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By Clarence Yu MR. Big, the hard rock supergroup that formed in the 1980's and yielded the hits "To Be With You" and "Green Tinted Sixties Mind" has reunited. The band is comprised of bassist Billy Sheehan (of Talas and David Lee Roth Band fame), guitarist Paul Gilbert (formerly Racer X), drummer Pat Torpey (formerly of The Knack) and singer Eric Martin. The group debuted with their eponymous album in 1989. This album laid the groundwork for their distinct sound: crunching, shredding guitars, precision-pounded drums, booming bass and raspy melodic vocals. Soaring choruses combined with crunch delighted fans of the band the world over. Wait. This sounds like almost every other band that blossomed out of the 80's under the rock/heavy metal genre. What differentiated Mr. Big from other bands of their time was the fact that all of the members had previous successful careers in their own right and that all of them had a knack for writing pop-sensible songs. Eric Martin's (who had a semi-successful solo career beforehand) vocals were rough but really melodic, as if he could pass off as Steven Tyler's younger brother. Pat Torpey was renowned as an excellent session drummer in his own right, outside of the rock circles. Sheehan and Gilbert in particular, known for their work as guitar virtuosos, had a chance to show their songwriting skill, and it showed. Their follow-up album Lean Into It (1991) yielded the number one hit (albeit acoustic) "To Be With You." With the onset of grunge, the band's popularity waned in the United States; however they maintained their popularity in other parts of the world, most notably in Japan, where their fan base is tremendously huge. Paul Gilbert left the band in 1997, replaced by another guitar virtuoso, Ritchie Kotzen (ex-Poison). The band recorded two more albums with Kotzen which were released to the Japan market before finally calling it quits in 2002. Rising tensions and solo ventures (as with all others) reportedly caused the break-up. However, the fact that they lasted this long as a supergroup was testimony that this was no fly by night effort. As of February 2009, the band had announced their reunion with all the original members intact. A tour of Japan is scheduled for June 2009, followed by a possible release of a live DVD. With so many rock revivals, reunions and cross-unions happening, Mr. Big might be riding on a bandwagon, but they are certainly worth your ride as well. Catch this YouTube video of their recent Japanese promotional TV performance of their 1991 song "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy," and you might catch my drift.

MANILA, Philippines -- “We’re radical then…but we’ve changed. We never claimed this mantel of Emo,” Third Eye Blind’s (3eb) Stephan Jenkins (guitar and vocals) declared, as he explained how the band’s music has changed since their eponymous debut album in 1997. 3eb is definitely not an Emo band. It is an American alternative rock band that emerged in the 1990s with lyrical rock staples like “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Graduate,” and “How’s It’s Going To Be.” Their successful 1997 album Third Eye Blind remains their biggest, selling 6 million copies, according to Jenkins. However, a decade in the music business has made the band a lot more “integrated,” “louder” and “political,” according to Jenkins who seemed in the mood to give long answers to questions by local journalists during a press conference here.
3eb is scheduled to play a one-night concert in Manila on September 5, as part of the Oktoberfest festivities led by San Miguel Corp. What kept the band from coming out with a new album? Jenkins replied, “I came out of a lyrical slump.” The recent US political climate has somehow inspired Jenkins and the rest of the band to finally finish 3eb’s fourth album, reportedly dubbed Ursa Major. It will be under the Sony label and is expected to come out February 2009. “We now have a stronger sense of who we are as musicians,” said Jenkins who was with Brad Hargreaves (drums and percussions) and Tony Fredianelli (guitar and vocals). During the press conference, Jenkins kept coming back to the “US political consciousness” that has recently emerged – hinting probably on the upcoming elections – which he said has influenced the songs in the new album. The band agreed that writing the new album was “challenging.” In fact, Jenkins who answered most of the questions posed by journalists, explained that 3eb’s new music is "extroverted" now due to more interactivity happening within the band. Asked about the band's thoughts on how technology has changed the music industry, Jenkins said YouTube and MySpace have allowed bands to interact directly with their fans and vice versa, effectively removing the once-powerful music executives from the picture. “Power is now in the hands of the band,” Jenkins stressed, noting that today's bands “don’t need to dance on top of the table” to make it in this cutthroat industry. Asked about music piracy and emerging initiatives to let people decide how much are they willing to pay for music online – as exemplified by Radiohead's strategy to sell Rainbows – Hargreaves retorted, “it’s unstoppable,” referring to music piracy on the Internet. The Internet has, however, helped 3eb reached out to younger fans who are less familiar with their music. “More youngsters are now embracing our music,” Jenkins said, thanks to social networks like MySpace and Facebook.

By Abigail Kwok INQUIRER.net WHATEVER happened to the '90s? I find myself returning to my 90s music collection that consisted of songs from Third Eye Blind, Beck, Tamia, Daft Punk, Radiohead, and Mariah Carey. A good mixture of different music genres, I should say. I just had a sudden bout of nostalgia as I listened to these songs. In the 90s (I was still in high school then), these songs were pretty much definitive of high school life: love, friends, teenage angst, vices, and pop culture. I chanced upon this list from VH1 that ranked the top 100 greatest songs from the 90s. Which are/were your favorites? Browsing through the list, I noticed that most of the bands/singers that belonged there have either vanished from the limelight or shifted to a different musical style altogether. So what happened to some of these bands, anyway? Nirvana, which topped VH1's list for their song "Smells like Teen Spirit," is also known for their lead singer, the late Kurt Cobain. Cobain's death ended the rise of the US grunge band. In 1994, Cobain committed suicide while undergoing drug rehabilitation. Cobain and his band were able to release a number of albums, the most popular of which was Nevermind (1991). TLC's R&B/hip-hop song "Waterfalls" landed at number eight. TLC, for me, was arguably the Destiny's Child of the 90s. The group consisted of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. TLC's claim to fame was their 1994 album titled CrazySexyCool that contained hits like "Creep" and "Waterfalls." After the hit album, TLC released a 1999 album titled Fanmail that also produced hits like "Dear Lie," "No Scrubs," and "Unpretty." Prior to releasing their 2002 album 3D, one of the members, Left Eye, was killed in a car crash and the group was reduced to two. The duo has since separated and ventured off into solo careers. And who could forget MC Hammer? The baggy pants (a.k.a. Hammer pants), outrageous dance moves, and catchy songs like "U Can't Touch This" will always be reminiscent of the 90s life. MC Hammer, Stanley Kirk Burrell in real life, has since become a preacher and is a CEO of DanceJam.com. One of my favorite bands of all time, Counting Crows, also lands in the list for their song "Mr. Jones." Counting Crows is a California rock band whose other songs include "Colorblind," "Omaha," and "A Long December." Counting Crows is still alive and active in the music scene and they are set to release a new album called Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings on March 25, according to the band's official website. Destiny's Child debuted in the 90s with their single "Say My Name." The group started out with an R&B/hip-hop sound that appealed to listeners worldwide. The group initially started out as a quartet, with the music video of "Say My Name" showcasing members Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and Farrah Franklin. As the years passed, the group was reduced to three and the mainstays Knowles, Williams, and Rowland made waves in the music industry. Sadly, though, the group has since ventured into solo careers. Obviously, Beyonce is the most popular ex-Destiny's Child member, garnering awards and recognitions all over. Kelly Rowland is also making her own mark. Despite separating, each member of the group still retained that R&B/hip-hop style that made them popular. Although they didn't make it to the VH1 list, (Editor's note: Corrected. Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life" actually made it to the VH1 list.) Third Eye Blind's "Jumper" and "Semi-Charmed Life" will always be reminiscent of teenage angst, at least for me. The songs' powerful lyrics and catchy beat make me turn to them, until now, for listening pleasure. In my opinion, the two boy bands Backstreet Boys and N' Sync were the ones that went through the most transformation during the transition from the 90s up to the present. While Backstreet Boys retained its pop-ish music style, N' Sync has since disbanded, with Justin Timberlake making a major transformation, JC Chasez singing about sex ("All Day Long I Dream About Sex"), and Lance Bass coming out of the closet. N' Sync members' made headlines everywhere. The Backstreet Boys, though, simply lost one member -- Kevin Richardson -- but they still managed to retain their style and even released a new album, Unbreakable. Today, tons of new bands have emerged but the mark made by the 90s will forever remain. Ah, nostalgia. The 90s will always have a special place in my heart… and my iPod.