MR. BIG Guitarist Interviewed By Switzerland's STRINGWORKS (Audio)

Michael Herb of Switzerland's Stringworks.ch web site recently conducted an interview with guitarist Paul Gilbert of the reunited MR. BIG. You can now listen to the chat using at this location (click on player to launch audio).

MR. BIG's new album, "What If…", will be released in Europe on January 21, 2011 via Frontiers Records. The North American release, also on Frontiers Records, will follow 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.

Gilbert said: "This is the first MR. BIG album I have been a part of, since fourteen years and it was done in a snap. It was fun and we had really a good time in making this one." Adds Billy Sheehan: "It's so great to be back with Paul, Eric and Pat, too. We wrote this record like we did in the old days for the first two records. Jamming together in the same room to write songs." Pat Torpey states: "Some of the recording process is different now from what we were used to in the old times. But I think this record really managed to capture the performances of the band, not of the individual musicians." Eric Martin concludes: "I like to compare this to the first album, when we just got to know each other in a reharsal studio and cut it in eight or nine days. This is like chapter two. We had so many years, so many records and so many things behind us. Now this feels like a beautiful brand new chapter starting for all of us."

"What If…" was produced by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, RUSH, IRON MAIDEN) and the release will be followed by a world tour which will kick off in South America in March and will hit Europe in early summer.

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".

"What If…" will be released in a special edition CD + DVD in digipak, regular CD, vinyl and digital download and in a limited-edition luxury box including the CD, DVD, LP and exclusive memorabilia.