On Monday, April 6, Steve Vai releases Stillness in Motion – Vai Live in LA.
The magnificent 2CD and 2 DVD packages are a treat for his legions of fans, making it possible for everyone to relive the special date, on October 12, 2012, when Vai wowed at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.
It was one gig on the monumental world tour The Story of Light, which took in 253 dates, including shows, masterclasses and concerts with orchestras. It wowed 52 countries. Immense in every way.
“To say that this tour was a powerful life experience would be like saying the sun is hot,” Steve says.
The virtuoso first picked up a guitar in the early 1970s, taking inspiration from fret-feelers including Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Brian May and Hendrix.
Before the decade was out he was transcribing guitar parts for Frank Zappa, and soon after joined Zappa's his band full-time.
In the decades that have followed, Steve's incredible talent has been put down on eight studio albums, eight live albums, two EPs, 12 soundtracks and 20 compilations albums.
Steve went On Track with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
'Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte' from an old Bette Davis movie.
I was a little boy and that was a chilling movie.
I watched it a lot and the main theme was like a haunted lullaby and really captured my attention. I would try to pluck it out on any instrument that I could get my hands on.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
In the ears by any means possible.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me'?
I never had that thought because it always just was the job for me.
Your best on stage memory...
There were many but the one that came to mind when I read the question is as follows.
I started touring with Frank Zappa when I was 20. I had a lot of very difficult parts to play.
There’s one song called “Montana” that has a death defying melodic interlude and after we performed it during the first show of the tour in 1981, I totally nailed it.
Frank stopped the band, turned to me and said… “Pretty good sport”.
And the worst gig you've ever done?
Again, there were a good handful but the one that comes to mind was on the Real Illusions tour when we were in Italy. For some reason the power to the venue was not at the right voltage and my amps sounded like a deranged mosquito.
They kept going off through the whole show. I’m sure it was a huge drag for the audience.
It didn’t even feel like a show as much as a perpetual battle with my own frustration.
What was the definitive event that made you take up the guitar?
Jimmy Page’s solo on “Heartbreaker”.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you'd have written?
“Happy Birthday”… Huge royalties. Other than that, I’m happy with the music I write.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
The next one.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
My shoes are so full I can’t even get out of them.
Are there any current musical influences that you might look to?
My kids. They bring home the most strange and beautiful music.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
There’s nothing I can’t stand.
Finally, plug Stillness in Motion for us
Stillness in Motion is the new video package release through Sony.
It contains 2 DVD’s. On it is our entire show performance from the Nokia in Los Angeles while on our 2 year Story of Light tour.
The Nokia show was number 49 out of 253. The show itself was filmed beautifully and has some moments that I feel are deeply inspired, but the star of the package is the bonus footage, “The Space Between the Notes”.
Anyone can enjoy this and does not necessarily need to be a Steve Vai fan.
“The Space Between the Notes” is over 3.5 hours of footage that has clips, or photos from every stop on the tour laid out in a linear chronological time line.
So you see something from every location be it clips from the show, days off, etc.
When watching it you can get the sense of being with the band and feeling a bit of what it’s like to be on such a tour that takes you through 52 countries and around the world twice.
We deeply enjoy touring together as a band and crew and it shows in this footage.
It’s very uplifting because we are so grateful to be doing what we are doing. I believe you will feel that if you watch it. It’s pretty funny at times too.
Visit www.vai.com and follow Steve on Twitter @stevevai Pictures: Chris Pauly http://www.chrispaulyphotography.com/
