklet/insert that includes previously unreleased photos from their Budokan performance, as well as a sticker or postcard gift for fans.