WE HAD A CONFLICT … Andrew Freeman on Great White: “I Was Completely Ghosted” after our split and “(They had a) Very Dysfunctional Relationship with Jack Russell”

**Andrew Freeman – Photo courtesy Facebook**

“You know, but I’ll tell ya, I haven’t heard from one of those guys, in two years. Completely ghosted (me). And I really helped them out, and they just… you know, so for me to be positive about it, I can’t be positive about it.”
— Andrew Freeman on Great White

Metal Sludge — On a brand new episode of Chris Akin Presents (shared below) with host Chris Akin, former Great White frontman Andrew Freeman is the guest.

Freeman who was brought into Great White to replace Mitch Malloy on May 31st 2022 was fronting the group from that spring into the fall before being replaced by current frontman Brett Carlisle in late September 2022.

Akin asks Freeman about his tenure in Great White and refers to it as being a miss… suggesting that it wasn’t the best fit for either the singer or the group.

Freeman looks back and says (As Transcribed by Metal Sludge): “I don’t know how deep I want to get into it… but, I will give you the most condensed version I can give ya.”

“I got contacted a year before I joined, and they needed someone to cover for Mitch (Malloy) because he couldn’t do a show. And that, in there lies, is the problem with that band (Great White). Is, that, they don’t care who they have in front of them. They don’t care who is fronting the band, you know. It’s not going to be, it’s not Jack (Russell). The fans want Jack. They can’t work it out… they couldn’t work it out with Jack, umm… for whatever reason. It’s a very, ah, dysfunctional relationship that they had with Jack, from my opinion, my understanding of it.”

Freeman continues: “I don’t think they (Great White) really care, who they have. They were not happy with past choices, and they kind of pursued me over 6 months. And I, I said sure, I’ll come do it.”

“Basically what it came down to was, Michael Lardie called me and said that they wanted to make a switch and I was free for that summer. And I said, okay, well I have dates in the fall with Last In Line. Umm, I’ll give you those dates, and you can, you know whatever you guys wanna do but I am not, I can’t cancel those dates. You know, I have these shows. But if worse comes to worse and it doesn’t work out for you guys. Umm, I’ll get you through the summer, and if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll just part ways, shake hands and be done with it.” added Freeman.

Great White with Andrew Freeman back in the summer of 2022. Pictured L-R: Audie Desbrow (drums), Michael Lardie (keyboards / guitars), Scott Snyder (bass), Andrew Freeman (lead vocals) and Mark Kendall (lead guitar)

Freeman then adds “we had a conflict” over some scheduling and alleges one person didn’t tell the other person, and soon there was a gig that overlapped with the Great White schedule where Freeman was not available as he had a previous commitment and there was some miscommunication.

At this point Freeman is referencing “the next guy“, which it seems would have been Brett Carlisle who was brought in to fill-in on a show that Freeman could not do.

It sounds like he is saying Great White had started focusing on Carlisle and Freeman was going to be let go, and insinuates that everything between the parties was not being communicated accordingly or above board.

Freeman continued; “It wasn’t on my end, because I was completely transparent about everything I was doing. So, the thing that made it go sour, was that they didn’t tell me. They didn’t tell and they wanted… and I told them, if you’re not happy, just let me know. I’d rather you just tell me. So what they did, is they tried to pull a fast one on me. (They) brought the guy in, I found out. You know I figured it out.”

“They were basically going to fire me at a show that I was bringing my son to in up-state New York. And I said, you know we had this planned a trip around this thing and I said; “If you think I am coming to a gig, with my kid, and you’re going to fire me at the gig, then you can just get the other guy now.” So about 4 days before, I pulled out and I said; “Get your other guy, If you got a guy ready to go, get him in there.” says Freeman.

“This is how petty this whole thing is, I gotta to pay for my own flight. I pay you know… and they do reimburse me for it but, you know I was out the money for a couple things. And basically I stepped aside without it getting weird. You know, but I’ll tell ya, I haven’t heard from one of those guys, in two years. (They) completely ghosted (me). And I really helped them out, and they just… you know, so for me to be positive about it, I can’t be positive about it.” added Freeman.

“It was a fun gig, (but) I wasn’t really that into it.” said Freeman at the end of the segment.

According to Wikipedia the band Great White have had 22 members, 6 of which were singers (Jack Russell, Paul Shortino, Jani Lane, Terry Ilous, Mitch Malloy and Andrew Freeman) over-time in addition to the current 5-piece line-up that features their 7th vocalist Brett Carlisle.