The third incarnation of the Vai Academy ran from January 2nd - 6th at the beautiful Asilomar Center, positioned in the oceanfront village of Carmel, California. Guitar legend Steve Vai has checked in with a recap:

"Well, the Vai Academy 3.0 this year in Asilomar CA was truly epic. All of the folks that contributed put their best foot forward and raised the bar for all of us. The atmosphere was alive and vibrating with learning, creativity and enthusiasm. We all made new friends and connected a lot of dots that will inevitably add to the quality of our musicality and life. 

The guest clinicians, Carlos Alomar, Zakk Wylde and Al Di Meola, all delivered generously, inspirationally and humorously. But perhaps my favorite part of the camp was when I had the opportunity to jam with any of the campers that were willing. I enjoyed focusing on them and their musical ideas and watching and listening to how those ideas manifested with the band.

My deepest appreciation and gratitude to all those who attended. We are looking very forward to the next camp that will probably happen around the same time net year (early January).

All the best to you for 2017 and beyond beyond."

On December 5th, 2016 Vai performed at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, TX. During the show he handed off his guitar to former Danger Danger guitarist Andy Timmons mid-song for a quick jam. Check out the video:

In the clip below, Vai demos and discusses his new Dark Matter 2 neck, middle and bridge pickups from DiMarzio courtesy of Guitar World.

Vai also discusses the 25th-anniversary edition of his landmark 1990 album, Passion and Warfare, which was issued earlier this year.