Legendary guitarist and musician Steve Vai will host and serve as the musical director for The Big Mama-Jama Jamathon - an open, improvisational music/art event where the music doesn’t stop for 52 hours - to be held September 28th - 30th at Musicians Institute’s brand new venue, LiveHouse, in Los Angeles, California. The Jamathon will mark the public grand opening of LiveHouse. 100% of the profits raised will benefit Extraordinary Families, a leading nonprofit foster family, adoption agency in the Los Angeles area dedicated to improving the daily lives of children and youths in foster care.

Vai is pleased to announce that Dave Navarro, Moby, Dweezil Zappa, Al Di Meola, Steve Morse, Lee Ritenour, Andy Vargas and Souleros and many others have already committed to perform at the event that weekend. Various other professional musicians to be announced (including many of Vai’s friends) and novice musicians, along with celebrities, painters, poets, magicians, visual artists, speakers and other creative performers from all genres are invited to support each other in an “in-the-moment”, continuous 52-hour jam featuring non-stop music and other creative activity. Vai will be center stage for the majority of the event and will be directing the band and jammers in an impromptu setting. The current schedule is available here.

The festivities, which will commence on Friday, September 28th at 12 noon, Pacific and conclude at 4 PM, Pacific on Sunday, September 30th, will be streamed live worldwide via www.jamathon.org, www.vai.com, and Steve’s official Facebook page, alongside other outlets including websites, social media, and cable TV stations. The website www.jamathon.orgincludes more specifics about the jam-a-thon and outlines various ways to be involved and donate to Extraordinary Families.

“I currently serve on the board of Extraordinary Families and let me tell you, these folks are extraordinary, and do vital work for families and children in L.A.,” said Steve Vai. “It is such an honor to be involved with this organization, and to host something like this that will benefit so many children and families. The Big Mama-Jama Jamathon will be a ton of fun and a place where anything can happen - expect quite a wild ride!”

“Our organization is so fortunate to have such extraordinary and dedicated supporters who have demonstrated a long-standing commitment as role models for children and youth in foster care,” said Sarah Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Extraordinary Families. “And we welcome more supporters to be someone who matters to someone who matters.”

Stig Mathisen, Chair of the Guitar Program at Musicians Institute (MI) added: “MI is very honored to team up with Steve Vai and Extraordinary Families for this unique charity event and important cause, bringing together the world of music academia and the music industry, benefitting families that are doing an incredibly important job of providing support for children and youth in foster care.”

Single entry tickets to the Jamathon can be purchased here for $30 on a first-come, first-served basis (these will also be available at the door if space permits). A $350 ticket can be purchased for full access for the entire weekend. Individuals interested in taking to the stage to participate in the jam can purchase and secure a slot on the jam (approximately 10 minutes in duration) during the hours of Midnight PDT to 7 p.m. PDT on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Midnight PDT to 3 p.m. PDT on Sunday, Sept. 30. 100 pre-purchased slots will be made available and guaranteed for a donation of $100 each, while they last. On-site stage participation passes can be purchased for $150 if schedule and space allows but advance registration is encouraged. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and simple munchies will be made available to purchase in the venue.

Auction items, including instruments donated by Vai, Slash, Devin Townsend, Gregg Bissonette, and online lessons open to the public donated by Steve Vai, Tommy Emmanuel, Stu Hamm, Bumblefoot, plus other unique and fulfilling opportunities to donate to Extraordinary Families are now available online at jamathon.org/donate. Various items are still coming in so please watch this page.

The store, hosted by PledgeMusic, offers upcoming CD and vinyl volumes to-be-culled from the jamathon, limited edition “Jamathon Jammies”, VIP t-shirts, a dad-style baseball cap, and much more. Visit pledgemusic.com/projects/steve-vai-jamathon-2018.

Lastly, fans can easily donate $5 or $25 to Extraordinary Families by texting “20222”on their phones and entering the code “JAM5”and “JAM25”–this is open to U.S. residents only. Visit jamathon.org/txt2give for full details.