photo: Larry DimarzioIt was popular game among guitar geeks in the Eigtites: who is the better guitar player? Steve Vai or Joe Satriani. Vai played with Zappa as his resident stunt guitarist, Satriani was far more prolific as a composer and scored a surprise hit Surfing With The Alien. The debate has died down since then and it's a draw when it comes to dexterity and fluidity. They will be sharing the stage again this year during a G3 tour with Steve Morse.
Vai's new album The Story of Light is a hodgepog of styles: a gospel tinged cover of the Robert Johnson classic John The Revelator followed by the more over the top Book of The Seven Seals with a choir stragith out of a musical New Age tinged noodlings - Creamsickle Sunset, heavy-handed prog-rock (The Moon and I) and a big balls arena anthem (Gravity Rock, ). Via was never much of a singer and God knows what possessed him to add his voice to > No More Amsterdam, a duet with Aimee Mann.
Vai has come up with a concept album that lacks direction. It's ambitious for sure and it sounds great. It may be obvious to himself what kind of enlightenment he is going on about, but he shuts out the casual listener with musical walls that are as high as that of Jericho. And rumor has it that those didn't stand the test of time either.
Steve Vai: guitar, vocals
Dave Weiner: guitar
Jeremy Colson: drums
Philip Bynoe: bass
Aimee Mann: vocals on No More Amsterdam
Beverly McClellan: vocals on John The Revelator & Book of The Seven Seals
Deborah Hensen: harp, vocals, keyboards
The Story of Light wil be released on August 14th via Favored Nations Entertainment.
Tracks:- The Story Of Light
- Velorum
- John The Revelator
- Book of The Seven Seals
- Creamsickle Sunset
- Gravity Storm
- Mullach A'tSi
- The Moon and I
- Weeping China Doll
- Racing The World
- No More Amsterdam
- Sunshine Electric Raindrops
- 07/20 Amsterdam, NL @ Heineken Music Hall
- 07/21 Frankfurt, Germany @ Stadthalle Offenbach
- 07/22 Vigevano, Italy @ 10 Giorni Suonati Festival
- 07/23 M端nchen, Germany @ Tonhalle
- 07/24 Hamburg, Germany @ Stadthalle Freilichtb端hne
- 07/28 Genevois, France @ Guitare en Scene
- 08/01 Budapest, Hungary @ Papp L叩szl坦 Budapest Sportar辿na
- 08/03 Kiev, Ukraine @ Ukraine Hall
- 08/05 Moscow, Russia @ Crocus City Hall
- 08/15 Ft. Lauderdale FL @ Revolution
- 08/16 St. Petersburg FL @ Palladium Theatre
- 08/17 Lake Buena Vista FL @ House of Blues
- 08/18 Jacksonville FL @ Florida Theatre
- 08/20 Charlotte NC @ The Fillmore
- 08/21 Nashville TN @ Marathon Musicworks
- 08/22 Asheville NC @ Orange Peel
- 08/23 Atlanta GA @ Centerstage
- 08/24 N. Myrtle Beach SC @ House of Blues
- 08/25 Durham NC @ Carolina Theatre
- 08/26 Richmond VA @ The National
- 08/28 Washington DC @ The Howard Theatre
- 08/29 Stroudsberg PA @ Sherman Theatre
- 08/30 Glenside PA @ Keswick Theatre
- 08/31 Westbury NY |Theatre at Westbury
- 09/02 Lancaster PA @ Chameleon Club
- 09/04 Ridgefield CT @ The Ridgefield Playhouse
- 09/05 Wilmington DE @ The Grand Opera House
- 09/06 Greensburg PA @ Palace Theater
- 09/07 New Brunswick NJ @ State Theatre
- 09/08 Morristown NJ @ Mayo Performing Arts Center
- 09/09 Albany NY @ The Egg
- 09/11 New York NY @ Best Buy Theater
- 09/13 Boston MA @ Wilbur Theatre
- 09/14 Northampton MA @ Calvin Theatre
- 09/15 Concord NH @ Capitol Center
- 09/16 Lebanon NH @ Lebanon Opera House
- 09/17 Quebec QC CAN @ Capitole Du Quebec
- 09/18 Montreal QC CAN @ Metropolis
- 09/20 Toronto ON CAN @ Sony Centre
- 09/21 Royal Oak MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall
- 09/22 Buffalo NY @ University of Buffalo Center for the Arts
- 09/24 Cleveland OH @ House of Blues
- 09/26 Minneapolis MN @ The Brick
- 09/27 Milwaukee WI @ Pabst Theater
- 09/28 Chicago IL @ House of Blues
- 09/29 St. Louis MO |The Pageant
- 09/30 Salina KS @ The Stiefel Theatre
- 10/01 Denver CO @ The Ogden Theatre
- 10/03 Boise ID @ Knitting Factory
- 10/04 Seattle WA @ The Moore Theatre
- 10/05 Vancouver BC @ Commodore Ballroom
- 10/06 Portland OR @ Roseland Theater
- 10/07 Napa CA @ Uptown Theatre
- 10/09 San Francisco CA @ Regency Ballroom
- 10/10 Sacramento CA @ Ace of Spades
- 10/11 Anaheim CA @ City National Grove of Anaheim
- 10/12 Los Angeles CA @ Club Nokia
- 10/13 Agoura Hills CA @ Canyon Club
Video: Steve Vai - Gravity Storm
» vai.com
