Howdy, I’ve always wondered how many songs Steve works on before he finds one he feels is good for mastering? And how long does it take to get there? After playing in bands a couple of years I bought a 4-track and started writing stuff but sometimes get stuck by not having a melody to fit the other parts. Is there a way or method Steve uses to move on when stuck on something thats going nowhere fast?
I saw Steve in Seattle when he played a small club during the ‘Sex & Religion’ tour. I was probably less than 4 feet from the stage, and probably had the shortest hair in the place besides Devin. I couldn’t have been happier with the show and afterwards my friends and I got to have somethings signed. I only had a ‘Passion and Warfare’ CD for him to sign, but my friend Jim got his ’88 floral pattern Jem signed. The most touching thing was that Jim’s sister was engaged to a huge Steve Vai fan who was tragically killed by a drunk driver. Warren had purchased a killer multicolor Universe before he was killed. Steve didn’t just sign the guitar after hearing about Warren’s death, he wrote quite a bit more. Steve was compassionate and caring as he thought out what he was going to write, I was very impressed by his character. Warren’s mother keeps the guitar locked in the closet where it can be preserved. I asked her about taking pictures but she’s not ready for that quite yet. She is watching Steve though, wondering about him as a role model. I have pictures of my friends and I watching Steve sign the guitar.
Thanks, Steve, for not only standing out as an artist but also being standing out as a human being in a world filled with negative people.
Dennis Whitney