On June 23-27, guitar legend STEVE VAI is holding the first Vai Academy Camp at the Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He recently spoke with Music Radar about the venture; an excerpt from the interview is available below:

Q: Where did the idea for this kind of camp come from? It’s different from other things you’ve done in the past.

Vai: “It is. I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a camp for some time. Some people approached me to do some things, but they wanted me to do a very conventional-style guitar camp, which I think would be wonderful, but I wanted to do something that was different.

“When I thought back to the conversations I’ve had with young musicians and the lectures I’ve given, and when I think back to myself as a young, independent musician, a couple of things came to the surface; there were a few specific things that people were interested in. When you blow all the smoke away, these kids want to know ‘How do you write a song? Where does the inspiration come from? How do you capture it? How do you record it? How do you mix it and master it? And how do you make it available to the rest of the world and tour on it?’ That’s really what’s it’s about.

“So I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to give kids an opportunity to see this process?’ So I created this camp, which as you can imagine is really intensive. There’s various classes through the different days, and I’ll have a band with me. I’ll discuss songwriting and song inspiration, writing music, how it flows and how you communicate musical ideas to a band. They’ll get to see it and participate, to a degree. We de-mystify the songwriting process.

“I also have a professional come in to de-mystify the music publishing thing. Musicians are so intimidated – they don’t understand how publishing works. It is complicated but it’s important. Anybody who writes music or plays a note of music should have their own publishing company. They have to know how to register their music, which is really easy now. We take them through the process of starting a publishing company; in fact, we start a publishing company for the song we write, and we register it. We discuss how to protect your intellectual property, how splits usually go. This is vital information.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

The inaugural Vai Academy Song Evolution Camp will take place June 23rd - 27th at the pastoral Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, NY. This unique vacation experience will be hosted by multi-platinum three-time Grammy Award-winning guitar legend STEVE VAI, who will be joined by various respected guitar and music industry heavies, including Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Guthrie Govan, and Vernon Reid.

The camp will focus on the evolution of a song. Attendees will learn how a song gets written, recorded, mixed, mastered, packaged, copyrighted, registered, digitally distributed, and marketed. Each special guest will conduct their own master classes as well.

View a video of Steve Vai talking about Vai Academy Song Evolution Camp below:

Produced by Dreamcatcher Events, Steve Vai’s Vai Academy Song Evolution Camp will follow the entire process step-by-step as taught by an iconic virtuoso and a team of music industry professionals. Steve Vai’s Vai Academy Song Evolution Camp is the entire manual for being an independent musician condensed into three days of classes.

“I like to bring something different to the table. That’s the idea behind this ‘Song Evolution’ Program.” says Vai. “You’ll enjoy a unique experience if you join us this summer. Although there will be a lot of guitar playing, this camp focuses on all aspects of creating your music, getting it into the world and launching your career.”

Vai continues, “I want everybody to learn how a song evolves and moreover how a career in music evolves. You're going to have fun, and you're going to leave knowing how to do this professionally. This is the entire manual for being an independent musician condensed into three days.”

Tickets for Steve Vai’s Vai Academy Song Evolution Camp are on sale now at this location. Admission includes lodging, meals, classes, live performances and jam sessions.

For Steve Vai’s Vai Academy Song Evolution Camp, guests will choose from a variety of lodging options at Gideon Putnam Resort (Gideonputnam.com). Nestled in the southernmost foothills of New York’s Adirondack region and surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of Saratoga Spa State Park, the Gideon Putnam Resort features spacious guest rooms, luxurious bedding, wireless internet access and upscale bath amenities. The 124 guestrooms, including 22 suites, offer relaxing, retreat-like accommodations in an unforgettable location.