One on One with BBMak!

They've got soul.  They've got style.  Now all they want is you!

    It's a fairy tale, really.  Mark Berry, Christian Burns and Ste McNally met in the Manchester, England music scene.  Mark Berry was frustrated with his current band.  Across town was another fellow, Christian Burns, also on the lookout for a new band.  Another local lad, Ste McNally had a hankering for something new, something special.

    The blokes spotted one another onstage and decided individually that they had to get together.  So they left their respective gigs and started out the old fashioned way: one guitar, three dreams.  Four years later the guys are an international success story known as BBMak.

    There's a moral to the story of BBMak-follow your gut! "We've been together for four years," explains Mark. "When we met, we got on really well and recognized each other's qualities and thought it was gonna be great to form a group."

    And sure enough, they were right on target! BBMak's first single is the totally catchy, smooth tune called "Back Here." You'll get an even bigger taste of BBMak if you pick up their American debut album Sooner or Later.  But we know how it is.  You hear the song, you fall for the guys and you need to know more, more, more!  And as always, Tiger Beat is totally there for you!  So, take a deep breath and say hello to BBMak!

Mad About Mark
    It was over a year ago when BBMak hit the big time in the UK.   Mark Barry, a kind of shy guy, headed over to his favorite pub in Manchester.   "I walked in, and the whole room kind of went silent," he recalls.   "It literally got really quiet.  It was so strange."

    So how did Mark make way for a musical life? Well, eleven years ago, the sultry Scorpio picked up his first set of bagpipes. That's right-bagpipes! You won't hear the bagpipes in BBMak tunes, but Mark was a natural musician and he wanted it all-bagpipes, guitar, you name it! Mark's not one to toot his own horn, but the other guys in the group are too proud of Mark to keep mum about his talent. "But what Mark didn't tell you was that he was four times English champion," says bandmate Ste. "He doesn't tell everyone that. He's really shy really." We can confirm that Mark has a quiet side, but his smile is so warm that it positively lights up the room.

    His family would be the first to agree that Mark is something special. That's why they supported him on his quest for stardom.  "I think if it wasn't for our families we wouldn't be here today because they were supporting us from  day one." says the brown-eyed babe.  "You know, we had no money from the start and they always chipped in money to help us get a demo together.  Since day one they've been so supportive."

    Mark, who likes to chill out by riding his motorcycle through the English countryside, is a bit stunned by the whirlwind life.  What does he miss most about home?  "Friends and family," he says with a heartfelt smile.   And, when he needs a taste of the old country, there's only one dish that will do-chicken fajitas, the way his mum used to make them.  Yum yum!

    How would Mark work off a hearty meal of fajitas?  By getting his groove on to his favorite performer of all time: Stevie Wonder!  For Mark, the only way to top listening to Stevie would be playing with Stevie.  That's been his lifelong musical dream, so keep your fingers crossed for Mark-he deserves it!

Crushin' On Christian
    Christian blushes when Ste and Mark tease him about the celebrity he resembles most-a young Frank Sinatra!  But playful Christian busts out a few Sinatra lyrics and keeps the laughter afloat.  With his diamond blue eyes and golden complexion, Christian seems cut out for Sinatra level stardom.

    It's fun to watch Christian's eyes light up when he talks about the moment that BBMak really came together. "There's a song on the album called 'Love is Leaving.'" explains Christian. "We wrote that song. It's actually the second song we wrote and we had all these 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' on the intro.  We listened to it, and we were like aahhh.  Ever since then, we always incorporate harmonies in the songs."

    Whether he's writing soulful lyrics or playing silly tricks, Christian approaches life with an energy that's totally contagious.  He'll have the whole gang laughing with his impression of a New York accent-"Fuggetabout it" is undoubtedly one of his favorite phrases in the English language!  In fact, Christian loves everything about New York.  Sure he misses England, but's he's fallen hard for NYC style pizza!

    We think Christian might even be an American at heart.  On tour with BBMak he's gotten to meet a lot of celebs.  But, do you know who he was most psyched about?  "'Carlton' from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," he says, nearly jumping out of his seat.  "I mean 'Carlton'!  We were in LA and I thought that is was just amazing."  That's the American spirit, Christian!

    Above all, Christian comes out on top because of his great sense of humor.  He can handle anything-even those pesky rumors.  "I was supposedly going out with this girl, this royalty celebrity," he laughs.  "There would be a picture of me in the paper and it wouldn't even be me in the picture.  It would be someone else with long hair, and it would say Christian Burns.  It was funny.   It looked nothing like me."

    For all of you whose hearts are pounding about Christian's romantic status, you can chill. He's single, so feel free to crush on Christian all you want!

Swooning Over Ste
    Ask Ste about the beginning of BBMak and  you'll get an animated, enthusiastic reply.  At first, Ste and company sent out demos, but they wanted to get more up close and personal.  So they got all dressed up and hit the pavement!   There they were, threee guys, one guitar, crooning right outside the studios!

    But Ste wanted the band to stand out even more.  So, the guys convinced their families to sponsor a showcase so that they could ensure exposure to record labels.  "You know, taking our dream to every major record label in the country is really something," he says, beaming with pride.  "Suddenly it's one room in Liverpool and we're about to go on stage with one guitar and three voices.   Singing songs that we wrote in our bedrooms!  It was scary."  We bet!

    Ah, Ste. He's the one with the utterly intense gaze that sends you into spasms when you watch him on MTV.  It's a good thing you're meeting Ste now, long after his metal head phase.  His what?  "I went through a terrible phase where I had really long hair and this leather jacket," he says with a self-conscious grin.  "I was way into Metallica and Guns'n Roses."  Whoa!

    Nowadays if you snuck a peak in Ste's CD collection, you would be spared the hard core metal.  Ste's grown out of the thrasher sound and now favors classic rockers like Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton and his all time favorite, Stevie Wonder.  As for the ladies, Ste has the hots for a certain vampire slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar.  But, he would consider dating a fan, if, of course, "the circumstances were right and she wasn't a stalker!"  And if you do wind up on a date with this crush-worthy Cancer, you better be prepared for some thrills.   Ste spent some quality time in Disney World, and he couldn't get enough of the Rock n' Roller Coaster.  Scary, but with a guy like Ste by your side, we think anyone could handle it!

    Now that BBMak is officially on the road, the guys are all adjusting to the vagabond life.  For Ste, that means missing his family.  "I love going home," he says.  "I used to take going home home for granted, but when you're away, you miss it so much."  But think of how lucky we are to have Ste here in America!