Steve Vai - His First 30 Years Documentary

[Terry]

Hah! It’s the Las Vegas-ification of rock and roll. Family friendly!

I'd lament the passing of the rock music form to where it is today, but clearly I'd be late to the party, because that Las Vegas-ification of rock has been underway for a quarter-century already.

I'm just a perturbed old codger wistfully reminiscing about when rock and roll actually 'meant something, man!'...even though I'm probably looking at the distant past through nostalgia glasses with a crack in them.

At least the stuff I listened to in the early 1980's drove my parents up a wall. Contrast that with that Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, which is as kiddie-safe as safe can be. A pointless display to keep the various brands onstage economically viable.

[Kristy]

I would pay to see that! A good symbiotic relationship. Grohl’s songwriting and singing skills matched up to Vai’s skills would have to be ripping. Add Taylor Hawkins’ 16 year old son Shane on the drums! That kid killed it at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert.

Lay off the dope, old man. The Yellow Tooth Monster has zero songwriting skills. Exactly why that asshole keep on doing other people's songs.

[Nitro Express]

I'd lament the passing of the rock music form to where it is today, but clearly I'd be late to the party, because that Las Vegas-ification of rock has been underway for a quarter-century already.

I'm just a perturbed old codger wistfully reminiscing about when rock and roll actually 'meant something, man!'...even though I'm probably looking at the distant past through nostalgia glasses with a crack in them.

At least the stuff I listened to in the early 1980's drove my parents up a wall. Contrast that with that Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, which is as kiddie-safe as safe can be. A pointless display to keep the various brands onstage economically viable.

Everything comes and goes. Some people got to see jazz in it’s heyday. Some got to see the big bands play. Some saw Elvis. Some saw The Beetles. We got to see Van Halen and other great bands. Every century has a magical decade or two. We missed the roaring 20’s but high school and college landed right in the 80’s. I knew it was a magical time then. When people started to wipe their ass with the 80’s in the 90’s and call it the decade of greed I just laughed. There has been far more greed now than there was in the 80’s. Some people actually went to jail for banking and securities fraud back then. If you are politically connected, you get a free pass now.

[Nitro Express]

I did as you instructed.

Hadn't heard that record in...32 years.

Without a doubt a LOT of music going on! I kinda found the backing non-guitar music more interesting than much of the lead guitar over the top of it, whereas thirty years ago I probably would have been concentrating much more on what Vai was doing.

I think a lot of my attitude still reflects my general feelings of the time, which is to say by the end of the 1980's I was just burned out on Bitchin' Hard Rock Guitar Solos. The music I have the earliest memories of, much of which was supplied by hand-me-down records from older relatives, was more song-oriented even when guitar was one of the primary instruments. Someone like Jimi Hendrix excepted in terms of 'guitar hero' type stuff, most of those records I listened to in the 1970's were along the lines of The Beatles, or The Stones or The Who. Along with K.C. and the Sunshine Band, The Monkees, The Bee Gees...Blondie, The Cars. With most of those bands, the song was the thing. Even my favorite band of the 1970's, KISS, were a guitar-oriented band and Ace Frehley had the image to be sure. Even as big a Frehley fan as I was, what Ace was doing wasn't any massive detraction from that blues pentatonic based thing every other rock guitar player back then was doing. Even with Black Sabbath, to me when I listen to those early Sabbath records it is still the songs that stand out rather than the solos.

I still get a kick out of playing Ace’s stuff to this day. Played Shock Me last night. I have a JMP-1 in my bass rack and it’s been there for years to use as a backup if needed. I have it programmed to get the Ace vibe which it does real well. But I plugged into it and did the Ace thing.

[Nitro Express]

For me it’s tone and feel. I love great vibrato and doing things to make things more interesting while staying in the pocket. I love people who have their own tone.

[Nitro Express]

Good interview with Mr. Vai on his Eat em and Smile amps.

[Nitro Express]

https://youtu.be/TbRJeFYfwjU

[Terry]

I still get a kick out of playing Ace’s stuff to this day. Played Shock Me last night. I have a JMP-1 in my bass rack and it’s been there for years to use as a backup if needed. I have it programmed to get the Ace vibe which it does real well. But I plugged into it and did the Ace thing.

Ace was always a fun player, which made sense or was fitting because KISS were basically (and solely) a fun band. That's not a dig at them, either. They were just a fun, entertaining rock band.

Shock Me always stood out as the quintessential Frehley solo, far as the KISS studio stuff went. Closely followed by Calling Dr. Love. Frehley's solos were punchy and sang. Memorable solos to me are like micro-songs within the song themselves.

And as you say, Ace had the tone, feel, vibrato: the Ace thing. That it is all elementary on a technical level matters not: it works precisely because it IS stripped down.

[Nitro Express]

Ace was always a fun player, which made sense or was fitting because KISS were basically (and solely) a fun band. That's not a dig at them, either. They were just a fun, entertaining rock band.

Shock Me always stood out as the quintessential Frehley solo, far as the KISS studio stuff went. Closely followed by Calling Dr. Love. Frehley's solos were punchy and sang. Memorable solos to me are like micro-songs within the song themselves.

And as you say, Ace had the tone, feel, vibrato: the Ace thing. That it is all elementary on a technical level matters not: it works precisely because it IS stripped down.

When the guys in Rush say they learned a lot from KISS that's a pretty damn good compliment. I saw Ace not too long ago. Had a good time. My daughter thinks he's unique. He pretty much let's his band carry him for most the show but his solos were spot on. He played those great and he was in a pretty good mood that night cracking a few jokes here and there. The thing is, nobody plays Ace like Ace he's got that vibrato and cool chicken picking thing he does. Ace can tell a story with his fingers. Most guitarists can't.

[Nitro Express]

I bought two amps from a sound engineer that goes by the name Nite Bob. He grew up in NYC and he's worked with a lot of big names. He does a bit of guitar trading as a side hustle. Anyways we shoot the shit now and then and he was telling me about Ace. He said if Ace needs him as a front of the house guy, he will always do it if he can. He said he always loved working with Ace. The same with Eddie Kramer. The guy speaks highly of Ace. Sure we all know Ace is eccentric and has had substance abuse problems most his life but guys that have worked with him in a creative sense dig the guy.

[Nitro Express]

To be honest with you, I appreciate Ace more now than I ever did. Yeah some of his solos were some of the best ever written. It's not about flash. It's about feel and saying something. Most people just play. Very few make it talk to you.

[Terry]

To be honest with you, I appreciate Ace more now than I ever did. Yeah some of his solos were some of the best ever written. It's not about flash. It's about feel and saying something. Most people just play. Very few make it talk to you.

He kept chugging along even after KISS with his style intact.

I could still throw his 1978 solo record on and listen to it from start to finish. I've always thought he did some really great stuff on that. Inventive.

Just straight up rock and roll. KISS had that great run of albums from Alive! through Alive 2 - the stuff before Alive! strictly on the merits of the limited production makes that stuff kinda unlistenable to me - and there were some good tunes on Dynasty and Unmasked. Creatures was a great album, but it was never quite the same for me after Peter and Ace left the group. Even when the band finally got tough again on Revenge...

I dunno. It took those four guys in the 1970s and that particular sound they made, and probably my being as young as I was back then helped, too.

Anyway, what was this thread about? Oh, yeah, Steve Vai.

[Nitro Express]

He still puts out good songs. Some remakes others original material. Saw a photo of Ace's current studio. It's really cool.

[Nitro Express]

Vai cracks me up. He calls his studio the Harmony Hut. He's got a little loft in it he crawls up into and does meditation but hey, that's Steve.

[Nitro Express]

Here I am in this city with a fist full of dollars and baby, you better believe it!