In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto for MyGlobalMind.com, Steve Vai discusses the importance of balancing technique and melody in his playing, how and why he created the one-handed song "Knappsack", how he has evolved as a guitarist, his upcoming tour, and more. Read an excerpt below:

Robert Cavuoto: After 40 years of writing songs, tell me how you never run out of inspiration for exciting and impactful songs?

Steve Vai: "I don’t know. It just shows up when it is needed. I’m not always inspired, but I can sit down and write something. When inspiration comes, I try and capture a thread of it and document it somehow. I started doing this when I was 13 years old with cassettes, and now I have what I call the “Infinity Shelf.” It’s 1000s of little snippets of ideas. I’m never going to ever tap those out. If I stopped writing new ideas today, there is enough music there for five lifetimes of songs. For this new record, Inviolate, which comes out in January, many songs were culled from those little moments of inspiration that I captured on my iPhone. It might be a simple riff, yet it has the DNA of an entire piece of music in it."

Robert Cavuoto: Some artists were very creative during the 2020 pandemic, while others felt uninspired and took a break. I have to believe that you used your time wisely to write and record this album?

Steve Vai: "That was part of it. The lockdown has been pretty long at this point. When it first hit, I was planning on doing a big production of a record, which was the third installment of the trilogy of records, called Real Illusions. I couldn’t with the lockdown, so I put the kibosh on it, which was fine. The music community was hit very hard, but we are a very resilient group, and we just figured out different ways of doing what we needed to do. I used the lockdown to start uploading live streams of performance and inspirational Q&A chats. As I was doing that, I had time to finally experiment with some techniques that I didn’t have the time for. I did one track called “Candlepower,” which has a weird technique. I had shoulder surgery in the middle of the pandemic, which worked out pretty well. I was able to get it fixed and have enough time to heal before recording. I wanted to get back out on tour, so I started working at home and built the album, Inviolate."

Read more at MyGlobalMind.com.

Steve Vai and Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group have released an official visualizer for “Zeus In Chains”. The composition is featured on Vai’s upcoming studio album, Inviolate, which will be released digitally and on CD January 28. The LP will follow on March 18.

Steve Vai shares, “The title for this track ‘Zeus In Chains’ was told to me by the track when I was listening back and asked it… ‘What’s your name’?  This happened during the heavy guitar breakdown with the dissonant high note that happens right before the solo. It sounded like Zeus in Chains. Hey, it’s art. You can make up anything you want and it’s legitimate.”

Over the course of a more than 40-year career, Steve Vai has routinely transformed what would appear to be outrageously impossible into something very, very possible... and still also pretty outrageous. From his days as Frank Zappa's "stunt guitar" player to his more recent expansive and exploratory solo work, Vai has continually challenged notions of traditional guitar playing and composition - and on more than one occasion even reimagined the very instrument itself.

Vai’s newest and 13th solo album, Inviolate, is a nine-song opus that pushes the boundaries of instrumental guitar music. The body of work presents his most focused, streamlined and perhaps invigorating music in years. “It’s very ‘Vai,’ whatever that means,” he says, and then laughs. “Someone else might be better than me at explaining what that is. But it’s just very honest music. Because a lot of my records, they're long and there's a lot of concepts and playing around with stories. This one has none of that. This is nine pretty dense all-instrumental compositions that I wanted to capture and record so I could get out there and play them live for people.”

In essence, it all comes down to finding your own voice, and then having the courage and conviction to follow your musical and creative instincts wherever they may take you – something Vai has never been shy about in his playing. “One of the great things about the guitar is you don't need to be a virtuoso to express your creative vision,” he says. “I mean, Bob Dylan plays the guitar perfectly well for his expression. So does John McLaughlin. You just need to decide how much technique you want or need to get there. For myself, I came out of the chute wanting and needing it all. When it comes to my music, I don’t feel like I have to prove anything or conform to anything. I just love to think up creative ideas, and then use whatever skill I have to manifest them.”

“An inviolate inspiration is one that comes to you completely pure,” Vai explains. “It appears almost in its completeness, and there’s a recognition of it as being right for you – perfectly right for you. There’s no excuses in it. There's no fantasy in it. There's just a recognition of ‘yes.’ And then you capture that in a way that’s authentic to your unique creativity. Hopefully, that’s what I’ve done with this record.”

Inviolate, available on January 28, is now available for pre-order in various formats, here.

Tracklisting:

"Teeth Of The Hydra"
"Zeus In Chains"
"Little Pretty"
"Candle Power"
"Apollo In Color"
"Avalancha"
"Greenish Blues"
"Knappsack"
"Sandman Cloud Mist"

"Little Pretty" video:

"Candle Power":

"Knappsack"

Vai’s Inviolate tour will begin at House Of Blues in Las Vegas on January 27, and wrap in Los Angeles on April 2 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. For tickets, visit Vai.com.

A variety of EVO Experience VIP bundles are available here. EVO Experience offerings, dependent upon tier purchased, include signed JEM Jr. guitars; an invitation to a pre-show group Q&A, meet-and-greet and photo with Steve; soundcheck viewing access; a guided tour of Steve's instruments and gear; exclusive merchandise; commemorative VIP laminates and access to premium tickets.

This run is the first excursion of many planned which together are a multi-faceted World Tour that will bring the guitarist and composer to most continents across the globe touching down in dozens of countries. Vai has been working on a new studio album and those details will be shared imminently. These appearances will present an all-new show featuring a lot of new music, with plans for performances to be staged for the next several years.

Vai will be joined by his long-tenured ensemble members Dave Weiner (guitar / keys), Philip Bynoe (bass), and Jeremy Colson (drums).

Vai shares, “A performer thrives on performing.  It’s been my life for the past 49 years, with the exception of the last two years, so we are chomping at the bit to get out there and play for people. A music concert has the ability to dissolve the many challenges we face, and celebrate one of the good things in life, live music.”

Confirmed dates:

January
27 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
28 - El Cajon, CA - The Magnolia
29 - Riverside, CA - Fox Performing Arts Center
30 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre

February
1 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Rockwell at The Complex
2 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
4 - Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Theatre
5 - Austin, TX - Paramount Theatre
6 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
8 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
9 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre
11 - Birmingham, AL - Lyric Theatre
12 - Macon, GA - Hargray Capitol Theatre
14 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
15 - Clearwater, FL - Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
16  - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Parker
18 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
19 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
21 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall
22 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
23 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
24 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre
25 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
26 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre
27 - Providence, RI - The Strand

March
1 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
2 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur
3 - Albany, NY - The Egg
4 - Rochester, NY - Kodak Center
5 - Harrisburg, PA - Sunoco Theatre
6 - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theatre
8 - Warren, OH - Packard Music Hall
9 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Cathedral Theatre
10 - Morgantown, WV - Metropolitan Theatre
11 - Louisville, KY - Old Forester's Paristown Hall
12 - Nashville, TN - CMA Theater
13 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
15 - Chicago, IL - Copernicus Center
16 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
17 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitzgerald Theater
18 - Kansas City, MO - The Uptown Theater
19 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre
20 - Des Moines, IA - Hoyt Sherman Place
22 - Sioux Falls, SD - The District
23 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre
25 - Billings, MT - Alberta Bair Theater
26 - Bozeman, MT - The ELM
27 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma
28 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
29 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
31 - Turlock, CA - Turlock Community Theatre

April
1 - Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre Napa
2 - Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel

(Photo - Larry DiMarzio)