Joe Satriani and Steve Vai's friendship with each other (and the guitar) started as kids in New York. It’s still going strong five decades later, and for the first time they  joined up for the Satch/Vai tour. It wrapped up at on May 12th at Luther Burbank Center For The Arts in Santa Rosa, CA and Vai has shared the message below with his fans:

"I’m sitting in my backyard the afternoon after the last Satch/Vai show of the tour. This had to be my favorite tour of my career. Having the opportunity to connect with Joe, in that intimate space of instant improvisation feels sacred, and quite a lot of fun. My deepest thanks to my band, Joe’s band, the amazing crew that made it all happen, and to all of you who have come out to support this celebration. And of course, infinite appreciation to brother Joe. Much more to come, my friends!"

Vai and Satriani recently collaborated on a new three-part piece of music, "The Sea Of Emotion". The duo recently spoke with Guitar World about the collaboration. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Satriani: "When Steve and I decided the time had finally come for us to collaborate on an album I immediately thought of our humble beginnings, where we came from, and our teenage rock ’n’ roll hopes and dreams. To anybody else, it may look like just a field, part of the sprawling Carle Place Public School complex, but for some of us, back in the early ’70s, when the sun went down and the moon came up, (that field) became 'The Sea of Emotion'. We would hang out there late at night and share our deepest thoughts. The memories we shared at that location so long ago became the inspiration for a musical journey in three parts. Each part of the song has little reminders of what we were so into musically back then, including a chord sequence that Steve and I would sometimes jam over during guitar lessons."

Vai: "As young teenagers, we would sit overlooking this magnificent field and wax on generously for hours about the meaning of life and many other deep, rich discussions. We deemed this field 'The Sea of Emotion'. Connecting with Joe on this track, and the other music we are working on, is perhaps the most rewarding musical collaboration I’ve ever engaged in. Although we’ve toured and recorded jams together through the decades, for this music we are intimately bringing together our melodic impulses and playing techniques and creating something that is bigger than the sum of its parts."

Read more via Guitar World here.

Check out the official video for "The Sea Of Emotion, Pt. 1" below.