A top secret recording session took place on Tuesday night involving a supergroup of sorts covering one of the most recognized songs in rock history: Led Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven." The players? Soul queen Mary J. Blige on vocals, guitar god Steve Vai and his pop protégé Orianthi on rhythm and lead guitars, respectively, Travis Barker on drums and "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson on bass, with producer Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera, Pussycat Dolls) handling piano, the arrangement and all-star recruitment. The track's destination: Blige’s 10th studio album, due out later this year.

Steve Vai is a guitar player’s guitar player. You want layered, symphonic intricacy? There’s Vai. You want shred? There’s Vai, too. Tasteful, melodic majesty? Absolutely. On his own, as a band member and studio guest, he’s vaulted to the upper strata of the six-(and seven-) string pantheon. With a combination of hard rock abandon and virtuosic precision, this Playlist celebrates a career-spanning 14 tracks.

Click here to buy/download the album.

"WaveGroup is the premiere production team for interactive music videogames and I was thrilled to partner with them on my songs," said guitar icon Steve Vai. "Now I can jam with people in the comfort of their own plastic!"

For more information, visit Wavegroup.com

Click here to see the video on YouTube!

In 1990, Ibanez released Steve Vai's signature 7-string electric guitar - the Universe. Following the release, Ibanez's new 7-string guitar spread with lightning speed to the guitarists who pursued new sound options and triggered their creation of new music.

In 2010, Ibanez celebrates the 20th anniversary of the 7-string guitar and milestone introduction of the Universe Signature model.

The Universe UV77RE 1990 Reissue Multicolor will be available in highly limited numbers. Each swirl finish on these guitars are unique and distinct from each other, and swirled by master swirl artist and original "ATD" swirler Darren Johansen.

The guitar features a 5-piece maple/bubinga Wizard Jem neck and a basswood body with original heeljoint; 24 frets and rosewood board with disappearing pyramid inlays. Pickups are DiMarzio® BLAZE™II Neck, Middle and cosmo black hardware and a Lo-Pro Edge 7 bridge.

The guitar comes in a special silver-lined Ibanez Flight Case, along with a special printed high-quality poster and special certificate.

See the guitar HERE in Ibanez Japan's special webpage, plus take a journey back in time with the 1987-2010 Jem & Universe Chronicle!

Furthermore, in 2010 Steve Vai's 6-string signature model JEM series will achieve sales of 77,777 pieces since its release in 1987. Steve and Ibanez are planning a unique JEM design contest in the near future. More information will follow in the coming days. Don't miss it!

Grammy Award-winning guitarist Steve Vai struck gold twice with his latest concert film, Live In Minneapolis: Where The Wild Things Are, which has now been certified gold in both the USA and Canada.

"Now We Run" from the live DVD is nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Rock Instrumental" category. The 52nd annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, January 31, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

2010 marks Steve Vai's 30th anniversary in the music business. He first stepped into the spotlight in 1980 as a touring member of the legendary Frank Zappa's touring band.

Live In Minneapolis: Where The Wild Things Are is available on double DVD, Blu-ray and a single CD. Later this year, Favored Nations will release Where The Other Wild Things Are, a 10-track CD of songs from the concert that didn't make the first CD.

In January, Vai will enter the studio to record his next solo album for Favored Nations. Later this year, Vai will embark on a world tour that will take him through all of 2011.

Why the guitar? you ask.
Perhaps because it's the coolest instrument in the world.
Well, at least the people in this book think so.

For most of them, the first time they ever laid eyes on the instrument, its intoxicating allure was swift and explosive. Yet there was never a moment when they made the conscious choice to become a guitar player. Because that would mean there had been an option. For them, the calling of the guitar was irresistible.

Its graceful curves, its slender neck, its variety of shapes and colors, its infinity of sounds, and the way it feels against the body when slung over the shoulder and gripped in the hands are like Cupid's arrows piercing the hearts of its lovers.

Once they experienced its enticing charms, they knew they could never keep their hands off. They realized their six-string journey of discovery would have no end. It's a magnificent life sentence.

When you're in high school, there's nothing cooler than playing guitar in a rock band. It doesn't matter if you're rich, poor, short, fat, cute, or ugly, you are just fuckin' cool, baby, because you play guitar in a rock band. And one of the coolest things is the connection that forms among band members. It's a bond unlike any other.

Going through first-time life experiences, such as driving a car, having sex, breaking up, making up, and getting drunk or high, are richer experiences when you voyage through them with your band brothers.

Once they left behind the passion and warfare of their adolescent years, the people in the pages of this book variously faced challenges of addiction, rising to fame, attaining material success, reveling in excess, enduring financial ruin, hitting bottom, making comebacks, finding God, and experiencing touring demands that could cripple a platoon of Navy SEALs. Through it all, their guitar has been a faithful friend that is always there to turn to.

It offers unconditional acceptance to everyone, regardless of race, gender, religion, or personal shortcomings. It is a companion you can communicate with anytime, and it will never judge or abandon you.

With our hands on the guitar and a willingness to explore our innermost being, the instrument becomes a conduit of selfexpression to the outside. What lies underneath the skin comes to the surface. The cool become cooler, the geeky become geekier, the strong turn mighty, and the superficial hopelessly devolve. We cannot hide who we really are. We are naked to the world.

The guitar moves with us physically and emotionally, with a voice that bends, whispers, screams, purrs, and moans. And it does these things differently from any other instrument, provided that the player is a capable seducer.

The guitar breathes fire into all the styles of music that it plays. Just look at the expanse of its playground— jazz, classical, blues, folk, country, and, of course, rock. What a vapid world we would live in without it . . . quiet, too. Not only does it rule the world of its players, but entire subcultures also can be generated by the various ongoing permutations in guitar design. This is evidenced by the resurgent metal scene at the turn of the 21st century, spawned by the tuned-down seven-string guitar.

Some people devotedly practice their guitar for 15 hours a day and become shred machines, and some never practice and can barely form an E Major chord. Some people play a note or two, then polish their guitar and hang it on the wall like it's a museum piece, while others smash it into little pieces and set it on fire. But regardless of all that, what moves the listener is the sincerity and confidence of the player.

A true guitar hero enters a guitar-induced hypnotic state and immerses the audience in an ocean of trance-induced audio elixir, thus revealing the secrets of his soul.

I have found that most great guitar players never feel as though they are good enough. A sign of humility, it is also a sign of real greatness.

Because of the technical advantages of its design, the dynamic range of the guitar is gigantic. There's no limit to how softly and tenderly it can be caressed, or to how fiercely and chaotically it can be wailed upon. If you think about it, every note ever played on any guitar has never been played exactly the same way twice. Perhaps there are as many guitar notes that have been plucked as there are snowflakes that have fallen on the Earth. And you could probably find half of them in one of my solos . . . the stormy, icy ones.

Whether its sound is harshly distorted, crystal clean, organically acoustic, or highly processed, the instrument's most enchanting attraction is the way its vibrating strings create attunement deep within its admirers. This resonance is uniquely satisfying, and to go without it for any period of time can result in auditory withdrawal pangs. We need our daily dose of strings!

Now it's time to get esoteric on your ass.

I see the universe as a series of infinite vibrations that are resonating within each other. From the motions of the tiny atom to the orbits of the solar system to the expansion of the cosmos —all is in a state of constant vibration. Each color of the rainbow vibrates at its own frequency, and though they are more refined, thoughts and feelings are a form of vibration existing within a subtler dimension. All are set into motion by a primal action. And what that is, God only knows.

I believe that no other instrument captures the vibrational microcosm of the Creation like the guitar. Every "kirchang" of its strings is like the creation of a universe set into motion by its "kirchanger." Aha! Perhaps that's why so many guitarists have a God complex . . . ?

Nah, c'mon, we all know that lead singers are the real creators of the universe, for fuck's sake!

Playing the guitar is a cathartic expression of self-discovery. And here's the good news. You don't have to be one of the people in this book to play it. Anyone can play guitar, and maybe everyone should. Please hear this loud and clear: It's your right to play it, and it does not matter how good or bad you are. Guitar playing is a form of artistic expression and freedom, and in reality, there's no wrong way to do it. Even if you have the technique or strength to set only one note into motion, it can envelop your spirit and light up your world. Just try it!

If you happen to be one of the elite players who made it into this book, it means that you have heard the call of the guitar, fallen in love with it, and have taken your life's journey with a handful of six-string soul. It was also inevitable that at some point along the way, your destiny dictated you would be given orders by a more powerful voice than that of your own muse. It was the voice of the infamous creator of the photos in this book.

The voice that demands, "Chin up! Come on, get your fuckin' chin up and give me some fuckin' attitude! WE AIN'T GOT ALL FUCKIN' DAY!"

Such are the demands of Neil Zlozower.

Now, the music industry has its share of colorful and talented people, and many of them are in front of the camera. Although Zlozower is one of the people on the other side of the camera, he's no less gifted at what he does than the people whose historical images he preserves for posterity. He's a character such as you will never find anywhere else. I'll try to give you a clue as to the intensity that is "The Zloz."

Neil Zlozower is rock and roll to the bone! For 40 years, he's been nailing on film images of renowned "kirchangers," and this book is the culmination of that passion.

Zlozower is brutally honest. There's no stop valve between his brain and his mouth. He doesn't care who you are or how famous you are; if you are talking to him, you'd better be prepared to hear the Zloz truth. Whenever I'm with him, I can't wait to hear what's going to come out of his mouth next. He's freakin' hilarious! I've heard him say things that were so raunchy that the input jack on my guitar closed up.

He's loud and raw. Just read his intro to this book and check out how many exclamation marks he uses. He's yelling at you, even when you can't hear him.

He's ferociously protective of his work and has set precedents around the world for the rights of photographers. There is a copyright notice somewhere in this book regarding the use of these photos. I suggest adhering to it.

But more than anything, he is a conscientious professional who is attentive to every detail and does whatever it takes to get the shot. The guy is always on time and tireless when he works. He still gets excited over a good idea and is not afraid to try to execute it. I've seen him clamber through some of Hollywood's filthiest alleys in the blazing L.A. heat, naked from the waist up, wearing nothing but a tattoo of the Dalai Lama on one arm, a tattoo of the Buddha on the other, torn-up motorcycle boots, and funky gray shorts so skimpy that his sweaty balls are hanging out, just to snag the ideal photo.

There's a rough charm about him, but you have to have the right lens to view it. Underneath the wildman in the shorts is a person who is deeply respectful of those he works with. He's not content until his subjects are also happy with his shots.

Neil is arguably the finest rock photographer in history, and this book is one of his masterpieces.

But I have to end now, because I just got an e-mail from him that says, "Are you fucking finished writing yet?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Come on, Stevie darling, I AIN'T GOT ALL FUCKIN' DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Hey, Zloz, keep your balls in your shorts. I'm done.

— Steve Vai

With a forty-year career as a top rock and roll photographer, Neil Zlozower has seen and done it all, and then some. Simply stated, if you know anything about music, then you have most certainly heard of "Zloz". Known around the world for hundreds of magazine and album covers, his images have often solidified the iconic visual images of many music idols and lent the man himself to reach his own legendary rock and roll status.

His newest book, Six-String Heroes (Chronicle Books), is a stripped down collection of live, candid and studio shots of 150 of the greatest guitar players to ever live. The book is a must have for every guitar enthusiast and anyone who knows one. The dynamic assortment of players includes Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, John Frusciante, Les Paul, Slash, Joe Satriani, Dimebag Darrell, Chuck Berry, Zackk Wylde, Tom Waits, Ratt, and countless others. Six-String Heroes features a foreword by Steve Vai and includes text from countless unpublished interviews throughout the book by music journalist Steven Rosen.

Zloz will be signing copies of the book this coming Saturday, December 5th between 2-6pm at:
Mr. Musichead Gallery
7511 W. Sunset Blvd,
Hollywood CA 90046.

Zloz has invited MANY special friends to the event…with him it’s clear that this could mean anyone and everyone, and clearly it’s sure to be a great time!!!

Steve has been nominated for the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" category in the 52nd GRAMMY® Awards! The nominees are:

“A Day In The Life”
Jeff Beck
Track from: Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scott's
[Eagle Records]

“Warped Sister”
Booker T. Jones
Track from: Potato Hole
[ANTI]

“Playing With Fire”
Brad Paisley
Track from: Play
[Arista Nashville]

“Mr. Surfer Goes Jazzin’”
Brian Setzer Orchestra
[Surfdog Records]

“Now We Run”
Steve Vai
Track from: Live In Minneapolis - Where The Wild Things Are
[Favored Nations Entertainment]

The 52nd GRAMMY® Awards air on Sunday, January 31, 2010 on CBS.