~*~ Brittany: Hey, everyone. Welcome to AOL Live. I'm your host, Brittany, and I'm live in the studio with the British trio, BBMak.
BBMak: Hello!
Brittany: As you all know, they have their new album out, Sooner or Later, and their latest hit, Back Here, has been on the charts for three months. And they're touring with *NSYNC. Not too shabby. Do you each want to introduce yourself?
Christian Burns: Hello. I'm Christian.
Mark Barry: Hello, guys. I'm Mark.
SteMcNally: Hello, guys, I'm Ste.
Brittany: If you have any questions about their tour, album, or anything personal, you can type it in now and it will pop up on the screen and I'll ask your questions to BBMak. While we're waiting for the first one to pop up, I'm going to ask you guys the AOL celebrity question of the month. Who was your first smooch?
BBMak: Who was my first smooch? When I was 13, at a friend's party. I forgot the name.
Brittany: OK.
BBMak: I was about 11 years old, and it was a girlfriend.
BBMak: I remember it vividly. I was 7. I was on holiday in Cypress.
Brittany: OK. We're going to take the first question from you guys, the fans. It's a Kids Only question. It's from Amanda, and she asks: How do you like America and the people? Mark?
Mark Barry: America is my favorite place. LA is one of my favorite places, and Miami. There's just so much to do; the people are great.
BBMak: It's completely different from the UK. The weather is great. You got everything you want. There's everything you need, in Chicago and New York, LA and Miami. There's something for everyone in America. And the people are great, you know what I mean?
Brittany: Cool. That's nice of you. Dizzy Dream 29 asks: Do any of you guys have a girlfriend? What do you guys look for in a girl?
BBMak: I don't have a girlfriend. I'm so busy at the moment. We're all so busy. Can't find time, really.
BBMak: In a girl I look for someone who's fun and someone who's into music.
Brittany: Same thing?
BBMak: I have a girlfriend at the moment, yeah. She's in England.
Brittany: Do you have a girlfriend?
BBMak: No, not at the moment. I've been so busy, it's hard to get time. I like somebody who's easy going, somebody who likes music, somebody who just likes having fun.
Brittany: Good answer. Kus 2 tfo -- what exactly does it feel like on stage to see everyone singing your songs?
BBMak: It's one of the most amazing feelings we have. It's funny because people think we get nervous before we go on stage. We used to get nervous, like four years ago when we started doing shows. Now we've done so many shows, it's just pure adrenaline, because you know that the people know who you are and you're going out to have a good show. Especially when the crowd's singing back to you. You know, songs that you've written yourself and you got like 50,000 people singing all the words along with you. It's just one of the best feelings.
Brittany: That's got to be amazing. OK, next question -- do you think BBMak will ever release a live album? That would be really cool if you do.
BBMak: We've actually got a D.V.D. out at the moment, called "Sooner or Later." There's some live footage on that D.V.D., of our tour last year in the States. So you should check that out. There's a lot of other things on there, as well. If you're a BBMak fan, get the D.V.D. It's called "Sooner or Later."
BBMak: I'm sure we'll do a live album.
BBMak: Maybe after a few more albums. We'll do all the hits live in concert.
Brittany: That would be neat. That would be cool. OK. Tisly 7 jrt -- are sunglasses an important accessory to you three?
BBMak: We just had a long flight from Chicago.
BBMak: Sunglasses are essential, as you can see.
Brittany: They just got off the plane, right from the airport here. That was really nice of you guys.
BBMak: There you go.
Brittany: OK. Another question from our kids only group -- Jocelyn asks, what does BBMak stand for?
BBMak: We got the names from our last names. You know, we wanted a name that meant something to us, as a band. And we came up with BBMak from our names, Christian Burns, Mark Barry, Steven McNally. So it's Burns, Barry, McNally.
Brittany: That's cool. For those of you just joining us, geand type in your questions for -- go ahead and type in your questions for BBMak. It will pop up on my screen and I'll ask the questions for the band. Next question -- hi, guys. I know you're extremely busy day to day. If you're lucky enough to get a day off , what do you usually do with the free time?
BBMak: Well, we try to get as much sleep in as possible. L.A., for instance, we go watch a movie or hang around the shops, do shopping, do the sightseeing. We're always on the go.
Brittany: I don't see how you guys get to sleep after a show, because of your adrenaline rush, on show. I would think you just --
BBMak: When you come off stage, it takes about an hour to chill. After being on stage for 50,000 people, you do a meet-and-greet for 25 people, then you calm down, calm down, calm down. Then an hour later, you're like this -- but it's cool.
Brittany: Another question from ae 1187 -- what will you guys be doing the rest of the summer?
BBMak: Well, we're actually, on the 24th, going back to the U.K. We've got a vacation. We're on vacation for like 12 days, two weeks. We're all actually going away somewhere just to relax, chill out and enjoy the time off, because we haven't had a holiday for --
BBMak: Three years.
BBMak: Three years?
Brittany: Three years?
BBMak: That's going to be nice. You know, we're still doing writing for the next album. We're doing shows over in the U.K. Then we're releasing the second single in Europe. We're going to be shooting a video for "unpredictable" the next single in the U.K. Yeah, we got lots of things going on.
BBMak: We're going in the studio at the end of August, beginning of September, to start working on the new album.
Brittany: That will be exciting. OK, another question from the fans -- Sarah Lizmore, you did enjoy working with the cast of -- with the cast on the disney channel?
BBMak: It was funny. It actually aired about four days ago. It was good. It was fun to watch. It's completely different from what we're used to doing. We've been on "all my children" a couple times. But we got like a role in it, playing ourselves but we had like lines. It just killed to see what actors have to do. Our job's completely different than theirs.
Brittany: Was it hard to learn words coming from someone else?
BBMak: We didn't have many lines. So it wasn't that bad. But we kind of en-- enjoyed it. Last night on the show, the girl who played ruby on "even Stevens" came back to say hi.
Brittany: That's cool. OK. We're going to take another question. How do you think your fans from the U.K. differ from the ones in the States?
BBMak: Very, very similar. In Asia you find the fans are a lot more well-reserved, more relaxed. But the fans in England and America, they're both very similar.
BBMak: Different accents.
BBMak: Yeah, different accents.
Brittany: Picksy deuce duex -- 228, how do you like being on the I'm a huge fan now.
BBMak: Thank you.
BBMak: It was fantastic, because we're still a relatively new band and we're still, you know, getting our name out there. And opportunity, because they were playing stadium shows. You know, we played in a giant stadium with them, and that was like 70,000 people we played. It was just a great way getting across. The good thing about it, a lot of our fans are because they see their favorite group and BBMak as their favorite band. There's totally no competition. We're totally completely different, but we're two great groups.
Brittany: OK. Nalowhiz -- do you have any backstage rituals?
BBMak: Backstage rituals? I think just before we go on stage we do -- "BBMak!" We usually shout it, you know, to get geared up for the show, in the back. Then, you know, at least a couple minutes of peace and quiet before the show, to get your head together. That's about it, really.
Brittany: You guys aren't superstitious at all?
BBMak: No.
BBMak: No.
BBMak: No. You go on, you do the show, then you get off.
Brittany: OK. E-shoosh-539725, have you started recording your next album yet?
BBMak: Not yet. We're starting in August, end of August, beginning of September. That's when we start work on the new record.
BBMak: We got a studio in the back of the tour bus and we started recording demos. We got material definitely already.
Brittany: Sweet little angel 567 -- I'm one of your biggest fans. What do you think is going to be your next song to be released in the U.S.?
BBMak: I think we're going to release another song off this album, it would be "unpredictable" and there's a possibility that that might be the next single. We'll have to wait and see, see what happens.
Brittany: For those of you just joining us, we're with BBMak on AOL Live.
BBMak: Yeah!
BBMak: What's up, guys?
Brittany: If you have any questions for the band about the tour, the album, or anything in general, type them in now, they'll pop up on my computer screen and I'll ask the questions for the guys. Next question -- I was wondering what your favorite desserts are.
BBMak: I think mine is strawberry cheesecake. Yeah.
Brittany: Good.
BBMak: Mine's scraub pavalova.
Brittany: What's that?
BBMak: -- mine's strawberry pavalova.
Brittany: What's that?
BBMak: Ice and strawberry and creefment
BBMak: Mine is apple pie and custard. Nice.
Brittany: OK. Tonya gold 2 -- have you read the harry Potter books and are you excited for the movies?
BBMak: Harry Potter? I think Steve has.
BBMak: I got "the goblet and the fire," the new harry Potter book for my brother and his little kids. I'm reading the harry Potter books. It's a great kid's book, very well-known around the world.
Brittany: OK. Next one, BBMak fan 135 -- what would you want to be if you couldn't be a singer?
BBMak: Well, for me, before I met the guys, I was in college training to be a firefighter.
Brittany: Really?
BBMak: Yeah. I was always active in school. I'd probably be putting fires out now.
BBMak: I don't know what I'd be. I really believe that I can do anything that I put my mind to, you know. Keep an open mind, if you believe in something, you can do it. You know what I mean? That's why I love music. We all believe in ourselves, that's why we're here today.
BBMak: I don't know. At one point when I was younger, I wanted to be a chef. I ended up selling cars. So who knows? I don't know.
Brittany: Hard to say, you know. OK, bb rude girl 876 -- what are the best and worst parts about touring?
BBMak: The best part, obviously, is getting on stage and performing with a full band. Luckily for us on the tour, we've got the full band on stage. That's what we love doing. The worst is spending time away from home.
BBMak: You know, you're so busy that on your days off, you go to wash your clothes, so you really don't get any time. You see BBMak in the laundry, sticking their underwear in the washing machine.
Brittany: I hadn't thought of that, though.
BBMak: What Mark said, the same thing, spending time away from home. The worst thing. Yeah, on the wardrobe, when your clothes are all creased.
Brittany: OK, we're going to take a question from the kids only group, from Tyler, who wants to know, what was your inspiration for "Ghost of You and Me"?
BBMak: "Ghost of You and Me" is a song on the album and when we first heard the song, we didn't write the song "Ghost of You and Me." It was written by John Lind and Richard, from the band Mr. Mister. They had big hits in the 1980's. We heard the song in the studio and thought it was a beautiful song. And we went in the studio, cooked it. It turned out fantastic, you know. It is now a beautiful song, one of my favorite songs on the album.
BBMak: You can vote for it.
Brittany: Yeah, you guys vote for it. OK, light blue wants to know, do you chat with your fans on AOL?
BBMak: I actually am on AOL, and --
Brittany: Yipee.
BBMak: I use it quite a lot. We don't get that much time. I get to the hotel room, I check my e-mails. I have time to check with my manager and family and some friends. Sometimes I go to other sites, BBMak.com, go to the chat rooms.
Brittany: Do you guys ever get a chance? Same thing?
BBMak: We have our laptops. We take them with us everywhere we go. We're all on AOL.
Brittany: I was checking out both of your web sites, because you have a European and American, and they're pretty cool. They're designed very well.
BBMak: Thank you.
BBMak: Thank you.
Brittany: Zipper girl 12 wants to know -- why wasn't Christian on the "TRL" the other day?
Christian Burns: I wasn't on "TRL" the other day because I was in England, my sister got married on Friday. Last Friday. So I had to fly back. Then they went down to key west. Had a lot of fun down there, didn't you? Went fishing?
BBMak: Yeah.
BBMak: But it wasn't the same without Christian. Going on telly without Christian, it's not BBMak. Know what I mean? But we were there representing him and he was off watching his sister get married.
Brittany: That's sweet. OK, another question from the kids only group. It's from Sheila. She wants to know -- how do you guys lose your accents when you sing? Well, good luck to BBMak!
BBMak: Say that again.
Brittany: Good luck to BBMak!
BBMak: These American mikes, the sponge thing on the top of the Mike is what -- no, I'm kidding. I don't know. I think obviously my explanation for that, I think it's because when you're speaking with an accent, it goes up and goes down, you know. And when you're singing a song, it just sticks to a melody. So what differentiates each accent is the highs and lows of the accent. And when you sing, you have to stick to it so everyone sounds the same.
Brittany: Good answer.
BBMak: Yep.
Brittany: OK, next question -- who's your favorite clothing designer?
BBMak: I haven't really got a favorite. I like Armani. I like Clyde cook's clothing. I'm more of a jeans kind of person. I don't know. Armani, stone island.
BBMak: I totally haven't got a favorite. Whether it costs $5 or $50, if it looks good on me, I'll take it. You know what I mean? It doesn't matter who makes it.
BBMak: Depends. Like the suits and stuff, a nice Gucci stuff, which I get free all the time.
Brittany: Those are good.
BBMak: I don't know. We wear a lot of jeans, Diesel jeans. Anything, really. We wear all sorts of stuff, you know. Brittany: OK. Short beats wants to know -- hey, BBMak, do you guys like the Beatles? If so, did they influence you fellows a lot, since you guys are from liverpool. Liverpool rocks! Oh, yeah!
BBMak: The Beatles has influenced me. I was into the Beatles growing up. I listened to beatle songs all the time. You know, they changed the way music is today, the Beatles, the influence, from Dance to rock today, you know, the Beatles are a very influential band.
BBMak: It's funny, because I'm the only one from Liverpool. He's from Manchester, and he's from Wigin. Which is very different. I'm a huge Beatle fans. I'm reading a book about the Beatles. Apparently, I'm related to Ringo Starr, the drummer of the Beatles, because my dad's cousin was his dad's wife.
Brittany: That's cool. Really cool. Air Canada 1519 -- do they have any favorite professional sports teams?
BBMak: Yes. I like football, soccer. Liverpool football club. They're a great team this year. Well durning lads.
BBMak: Manchester United. I'm a boxing fan, as well.
BBMak: Me, a soccer fan. The greatest team in Europe, in the world right now, undoubtedly, you know, is Liverpool.
Brittany: OK. Sarah km 123 -- Christian, how many times a day do you brush your teeth, because they are so beautiful?
BBMak: He doesn't brush them.
Christian Burns: Actually, every hour, on the hour. No. You know, once, twice a day, before I go to bed, when I get up. Sometimes, you know, just once a day, because you don't have time. But no, I don't know, I brush them really hard till they bleed.
BBMak: No, you don't.
BBMak: He's got a good dentist.
Christian Burns: Yeah. Actually, this one he fell when he was 14, smashed it. It fell out.
Brittany: Ouch. OK, another question from the fans -- kizlee 7 jrt, what's your favorite thing to do on the bus?
BBMak: We've got lots of things.
BBMak: The lounge is our favorite.
BBMak: Playstations, Nintendo, dreamcast, we've got everything in the back of the bus.
BBMak: D.V.D. player, video player, music systems. Nintendo 54, playstation, air-conditioning, toilet, shower, beds. We got everything on the bus. So we love the bus because it's like when we're traveling from city to city, you have to fly, you know, it's a pain to have to get up and check in, check out. So we love the bus. It's great.
Brittany: OK, monkey star wants to know how you deal with the girls throwing themselves at you. Do you enjoy it or find it somewhat insane? How do you guys react to that when girls are like, "I love you! Marry me!"
BBMak: It's cool.
BBMak: We're doing our job. It means people love our music and want to be close to us and meet us. But you just deal with it. You know, everyone deals with it differently. You know, you take time to say hello, sign an autograph, take a picture, you know, put on a good show for them. What else can you do?
Brittany: Have any of you had anything really crazy happen?
BBMak: We get crazy things all the time. Usually it's trivial, fun things, you know. But we're really passionate about our work, and we have a great team up there that does a lot of good work. We'd like to say hello to everyone on the tour.
BBMak: Hi, guys.
BBMak: Guys, you're doing a great job.
Brittany: OK, time for one more question. Hopefully the last one. La-di-da says, we love you guys. Looking forward to seeing you on tour. What's your next single?
BBMak: Like we said before, the next single will be "unpredictable" off this album. Then the single after that will be the first single off the new album.
BBMak: Hopefully we'll have a single for January, off the new album.
BBMak: Or December.
BBMak: Yeah, we'll see.
