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Steven Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960 in Carle Place, New York) is an American guitarist, composer, and record producer, notable for having received a Grammy Award (along with nine nominations) and being cited as an influence by many guitarists from the 1980s and onwards.

Early life

When growing up, the young Vai became interested in rock giants such as Jimi Hendrix, Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin which led him to take up learning the guitar. Prior to attending Berklee College of Music, Steve frequently jammed with his teacher and fellow guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and played in numerous local bands. He has acknowledged the influence of many guitarists, including Jeff Beck and fusion virtuoso Allan Holdsworth.

Work with Frank Zappa

It was also at this time that he became fascinated by the music of Frank Zappa. Steve mailed transcriptions of Zappa's guitar solos to him, and after meeting Vai for the first time he was so impressed with the abilities of the young musician, he hired him to do work transcribing his seemingly endless array of experimental symphonic rock. In these formative stages of his career, Vai's talent was showcased on such songs as "Moggio" and "Stevie's Spanking".

While employed by Zappa, he would at times tour with Zappa's band and engage in a friendly competition with the audience, wherein audience members could bring in musical scores and see if Vai could sight-read them on the spot.

Zappa referred to Steve as his "little Italian virtuoso" and was listed in liner notes as "stunt guitar". He would later be a featured artist on the recording, "Zappa's Universe". In 2006 he returned to Zappa music, as special guest on Dweezil Zappa's Zappa Plays Zappa tour.

Rise to prominence

After leaving Zappa in 1982 he moved to California where he recorded his first album Flex-Able and performed in a couple of bands. In 1984 he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen as lead guitarist in Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz with whom he recorded the album Disturbing the Peace.

Later in 1985 Vai joined former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth's newly assembled group, (which also featured acclaimed bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette,) to record the multi-platinum albums Eat'em And Smile and Skyscraper. These albums, along with their accompanying videos and arena tours significantly enhanced Vai's reputation and popularity. At the time, Roth engaged in a war of words with the members of Van Halen. Many commentators favorably compared Vai's guitar-playing to Eddie Van Halen's.

In 1986 Vai also surprised many by playing with ex-Sex Pistols John Lydon's Public Image Ltd on their album "Album" (now called "Compact Disc"). Following 1988's popular Skyscraper Tour, Vai left David Lee Roth's band. In 1989 Vai stepped into guitarist Adrian Vandenberg's shoes to record with British rock-group Whitesnake after Vandenberg injured his wrist shortly before recording was due to begin for the album Slip of the Tongue.

1990s and 2000s

Steve Vai continues to tour regularly, both 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 bassist Billy Sheehan also joined him for a world tour. Vai received a Grammy Award in 1991. Vai's band members throughout the 1990s included drummer Mike Mangini, guitarist Mike Keneally and bassist Philip Bynoe.

In 1990 Steve Vai released his critically acclaimed solo album "Passion and Warfare." This cemented his place at the forefront of 'Virtuoso' guitar music. In 1994 Steve Vai was hired to write and play on the upcoming Ozzy Osbourne album Ozzmosis. The plan was to have Vai appear on half the album and Zakk Wylde appear on the other half. However, Vai can only be heard on "My Little Man" and the leftover track "Back On Earth" that appeared on the greatest hits collection The Ozzman Cometh.

In 1995, Steve Vai, along with Joe Satriani, was featured in the Sony Playstation game titled Formula One, based on the actual world championship. The soundtrack was composed completely of Vai and Satriani tracks, as well as a few tracks by Overdrive.

Steve Vai released a DVD of his performance at The Astoria in London in December 2003, featuring the lineup of bassist Billy Sheehan, formerly of David Lee Roth and Mr. Big, guitar and piano virtuoso Tony MacAlpine, guitarist Dave Weiner and drummer Virgil Donati.

In July of 2002, Steve 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 for orchestra, as well as orchestra arrangements of previously recorded pieces, were performed in The Netherlands by the Metropole Orchestra in a concert series entitled The Aching Hunger. In February 2005, Vai premiered a dual-guitar (electric and classical) piece that he wrote called The Blossom Suite with friend classical guitarist Sharon Isbin at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris.

In 2003, Donati was replaced by drummer Jeremy Colson. Vai's latest album, Reflections, was released in 2005, and Steve Vai and the Breed, as the band is now called, has embarked on a world tour in support of that album.

In 2004, Steve Vai was featured on Xbox's Halo 2 Volume 1 soundtrack, performing a heavy rock-guitar rendition of the "Halo 2 Theme", known as "Halo 2 Theme (Mjolnir Mix)". He also performed on the track "Never Surrender". In the second iteration of the soundtrack, he performed on the track "Reclaimer". Steve is being considered to perform on Halo 3 and on Halo movie, that is actually in stage of pre-production by Peter Jackson.

Movies

Steve Vai's music has featured in a number of feature films, including Dudes, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and Ghosts of Mars. He appeared onscreen in the 1986 Ralph Macchio movie Crossroads, playing the demonically-inspired Jack Butler. At the film's climax, Vai engages in a guitar duel with Macchio, whose guitar parts were dubbed by Vai and Ry Cooder. The fast-paced neo-classical track entitled "Eugene's Trick Bag" with which Macchio wins the competition was also composed by Vai. He later borrowed the opening riff for a song called "Bad Horsie" from his 1995 album Alien Love Secrets. The body of the piece was heavily based on Paganini's Caprice #5, and has become a favorite apprentice-piece among many guitar students. Vai also composed and performed the soundtrack to PCU (1994). He also made contributions to the score for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, performing on the tracks "Ghosts of Mars" and "Ghost Poppin".

Musical style

Where Vai's contributions to others' material has been constrained by the largely rock or heavy-rock style of those bands, his own material is somewhat more eclectic.

Vai's playing style has been characterized as quirky and angular, owing to his superb technical facility with the instrument and deep knowledge of music theory. Vai has also been credited with the recent revival of the 7-string guitar.

An interesting point to note is Vai's commitment to practice. In several guitar magazines and texts, he is reported to practice upwards of eight hours per day, a habit he began as early as his high school days.

He approaches composition and his solos through numerous separate genres which are the result of diverse tastes in music and years of experience.

Equipment

Vai is an accomplished studio producer (he owns two: "The Mother Ship" and "The Harmony Hut") and his own recordings combine his signature guitar prowess with novel compositions and considerable use of studio and recording effects, such as the Eventide H3000 ultra harmonizer and Digidesign's Pro Tools Hard Disc recording system and plug-in effects architecture.

Vai also helped design his signature Ibanez JEM series of guitars. 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 DiMarzio pickup configuration, a double-locking Floyd Rose licensed tremolo system, as well as an elaborate and extensive "Vine of Life" inlay down the neck. Steve also has a 7 string model designed by him named Ibanez Universe. The Universe later influenced the 7-string guitars used by Korn and other heavy metal bands to create nu-metal sounds in the late 1990s. He also has a signature Ibanez acoustic, the Euphoria.

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 amp that was unique in sound, versatility, and affordability to any guitar amp he had previously used.

Over his long musical career, Steve Vai has used and designed an array of guitars. He even had his DNA (blood) put into the swirl paintjob on one of his signature JEM guitars (the JEM2KDNA) - only 300 of these were ever made. Nowadays he mainly uses his white JEM7V, which is inscribed with the letters "Evo", mainly in order to allow him to distinguish between the guitars he uses onstage which are practically identical, his "Flo" guitar however is equipped with a Fernandes sustainer pick-up in the neck. He also has a guitar named "Mojo" in which the dot inlays are blue flourescent lights. Additionally, 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 6-string, and the bottom is a 6-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 Boss DS-1, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Morley Bad Horsie, Morley Little Alligator Volume pedal, Digitech Whammy, and an MXR Phase 90. His flightcases are labelled "Mr. Vai".

Other engagements

Vai owns Favored Nations, a recording and publishing company that specializes in internationally procuring and maintaining recording artists. Vai is married to Pia Maiocco former bass player of Vixen, who can be seen in Hardbodies. Steve and Pia have two children, Julian Angel and Fire. In his spare time Vai enjoys keeping bees, which regularly produce a crop of honey that Vai sells for his Make a Noise Foundation.

Discography

Solo albums

Appearances on Zappa albums

With other artists

Soundtracks

  • Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Dudes 1987
  • Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey 1991
  • Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Encino Man 1992
  • Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - PCU 1994
  • Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Ghosts of Mars 2001
  • Original Video Game Soundtrack - Halo 2 Soundtrack Volume 1 2004
  • Original Video Game Soundtrack - Halo 2 Soundtrack Volume 2 2006

Compilations

  • Various Artists - Guitar's Practicing Musicians 1989
  • Various Artists - Zappa's Universe 1993
  • Various Artists - In From The Storm 1995
  • Various Artists - Songs of West Side Story 1996
  • Various Artists - Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas 1997
  • Various Artists - Angelica 1997
  • Various Artists - Radio Disney Kid Jams 1999
  • Various Artists - Roland Guitar Masters 2001
  • Various Artists - Guitars For Freedom 2002
  • Various Artists - Warmth In The Wilderness Vol. II - A Tribute to Jason Becker 2002
  • Various Artists - Halo 2 Original Soundtrack 2004

See also

Steve also appears in the Carvin 60th anniversary DVD (www.carvin.com/dvd) showcasing his line of amps.

External links

1960 births | Italian-Americans | Living people | Artists who use seven-string guitars | Berklee College of Music alumni | Frank Zappa band members | Guitarists | People from New York | Vegetarians

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Steve Vai".

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