Great Guitars — A Conversation With Steve Vai

GRAMMY-winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai helped set the standard for rock guitar. From his 1984 self-released debut album Flex-Able to his most recent, 2012’s The Story Of Light, Vai has created a sound all his own by striking a balance between technical ability and poetic phrasing. Aside from his command over the guitar, Vai is a visionary composer and consummate producer who sculpts musical sound with infinite creativity and technical mastery. Vai began his professional music career at 18, transcribing for, and then playing with, Frank Zappa. Vai’s full discography encompasses more than 60 albums, including many with Zappa, and others from his stints with David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, live releases, collaborations, compilations, and orchestral works. More than three decades, over 15 million in album sales, and three GRAMMY Awards later, Vai has proven himself one of music’s true originals. Vai’s work has been recognized with an impressive list of awards from the likes of Guitar Player and Guitar World magazines and the TEC Foundation, who has recognized him with the prestigious Les Paul Award, which honors those who have set the highest standard of excellence in the creative application of technology. On April 7 Vai will release Stillness In Motion — Vai Live In L.A. — a four-disc CD/DVD set that was recorded during Vai’s spectacular performance on Oct. 12, 2012, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. In addition to the full concert performance, the collection features a bonus disc premiering The Space Between The Notes (Tour Mischief), a revelatory video diary comprising more than three-and-a-half hours of footage of Vai onstage, offstage and behind the scenes. In addition to touring and recording, Vai also hosts his annual Vai Academy guitar camp, which this year will be hosted in Vail, Colo., from Aug. 2–6, just prior to headlining the 11th Annual Guitar Town Festival in Copper Mountain, Colo., on Aug. 9.  In 1998 Vai established (with Ruta Sepetys) the Make a Noise Foundation to provide instruments and music education to young musicians without means. The GRAMMY Museum welcomes Vai to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate discussion surrounding his career and forthcoming live CD/DVD set, moderated by Scott Goldman, Vice President of MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation. The evening will also feature a showing of some of the footage included on the DVD set.