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Steve Vai
Steve Vai in 2007
Steve Vai in 2007
Background information
Birth nameSteven Siro Vai
Born (1960-06-06) June 6, 1960 (age 64)
Carle Place, Long Island, New York, United States
GenresInstrumental rock, hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock, progressive metal, experimental rock, speed metal
Instrument(s)Guitar, keyboards, vocals
Years active1978–present
LabelsFavored Nations, Relativity, Urantia Records, Akashic Records, Epic
Websitewww.vai.com

Steven Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. He and his contemporary Joe Satriani are widely regarded as virtuosos on their instruments with their skill extending beyond their affinity for their instrument to their mastery of the technology necessary to present their art to the public. After starting his career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Vai recorded and toured in Zappa's band for two years, from 1980 to 1982. He began a solo career in 1983, has released eight solo albums and won three Grammy Awards. He has also recorded and toured with Public Image Ltd., Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake. Vai has been a regular touring member of the G3 Concert Tour which began in 1995. In 1999, Vai started his own record label Favored Nations, intending to showcase as he describes, "... artists that have attained the highest performance level on their chosen instruments."[1]

Biography

Early life

Descended from Italian immigrants, Vai began playing guitar in 1973, at the age of 13.[2] In 1974, he took guitar lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani and played in local bands, one of which was called "The Steve Vais". He was influenced by guitarists including Jimmy Page, Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore,[3] Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Glen Buxton,[4] and jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth. He credits Jimmy Page's solo in the Led Zeppelin song 'Heartbreaker' as his main influence. He has stated, 'When I first heard that solo, I went wild. I was like, "I want to learn how to play that. I've got to learn how to play that!"' Vai attended Berklee College of Music, afterwards recording a promotional piece for them in which he spoke about auditioning for Frank Zappa at age 20.

Steve Vai (on guitar in between the drums and keyboard), Frank Zappa and band during a concert at the Memorial Auditorium, Oct 25, 1980 Buffalo, New York

Early music career (1979-1985)

Vai mailed Frank Zappa a transcription of Zappa's "The Black Page", an instrumental for drums, along with a tape of Vai's guitar playing. Zappa was so impressed that in 1979, he hired him to transcribe a number of his guitar solos, including some on the Joe's Garage album and the Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar series. These transcriptions were published in 1982 in The Frank Zappa Guitar Book. After being hired as a transcriber, Vai did overdubs on many of the guitar parts for Zappa's album You Are What You Is. He became a full-fledged band member, going on his first tour with Zappa in the autumn of 1980.

One of those early shows with Vai on guitar, was released as Buffalo in 2007. While touring with Zappa's band, Vai sometimes asked audience members to bring musical scores and see if he could sight-read them on the spot. Zappa referred to Vai as his "little Italian virtuoso" and listed him in the liner notes as performing "stunt guitar" or "impossible guitar parts". Vai was a featured artist on the 1993 recording Zappa's Universe. In 2006 he appeared as a special guest on Dweezil Zappa's 'Zappa Plays Zappa' tour, alongside friends from his early years with Zappa.

After leaving Zappa in 1982 he moved to California, where he recorded his first album Flex-Able, in 1983 (released January 1984) and performed in a couple of bands. In 1985 he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen as lead guitarist in Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz, with whom he recorded the album Disturbing the Peace. In 1985, Vai played with John Lydon's Public Image Ltd on their album Album. Also in February 1985, Vai performed in a one off project for the eclectic jazz label, ECM Records, The Epidemics (ECM 1308). That project was headed by Indian violinist, Shankar, known perhaps best for his work with John Mc Laughlin and featured Brand X bassist, Percy Jones and other players.[5]

With David Lee Roth (1985-1990)

Also, in 1985, Vai became the object of widespread public fascination after joining—at the urging of his friend, bass virtuoso and future bandmate, Billy Sheehan -- David Lee Roth's post-Van Halen supergroup. The David Lee Roth band, which later became known as the Eat 'em and Smile Band (1985-1989), featured Roth on vocals; Vai on guitar; former Talas bassist Billy Sheehan on bass; and former Maynard Ferguson drummer, Gregg Bissonette. The foursome's debut album, Eat 'em and Smile, was both a critical and commercial success, reaching #4 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and selling over 2 million copies. Rolling Stone Magazine compared Vai's guitar-playing favorably to that of Roth's legendary former partner Eddie Van Halen, stating that Vai "takes his cues from Eddie's loop-the-loop style, but, importantly, he adds some wild dips of his own. He's not simply aping Eddie, he's also embellishing. Likewise, Vai's musical rapport with Roth mirrors Van Halen's, and that relationship, as usual, defines much of the material." [6] Retrospectively, Eat 'em and Smile is frequently evaluated as one of the best rock albums of the 1980s.[7] Vai's, Roth's, Sheehan's, and Bissonette's highly successful world tour began in May 1986 and continued through 1987.

The Eat 'em and Smile Band's second album, Skyscraper, (released 1988,) was produced by David Lee Roth and Vai. Like its predecessor, Skyscraper was a major commercial hit, reaching #6 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart; however, its multi-tracked pop alienated many of Roth's longtime hard rock fans. The Eat 'em and Smile Band began to fracture after the recording of Skyscraper, when Billy Sheehan left due to "creative differences." In 1989, following the successful Skyscraper World Tour, Vai's departure signified the end of the supergroup.[8]

1990s

In 1989, Vai joined Whitesnake, replacing Vivian Campbell. When Adrian Vandenberg injured his wrist shortly before recording was to begin for the album Slip of the Tongue, Vai played all the guitar parts. Vai played on the Alice Cooper album Hey Stoopid, along with Joe Satriani on the song "Feed my Frankenstein."

Vai continued to tour regularly, with his own group and with his one-time teacher and fellow guitar instrumentalist friend Joe Satriani on the G3 series of tours. Former David Lee Roth and Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan joined him for a world tour. In 1990, Vai released his critically acclaimed solo album Passion and Warfare. The song "For the Love of God" was voted #29 in a readers' poll of the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time in Guitar World magazine. In 1994, Vai began writing and recording with Ozzy Osbourne. One track from these sessions, "My Little Man", was released on the Ozzmosis album. Despite Vai penning the track, he does not appear on the album, with his guitar parts replaced by Zakk Wylde. Another track, "Dyin' Day", appeared as an instrumental on Vai's Fire Garden album. Vai's band members in the 90s included drummer Mike Mangini, guitarist Mike Keneally, and bassist Philip Bynoe. In 1994 Vai received a Grammy Award for his performance on the Frank Zappa song Sofa from the album Zappa's Universe.

Vai playing a twin-necked Ibanez

2000s

Vai released a DVD of his performance at The Astoria in London in December 2001. The performance featured Billy Sheehan, guitarist/pianist Tony MacAlpine, guitarist Dave Weiner, and Australian drummer Virgil Donati. In July 2002, Vai performed with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan, in the world premiere of composer Ichiro Nodaira's Fire Strings, a concerto for electric guitar and 100-piece orchestra. In 2004, a number of his compositions and orchestral arrangements including some previously recorded pieces, were performed in The Netherlands by the Metropole Orchestra in a concert series entitled The Aching Hunger. In 2003, drummer Jeremy Colson joined Vai's group, replacing Virgil Donati. Vai's album Sound Theories, was released in 2007.

In February 2005, Vai premiered a dual-guitar (electric and classical) piece that he called The Blossom Suite, with classical guitarist Sharon Isbin at the Châtelet Theatre in Paris. In 2006, Vai played as a special guest guitarist alongside additional guest Zappa band members, drummer Terry Bozzio and saxophonist-singer Napoleon Murphy Brock in the "Zappa Plays Zappa" tour led by Frank's son Dweezil Zappa in Europe and the U.S. in the Spring, as well as a short U.S. tour in October. On September 21, 2006, Vai made a special appearance at the Video Games Live concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. He played two songs with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; Halo Theme, and a second song for the world premier trailer for Halo 3.

In 2005, Vai signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in public schools throughout the U.S. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors. Vai was a judge for the 3rd and 8th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.[9] Vai is the founder of the Make A Noise Foundation, which he started with his manager Ruta Sepetys.[10] The foundation's goal is to provide funding for music education and programs for those unable to pursue music-related activities due to limited resources.[11] Vai is also a patron of music education around the world giving master classes in such prestigious music schools as the Fermatta Music Academy.

Vai made an appearance at the London Guitar Show in 2007 on April 28, 2007 at the ExCeL Center. In late April 2007, Vai confirmed the release of his record, Sound Theories, on June 26. The release is a two-CD set, mostly of previously released material that Vai rearranged and played with a full orchestra. Vai says the project was a great joy because he considers himself a composer more than a guitarist, and he is happy to see music he has composed played by an orchestra that can play it well. A DVD followed the record later that year. He guested on the Dream Theater album Systematic Chaos, on the song "Repentance". The appearance was vocal rather than instrumental, as Vai was only one of many musical guests recorded. The song features contributions from many artists, with the aim of apologizing to important people in their lives for wrongdoings committed in their pasts. On August 29, 2009, he appeared on stage with Dream Theater during the final show of their Progressive Nation tour at the Greek Theater, where he performed in an improvised jam with the other musicians on tour. Broken Records magazine (Volume 1, Issue 3) quotes Vai as saying, "I enjoy challenging myself to come up with new ideas that I believe are unique."

2010s

In 2010, Vai released several "VaiTunes" singles of tracks that were previously recorded and later finished. They are available on Vai.com, iTunes and Amazon.com. On September 14, 2010, Steve released "Where The Wild Things Are" as double vinyl through his label Favored Nations and made a guest appearance with Rickey Minor and The Tonight Show Band on NBC. In October, 2010, Steve completed his first full symphony and performed the compositions at the Steve Vai Festival which featured Vai and the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (NNO) on October 20–24, 2010. "The possibility to write for a full orchestra, as Vai was offered the opportunity to do during the last years, closes a circle back to the beginning of his solo career, his years with Frank Zappa and his first pieces for his debut record Flex-Able (1984)."[12] After the Holland shows, Vai embarked for the US to headline the "Experience Hendrix Tour" which featured Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shephard, Susan Tedeschi, Billy Cox, Vernon Reid, Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Brad Whitford and other top guitarists.

On March 3, 2011, the online education division of Boston’s Berklee College of Music and Steve Vai, set the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest online guitar lesson. The first-of-its-kind initiative, held at streaming media platform Livestream Studios in New York City, brought together thousands of members of guitarists.

In 2013, Vai was featured in Iwrestledabearonce's album Late For Nothing, performing sections of the song "Carnage Asada" on guitar.

Vai owns Favored Nations, a recording and publishing company that specializes in internationally procuring and maintaining recording artists. Favored Nations is separated into three sections, 'Favored Nations', 'Favored Nations Acoustic' and 'Favored Nations Cool (Jazz style)'.

Media appearances

Video games

"Juice" was featured on the 1996 video game "Formula One" for the PlayStation. Steve Vai's guitar-work appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. David Lee Roth's "Yankee Rose" was featured on the game's soundtrack as well as "God Blessed Video" by Alcatrazz as part of the Lazlow-led, 1980s rock/metal radio station "V-Rock." In 2004, Steve Vai was featured on Xbox's Halo 2 (a game by Bungie Studios) Volume 1 soundtrack, performing a heavy rock-guitar rendition of the Halo theme, known as Halo Theme (MJOLNIR Mix). He also performed on the track Never Surrender. He later featured in the second volume of the soundtrack, where he performed on the track Reclaimer.

In 2008, Steve Vai's For the Love of God and Halo Theme (MJOLNIR Mix) were featured as downloadable tracks for the game Guitar Hero 3. A live version of the song "For the Love of God" was also available at release on the Rock Band Network as well as the song "Get the Hell Out of Here" from his 2002 album "The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1" on March 4, 2010. The Attitude Song and a live version of The Crying Machine were both also added to the Rock Band Network. A re-recording of "Speeding" is featured in the 2010 video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock for Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3.

Films

Steve Vai's music has appeared in feature films, including Dudes and Ghosts of Mars. He appeared onscreen in the 1986 Walter Hill film Crossroads, playing the demonically-inspired Jack Butler. At the film's climax, Vai engages in a guitar duel with Ralph Macchio, whose guitar parts were dubbed by Vai and Ry Cooder, who played the initial slide work in the duel and Macchio's earlier performances in the film. Vai composed the fast-paced neo-classical track Eugene's Trick Bag that wins Macchio the competition. He based the body of the piece heavily on Paganini's Capriccio number 5. He later borrowed the opening riff from the track Head Cuttin' Duel for a song called Bad Horsie from his 1995 EP Alien Love Secrets. The Crossroads duel reappeared on the 2002 album The Elusive Light and Sound, volume 1.

In 1991's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, the introductory riff to KISS' "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II", as performed by the Wyld Stallyns in the Battle of the Bands, was performed by Vai. He composed and performed the soundtrack to PCU (1994), and made contributions in 2001 to the score for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, performing on the tracks "Ghosts of Mars" and "Ghost Poppin'". His track, "Get the Hell Out of Here", can be heard during 1992's Encino Man in the scene where Brendan Fraser is taking a driving lesson. He plays guitar in the animated short film "Live Music".

Style and influence

Vai performing in 2001.

Steve Vai has been called a guitar virtuoso.[13] His 1990 album Passion and Warfare is often cited by critics and fans alike as among his best works. Particularly the instrumental "For the Love of God" has received a lot of attention from the music press, and is noteworthy in that the entire six-minute piece was reportedly recorded in just one take.[14] Vai's playing style has been characterized as quirky and angular, due to his technical ability with the guitar instrument and deep knowledge of music theory. He regularly uses odd rhythmic groupings and his melodies often employ the Lydian mode.

Perhaps his most readily-identifiable stylistic feature is his creative use of the floating vibrato, using it to add melodic lines that sound odd to the ear. His playing can be described as lyrical, as if sung by a human voice. During the recording of "Eat 'em and Smile" with David Lee Roth, he employed several guitar techniques that "mimicked" the human voice, as heard in the opening bars of the opening track "Yankee Rose." He is noted for being physically expressive as he plays his guitar. He often uses exotic guitars: he plays both double and triple neck guitars.

Equipment

Vai is also a producer. He owns two studios, "The Mothership"[15] and "The Harmony Hut",[16] and his own recordings combine his guitar skills and novel compositions with studio and recording effects. Vai helped design his signature Ibanez JEM guitar series. They feature a hand grip (fondly referred to as a "monkey grip") cut into the top of the body of the guitar, a humbucker–single coil-humbucker (H/S/H) DiMarzio pickup configuration with several different types of pickup including Evolution, Breed and EVO 2. He also uses the Ibanez Edge and Lo-Pro Edge double-locking tremolo systems (between the years 2003-2009, production JEMs had the Edge Pro, which is now discontinued), as well as an elaborate and extensive "Tree of Life" inlay down the neck. Vai also equips many of his guitars with an Ibanez Backstop, a tremolo stabilizer that has been discontinued. Lately Vai has also equipped some of his guitars with True Temperament fretboards to make his chords sound more in tune.[17]

Vai has a 7-string model designed by him named Ibanez Universe, featuring DiMarzio Blaze pickups in an HSH arrangement. The Universe gained additional early attention in the early-to-mid '90s from two bands/musicians other than Vai: Korn, who used the guitar downtuned an additional step (to "A"), selling millions of albums worldwide and pioneered nu metal songwriting and sonics [18]" with their uniquely heavy yet untraditionally "Heavy Metal" sounds, as well as progressive rock band Dream Theater whose guitarist John Petrucci began using Ibanez 7-strings on their 1994 album Awake and has continued to do so in their technically challenging playing and songwriting. Vai also has a signature Ibanez acoustic, the Euphoria. His two main guitars are white JEMs dubbed "Evo" and "Flo", each with their own unique modifications. Before Ibanez, he briefly endorsed Jackson guitars, but the relationship only lasted two years. Steve Vai has also worked with Carvin Guitars and Pro Audio to develop the Carvin Legacy line of guitar amplifiers. Vai wanted to create an affordable amp that was unique, and equal in sound and versatility to any guitar amp he had previously used.[19] Over his long musical career, Steve Vai has used and designed an array of guitars. He even had his blood put into the swirl paint job on one of his signature JEM guitars, the JEM2KDNA.[20] Only 300 of these were made. Currently, he mainly uses his white "Evo", a JEM7V, and his "Flo", which is a customized Floral JEM 77FP painted white. They are both inscribed with their names in two places, mainly so he can distinguish between them onstage. "Flo" is equipped with a Fernandes sustainer system.

He has a guitar named "Mojo" with dot inlays that are blue LED lights. He has a custom-made triple-neck guitar that has the same basic features as his JEM7V guitars. The top neck is a 12-string guitar, the middle is a six-string, and the bottom is a six-string fretless guitar with a Fernandes Sustainer pickup. This guitar was featured on the G3 2003 tour on the piece I Know You're Here. Vai's effects pedals include a modified Boss DS-1, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Morley Bad Horsie, Ibanez Jemini Twin Distortion Pedal, TC Electronics G-System, Morley Little Alligator Volume pedal, DigiTech Whammy, and an MXR Phase 90/Phase 100 on the Passion and Warfare album. His flight cases are labeled "Mr. Vai", or lately, "Dr. Vai." He has used a number of rack effects units controlled via MIDI, but used a floor-based TC electronics G system instead for the Zappa Plays Zappa tour.

Guitar rig and signal flow

A detailed gear diagram of Vai's 2007 guitar rig is well-documented.[21]
A detailed gear diagram of Vai's 1999 guitar rig is well-documented.[22]

Personal life

Vai resides in Encino, California with his family. Vai is married to Pia Maiocco, former bass player of Vixen, who can be seen in Hardbodies.[23] Vai and Maiocco have two children, Julian and Fire. In his spare time Vai is a beekeeper[24] and an honorary member of the British Beekeepers' Association.[25] His bees regularly produce a crop of honey that Vai sells for his Make a Noise Foundation.[26] Vai is a longtime vegetarian and says:

It has affected my music in a way I believe that what we put in our bodies has a reflection on the way we think. And the way we think has a reflection on what we create. So I can’t tell you consciously how being a vegetarian affected my music but I’m sure it has. I think everyone has to find what’s right for them. I don’t judge anybody for what they eat. That’s their world and everybody has to find what resonates with them.[27]

Vai is on record as a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and supporter of the David Lynch Foundation.[28]

Band history

Not including guest appearances.[29]

Early bands

  • The Ohio Express (1971–1972)
  • Circus (circa 1973 to 1976)
  • Ravge (circa 1973 to 1976)
  • Bold As Love (1977)

Berklee bands

  • Axis (1978–1979)
  • Morning Thunder (1979)

Professional bands

Solo band (1992–94)

Sex & Religion album

"Sex & Religion" tour

1995

This band toured Russia twice, South America and the US (opening for Bon Jovi).

1996-99

2000

2001-02 - "The Breed"

2003-04 - "The Breed"

2007 - "String Theories"

2012 - "The Story Of Light Band"

Discography

Main article: Steve Vai discography

Vai started his recording career in 1980 playing with Frank Zappa and has since recorded and toured with Alcatrazz, Whitesnake, David Lee Roth and Public Image Ltd. Since 1983 Vai also released his own studio albums. His discography consists of eight studio albums, two EP's, two special albums, eight live albums, twelve soundtracks, twenty compilation albums and seven videos. Vai has been awarded three Grammy Awards and forty other awards. Vai also appeared as a guest musician on forty-four albums, playing with artists like Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne and Gregg Bissonette and most recently for the second time with Joe Jackson.

Studio albums

See also

References

  1. ^ "Message from Favored Nations President, Steve Vai". Favorednations.com. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  2. ^ "Musician's Friend Exclusive Interview with Steve Vai". Musician's Friend. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  3. ^ Vaiography
  4. ^ Jeff Kitts and Brad Tolinski. Guitar World presents one hundred greatest guitarists of all time
  5. ^ http://www.ecmrecords.com/Catalogue/ECM/1300/1308.php?lvredir=712&doctype=Catalogue&acat=Artists%2FCaroline%23%23Caroline
  6. ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  7. ^ "Metal Odyssey'S Good Times Album Pick: David Lee Roth – "Eat 'Em And Smile" « Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog". Metalodyssey.net. April 1, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  8. ^ "Steve Vai Special". martingoulding.com. January 16, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  9. ^ "Past Judges". Independent Music Awards. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  10. ^ "Steve talks about the new DVD and more". Steve Vai (Vai.com). Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  11. ^ "Welcome to The Make A Noise Foundation!". Make A Noise. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  12. ^ Michael Custodis. "Living History. The Guitar Virtuoso and Composer Steve Vai, Online-Publication Muenster 2011" (PDF). Uni-muenster.de. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  13. ^ "Steve Vai". www.mtv.com. June 6, 1960. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  14. ^ "''Passion And Warfare Review'' at Yahoo Music, July 13, 2005, Retrieved February 27, 2008". Uk.music.yahoo.com. July 13, 2005. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  15. ^ "The Mothership Studio".
  16. ^ "The Studios".
  17. ^ "Fretting systems". True Temperament. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  18. ^ McIver, Joel (2002). "How did we get to nu-metal from old metal?". Nu-metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk. Omnibus Press. pp. 10, 12. ISBN 0-7119-9209-6.
  19. ^ Carvin Steve Vai Legacy Amplifiers[dead link]
  20. ^ "JEM Specs – Anniversary Guitars". Jemsite.com. October 4, 2000. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  21. ^ Cooper, Adam (2007). "Steve Vai's 2007 Guitar Rig". GuitarGeek.Com.
  22. ^ Cooper, Adam (1999). "Steve Vai's 1999 Guitar Rig". GuitarGeek.Com.
  23. ^ "Hardbodies". Imdb.com. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  24. ^ "All About Steve". Vai.com. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  25. ^ "Famous Beekeepers". British Beekeeper's Association. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  26. ^ "Make A Noise Foundation homepage". Vai.com. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  27. ^ "Steve Vai: A Spiritual Journey Through Vegetarianism". Veggies-Rock.com. July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  28. ^ "Steve Vai". Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  29. ^ [1][dead link]
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