steve go returns to Argentina and will play at Luna Park Tuesday 6 Juneon the day of his birthday.
To celebrate, he’s not only coming with his big band as part of his successful “Inviolate Tour 2023,” but he’s bringing the exotic “Hydra” three-neck guitar that he built alongside the folks at Ibanez and which is unique in the world.
It’s the first time that Vai will travel with this model of guitar, and he confirms in a chat with Clarín: “It costs me $52,000 to take it just for transport!”, he exclaims.
-How much would it cost if one wanted to order one?
-It would be very difficult to make another just for the technology used, because it was created as something unique. But I imagine if someone wanted to make one and Ibanez decided to do it, I don’t think it would cost less than half a million dollars.
The hardest thing about Hydra is carrying it. You have to send it separately, in a specific way, and it’s extraordinarily expensive.
-Thanks for bringing it, then!
-I have to do it because I want people to see it. I want you to have the experience of seeing it and hearing it. It’s a phenomenal experience and Hydra Teeth it’s a beautiful song.
What will this visit be like?
Over the past two decades, Steve Vai has come to Argentina several times, both solo and in group projects such as G3, with Joe Satriani and Robert Fripp/Eric Johnson.
About this visit he anticipated: “I will go with the group that I have had for some time, with Jeremy Coulson on drums and Philip Bynoe on bass, as well as a new rhythm guitarist, Dante Frisiello. We have been on tour Since the summer we started in Europe , then we had a nice tour in the US and just got back from another tour in Eastern Europe.
We really want to get to South America because the audience is usually a bit crazy and very music loving. I feel the show is tremendously polished and very appealing. We make a lot of material from the new record (Wai/Gash) and of Inviolate, as well as a bunch of songs from the catalog that I haven’t played in a long time and that I love. And then there are some favorites that I know my fans are waiting to hear. I’ve been on tour for 43 years.
-Oh. And how do you go on?
-I’ve always loved him. I have always enjoyed playing live and continue to try to further my craft. This last tour I really feel like I’m reaching my pinnacle in terms of being able to connect with the instrument and the audience. And from everything I read and the comments I get, it’s very charming. I want to share it.
When I’m on stage and playing, I have a lot of fun and focus and you never know how it’s going to be received, but it’s a chance to see an incredibly tight-knit band playing exotic instrumental rock music with a very outgoing lead guitarist.
Do you remember what your first visit to Argentina was like?
-I don’t remember the years, but I do remember that it was a very different place from anywhere else in the world. I also remember the show being delayed because people are running late, they’re late. As for the audience response, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was extraordinary! They listened to every note and clapped so loud I felt like a little pop star. They are very passionate about the guitar.
The people here like to accompany the guitar solos, singing them. It is not common in other countries.
-Yes, yes, that’s right. I can hear the entire audience humming songs that have easy-to-follow melodies.
-Keith Richards said he would play for free but asks to be paid for the hassle of going to airports and waiting and wasting time. What is your focus on tours?
It has changed over the years. I knew it was something I would do, so I decided to only watch the things I find pleasurable. I think you can find something cute in anything you do.
In fact, I like going to airports, even if waiting in line at immigration and security isn’t much fun. Airports are like works of art and it’s a good place to shop and eat good food. I love people watching and I love sitting in airplanes on long flights. It’s relaxing! Traveling gives me the opportunity to do things I could never do, like reading or listening to music. I don’t see it as something terrible.
Professor Go
In 2006, Steve Vai began giving a series of master classes called The Secrets of the Alien Guitar, where he shares guitar techniques and secrets of his playing. She also held it during the pandemic, in live streaming mode.
“It’s something,” he says, “that I really enjoy. I feel like I’ve had a lot of experience over the last 44 years in the music business, both as an independent artist and as a musician navigating solo records and developing my craft. I like share this information because I know a lot of new guitarists have questions about all of this and I’ve found answers to many of them.”
He adds: “Besides being a musician, I also have a spiritual side and that’s why I’ve done more esoteric streams, with concepts that sometimes slip into Alien Guitar Secrets. Now I’ve just finished a masterclass tour in Europe and I’ve had a lot of fun.”
-You recently uploaded a photo to Instagram playing with an orchestra in the Netherlands. What was it about?
-Composing was my first interest as a child. I studied it intensely and started composing very early. Over the years I have composed but it was very difficult to get your music to play until the early 2000s when I met the Metropol orchestra and we did some concerts which were very successful. I recorded them and released an album called sound theorieswhich led to other orchestral engagements around the world.
I have had many wonderful experiences with orchestras over the last few decades and love to compose. In May I spent three weeks in the Netherlands with the Metropol recording about three hours of orchestral music, and then went to Finland to record more symphonic and larger pieces with the local symphony. So you probably have about five albums of orchestral works in your bag.
-You seem to keep coming up with new ideas and challenges.
-Yes. In fact, right now I’m working on a solo acoustic vocal record, just an acoustic guitar and me singing. It’s as far away from orchestral music as you can get, but I like it. When an idea comes to my mind, I pursue it and try to make it organic and natural. And usually they always work very well.
Source: Clarin
