Steve Vai
Formed: 1980
From:
Carle Place,
NY,
United States
Last Known Status: Active
Latest Steve Vai News
Below is our complete Steve Vai news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Steve Vai Etc. 2nd ‘Generation Axe Tour’ Announced
Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme,) and Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders) team up for a second run of their ‘Generation Axe Tour‘. Bassist Pete Griffin (Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, Dweezil Zappa, etc.), keyboardist Nick Marionovich (Yngwie Malmsteen) and drummer JP Bouvet will join them on the tour as the backing band.
Comments Steve Vai:
“‘The Generation Axe‘ experience goes way beyond simply gathering five guitar greats on one stage to jam. The idea was to create a seamless show with one backing band and 5 completely accomplished and astonishing guitarists that take to the stage in various configurations, performing some of their solo music and merging together as cohesive co-creators of lushly orchestrated guitar extravaganzas. Guitar Jams like this can get really messy when there is no organization and my idea was to create parts for everybody to play in harmony and off each other so it’s not a mess of noise. This worked out remarkably well. There are places where everyone is playing together in wild harmony.”
Below's where that trek will stop: More...
Steve Vai Guesting On Renman Live Show
Renman Music & Business, the music industry mentoring website founded by longtime industry veteran Steve Rennie (aka "Renman"), will broadcast the next episode of its Renman Live web show this Wednesday, February 11th with special guest Steve Vai.
The show will air live starting at 10:00 a.m. PST / 1:00 p.m. EST on the Renman MB YouTube channel. A teaser video for the episode can be seen below.
"People ask me all the time how you learn the music biz," said Rennie. "Simple. Hang out with smart people. On my web show, Renman Live, I've been lucky to have had some of the smartest, most talented people in the music biz join me to share their stories, insights and advice with aspiring artists and music pros who are dreaming of doing something big on their own and need some inspiration and direction. If you are interested in the music biz, watching an episode of Renman Live is the next best thing to sitting on the couch with me and my guests."
Upcoming guest, Steve 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 EPs, two special albums, eight live albums, 12 soundtracks, 20 compilation albums and seven videos. Vai has been awarded three Grammy Awards and 40 other awards. Vai also appeared as a guest musician on 44 albums, playing with artists like Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne and Gregg Bissonette and most recently for the second time with Joe Jackson. More...
Felix Martin To Open For Steve Vai
Up-and-coming guitar maestro Felix Martin, best known for his self-designed 14-string guitar, is honored to announce that he will be opening for guitar legend Steve Vai this weekend in his home country of Venezuela.
Martin will continue to play a series of shows throughout Venezuela in December and dates can be found below. Martin will make his way back to Southern California in January to attend the annual NAMM Convention, where last year he was seen performing at the Seymour Duncan booth.
He will also make select appearances throughout the beginning of the year including an appearance at Baja Prog Fest 2014.
12/1 Caracas, VZ – Ampitheatre Sambil w/ Steve Vai
12/17 Valencia, VZ – Oh Que Bueno
12/19 Acarigua, VZ – Teatro Cines Acarigua
12/20 Barquisimeto, VZ – Biotel Suites
1/22-25 Anaheim, CA – NAMM (multiple appearances)
3/1 Long Beach, CA – Alex’s Bar
4/2 – 4/5 Baja California , MX – Baja Prog Fest 2014 More...
New Metal Songs Available On Rock Band This Week
This week's additions to the Rock Band Network features tracks from Pantera's "The Great Southern Trendkill," along with a few other tracks to get your heads banging. The complete list of new songs, including all the non-metal songs, is as follows:
a t o m - "Satellite"
After the Fall - "Stay Up With Me"
The Apples in Stereo - "Dance Floor"
Earl Greyhound - "Oye Vaya"
John Garrison - "Footprints"
Holy Grail - "Fight to Kill"
CJ - "Mr. Sun"
Drive Shaft - "You All Everybody"
Geronimo Jackson - "Dharma Lady"
Pantera - "The Great Southern Trendkill"
Pantera - "War Nerve"
Pantera - "Drag the Waters"
Pantera - "10's"
Pantera - "13 Steps to Nowhere"
Pantera - "Suicide Note Pt. II"
Pantera - "Living Through Me (Hells' Wrath)"
Pantera - "Floods"
Pantera - "The Underground in America"
Pantera - "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin"
Plushgun - "How We Roll"
The Audition - "The Way You Move"
Anti-Flag - "We Are The One"
Coming to the RBN on PS3 on June 1st:
Flight of the Conchords - "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)"
Jonathan Coulton - "The Future Soon"
All That Remains - "Forever In Your Hands"
Suicide Silence - "Disengage"
Steve Vai - "Get The Hell Out of Here"
Steve Vai To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Steve Vai's official website has been updated with the following statement:
"Steve will visit Brasov, Romania to appear at the Cerbul De Aur (Golden Stag) Festival on Sunday, 6 September.
"Steve will accept a lifetime achievement award at the event, and will perform two songs to backing tracks. He will not be appearing with a live band.
"For more info on Cerbul De Aur visit their website."
Steve Vai Reveals New DVD Details
Guitar legend Steve Vai will release his concert film and live CD "Where The Wild Things Are" on September 29th, 2009 on Favored Nations Records. The show was recorded and filmed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN before a sold-out audience as part of Vai’s successful Sound Theories world tour.
Visit this location to view the concert trailer. The 2 hour and 40 minute set contains several new tracks and re-orchestrated pieces culled from Vai's back catalog. More...
Rock Giants Pay Tribute To Lemmy In Documentary
Billboard.com reports: The life and career of Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister is being celebrated in a new documentary, tentatively titled "Lemmy" and slated for release in 2009.
The film promises fans more access than ever before to Kilmister's life, and includes interviews with past and present bandmates and such peers/admirers as Slash, Dave Grohl, the Clash's Mick Jones, Alice Cooper, Steve Vai and wrestling superstar Triple H.
Directors/producers Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski (both of whom have contributed to Billboard) are shooting the film on a combination of HD video and super 16 mm film. Other giants from the world of metal and hard rock will appear in the film as well, with details to be announced. "We haven't heard the word 'no' yet after any interview request," Olliver says.
"Shooting Lemmy is like filming dangerous wildlife. He never does what you expect him to do, and he never does anything you want him to do," Olliver says with a laugh. "A lot of the coolest shots are shots we had to wait for four or five shows to go by before we could get them."
Read the full article at Billboard.com.
Helloween Bassist To Do Hard Rock Album
Frontiers Records will release the debut album from Markus Grosskopf's (HELLOWEEN) BASSINVADERS, entitled "Hellbassbeaters", on January 25, 2008.
BASSINVADERS was a creation of Markus' while sitting in a bar and enjoying a few drinks. It was there that he got inspired to produce a heavy rock record without any guitars at all. He presented this concept in early 2007 to Frontiers Records, which was intrigued by the idea and gave it a go.
According to a press release, "Hellbassbeaters" contains all the basic elements of a heavy rock record "and so much more. You got the strong vocals, rhythmic bass, intoxicating drums and even bass and twin bass solo parts. What you hear is what you get: 100% genuine heavy rock record with absolutely no discordant guitar note on it at all." To guarantee a great variety of different influences, Markus invited some well-known singing bass players from the German metal scene to join the band, including DESTRUCTION's Schmier, SODOM's frontman Tom Angelripper and RAGE's Peavy. He also managed to get a few of his bass heroes to lay down solos on some of the tracks, including Billy Sheehan, Rudy Sarzo and DD Verni.
Guest musicians include:
Bass:
Billy Sheehan (STEVE VAI, MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH)
Rudy Sarzo (DIO, OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, QUIET RIOT)
Lee Rocker (STRAY CATS)
Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, TED NUGENT)
DD Verni (OVERKILL)
Wyzard (MOTHER'S FINEST)
Dirk Schlächter (GAMMA RAY)
Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING, ANTHRAX)
Stig Pedersen (D.A.D)
Nibbs (SAXON)
Tobias Exxel (EDGUY)
Jens Becker (GRAVE DIGGER, RUNNING WILD)
Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69)
Peter Baltes (ACCEPT)
Jan S. Eckert (MASTERPLAN)
Michael Müller (JADED HEART)
Vocals:
Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND, TIME REQUIEM, EVIL MASQUERADE, MAJESTIC)
Jesper Binzer (D-A-D)
Drums:
André Hilgers (RAGE, AXXIS, SILENT FORCE)
Stefan Arnold (GRAVE DIGGER)
01. Awakening the Bass Machine
02. We Live
03. Armageddon
04. Romance In Black
05. Godless Gods
06. Empty Memories (Breaking Free)
07. Boiling Blood
08. Far Too Late
09. The Asshole Song
10. Dead From the Eyes Down
11. Razorblade Romance
12. Voices
13. Eagles Fly Free (HELLOWEEN cover)
14. To Hell And Back (bonus track for Europe)
Watch Dethklok Bassist Shredding The Axe Online
A seven-minute video clip of bassist Bryan Beller (STEVE VAI) is performing as William Murderface from DETHKLOK and teaching metal and thrash bass techniques can be viewed here (video courtesy of FPE-TV).
DETHKLOK's "The Dethalbum" CD features several full-length songs from Adult Swim's most metal animated series "Metalocalypse" plus all-new tracks.
"The Dethalbum" sold nearly 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position #21 on The Billboard 200 chart. It also dominated the Loud Rock radio charts, hitting #6 on CMJ, #11 on FMQB, and #1 on Mediaguide metal specialty. The CD was also streamed 45,000 times when it went live on AOL Music during the week of its release.
The September 25 release of "Metalocalypse: Dethklok's The Dethalbum" coincided with the start of Season 2 of "Metalocalypse" on Adult Swim and the release of "Metalocalypse: Season 1" on DVD. The DVD, which hit streets on October 2, sold over 18,000 units in its first two days. More...
Caffery, Batio, Marcello and More Guest On Album
The new CD from Chicago-based British guitarist Andrew Bordoni called simply "Andrew Bordoni & Friends" will be released June 2007 and is currently only available for pre-order at andrewbordoniandfriends.com. The entirely instrumental album will feature guest appearances from some of today's best metal and rock guitarists including:
Michael Angelo Batio
Chris Caffery (Savatage, Doctor Butcher, Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
Kee Marcello (Ex- Europe - K2)
Dave Weiner (Steve Vai Band)
Lars Eric Mattsson
Matt Konfirst (Independent Artist)
Will Scarlett ( One of Andrew's 16 year old students! )
Ryan Richko (Independent Artist)
Featuring 12 songs ranging from soft rock to full on metal, anyone who loves guitar will find something they'll enjoy on this album.
"Andrew Bordoni & Friends" will be released independently and will be available at the following websites:
http://www.andrewbordoni.com
http://www.andrewbordoniandfriends.com
http://www.cdbaby.com
http://www.guitar9.com
I-Tunes, Rhapsody, Napster and most major download websites.
The profits of the CD will go into supporting the "Beyond Music - Creative & Interactive Music School" created and founded by Andrew Bordoni.