Steve and his bandmates on the red carpet
It was a gala fundraising event with the proceeds going to Hollywood Arts, an arts academy that provides mentoring programs to homeless and at-risk youth. The program is a set of courses along with counseling designed to nurture their artistic gifts and foster a positive outlook on their future. Steve Vai has been a member of the board of directors for Hollywood Arts since 2007.
Guests and press swarmed the red carpet area as fans mingled with Steve Vai and his band. Vai violinist Ann Marie Calhoun was particularly stunning in a black and white low cut dress and complimentary pumps. Vai was joined by his wife and son for photo ops, as well as dozens of friends and associates who jockeyed for positions to get photos taken with the man of hour.
A silent auction was set up nearby where the coolest items were on display. Guitars and large gift baskets were set up for the perusal of lookie loos and potential bidders. Celebrities such as Ozzy Osborne, David Lee Roth, Tom Morello and Slash donated items for bidding. Vai himself donated a complete stage rig: two Carvin Legacy II half stacks, a full pedalboard complete with high-end effects and his Bad Horsie II Jem guitar used on the Fire Garden tour. The items will remain up for auction on eBay through Tuesday.
Then it was time to enter the theater for the screening! Introductions were made and information about the Hollywood Arts charity was given. One of the recipients of the organization told a heart-warming story about his journey, how he discovered the program and his eventual success in the music industry.
Next, the animated short film Live Music was screened. Set in a music store, it’s the story of an electric guitar that falls in love with a violin. The instruments are brought to life by Steve Vai on guitar and fellow band member and violinist Ann Marie Calhoun. It’s a cute little film that showcases the technical virtuosity of the two performers. This TriStar Pictures animated feature was done as a worldwide collaboration by animators using applications built on the Facebook Platform. It’s set for a theatrical North American release on November 20th.
With excitement and anticipation, Steve Vai Live in Minneapolis: Where The Wild Things Are began with a bang. The film is concert footage from Steve Vai’s sold-out Sound Theories tour filmed at The State Theater in Minneapolis. It’s two hours and forty minutes of mesmerizing guitar pyrotechnics as only Vai can do it. The concert contains several new tunes, re-orchestrated old tunes, stunning visuals and special effects. The camera work and editing is sheer perfection. New to the band are violinists Alex DePue and Ann Marie Calhoun who provided lots of vibe, dynamics and woody sonic texture. Other new members include Bryan Beller on bass, Jeremy Colson on drums and Zack Wiesinger on lap steel. Vai’s sonic partner in crime Dave Weiner returns on 7-string guitar. It’s a blistering set of masterfully arranged tunes with super charged virtuosity. Seeing and hearing Vai trade 4s and 8s with two classically trained violinists is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Highlights include, “Taurus Bulba,” “For The Love Of God” and “Freak Show Excess.”
The concert will be release on DVD and Blu-ray September 29th. The live audio CD version contains select performances from the DVD and will be released on the same day. Check out the preview at www.vai.com/wildthings.
Working closely alongside Yngwie, the MXR design team created a circuit that delivers clarity, expressive dynamics, and rich harmonics—all perfectly tailored for his light-speed arpeggios, expressive vibrato, and big, bold riffs. The control setup is simple, with just Level and Gain knobs.
"Want to sound like Yngwie? Crank both knobs to the max."
“This pedal is the culmination of 45+ years developing a sound that’s perfect in every possible way,” Yngwie says. “I present to you: the MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive. Prepare to be amazed.”
MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive highlights:
- Perfectly tailored for Yngwie Malmsteen's signature sound and style
- Simple control setup tuned for maximum impact
- Boost every nuance with superior clarity, expressive dynamics, and rich harmonics
- Dig into light-speed arpeggios, expressive vibrato, and big, bold riffs
The MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive is available now at $129.99 street/$185.70 MSRP from your favorite retailer.
For more information, please visit jimdunlop.com.
Built on powerful dual‑engine processing and world‑class UAD modeling, ANTI 1992 High Gain Amp gives guitarists the unmistakable sound of an original "block letter" Peavey 5150 amplifier* – the notorious 120‑watt tube amp monster that fueled more than three decades of modern metal music, from Thrash and Death Metal, to Grunge, Black Metal, and more.
"With UAFX Dream, Ruby, Woodrow, and Lion amp emulators, we recreated four of the most famous guitar amps ever made," says UA Sr. Product Manager Tore Mogensen. "Now with ANTI, we're giving rock and metal players an authentic emulation of this punishing high gain amp – with the exact mic/speaker pairings and boost/noise gate effects that were responsible for some of the most groundbreaking modern metal tones ever captured."
Key Features:
- A complete emulation of the early '90s 120‑watt tone monster that defined new genres of modern metal
- Powerful UAFX dual-engine delivers the most authentic emulation of the amp ever placed in a stompbox
- Complete album‑ready sounds with built‑in noise gate, TS‑style overdrive, and TC‑style preamp boost
- Groundbreaking Dynamic Room Modeling derived from UA's award-winning OX Amp Top Box
- Six classic mic/speaker pairings used on decades of iconic metal and hard rock records
- Professional presets designed by the guitarists of Tetrarch, Jeff Loomis, and The Black Dahlia Murder
- UAFX mobile app lets you access hidden amp tweaks and mods, choose overdrive/boost, tweak noise gate, recall and archive your presets, download artist presets, and more
- Timeless UA design and craftsmanship, built to last decades
For more information, please visit uaudio.com.
- YouTube
MonoNeon, aka Dywane Thomas Jr., came up learning the bass from his father in Memphis, Tennessee, but for some reason, he decided to flip his dad’s 4-string bass around and play it with the string order inverted—E string closest to the ground and the G on top. That’s how MonoNeon still plays today, coming up through a rich, inspiring gauntlet of family and community traditions. “I guess my whole style came from just being around my grandma at an early age,” says Thomas.His path has led him to collaborate with dozens of artists, including Nas, Ne-Yo, Mac Miller, and even Prince, and MonoNeon’s solo output is dizzying—trying to count up his solo releases isn’t an easy feat. Premier Guitar’s Chris Kies caught up with the bassist before his show at Nashville’s Exit/In, where he got the scoop on his signature 5-string, Ampeg rig, and simple stomp layout, as well as some choice stories about influences, his brain-melting playing style, and how Prince changed his rig.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Orange You Glad to See Me?
This Fender MonoNeon Jazz Bass V was created after a rep messaged Thomas on Instagram to set up the signature model, over which Thomas had complete creative control. Naturally, the bass is finished in neon yellow urethane with a neon orange headstock and pickguard, and the roasted maple neck has a 10"–14" compound radius. It’s loaded with custom-wound Fireball 5-string Bass humbuckers and an active, 18V preamp complete with 3-band EQ controls. Thomas’ own has been spruced up with some custom tape jobs, too. All of MonoNeon's connections are handled by Sorry Cables.
Fade to Black
MonoNeon’s Ampeg SVT stack isn’t a choice of passion. “That’s what they had for me, so I just plugged in,” he says. “That’s what I have on my rider. As long as it has good headroom and the cones don’t break up, I’m cool.”
Box Art
MonoNeon’s bass isn’t the only piece of kit treated to custom color jobs. Almost all of his stomps have been zhuzhed up with his eye-popping palette.
Thomas had used a pitch-shifting DigiTech Whammy for a while, but after working with Paisley Park royalty, the pedal became a bigger part of his playing. “When I started playing with Prince, he put the Whammy on my pedalboard,” Thomas explains. “After he passed, I realized how special that moment was.”
Alongside the Whammy, MonoNeon runs a Fairfield Circuitry Randy’s Revenge (for any time he wants to “feel weird”), a literal Fart Pedal (in case the ring mod isn’t weird enough, we guess), and a JAM Pedals Red Muck covers fuzz and dirt needs. A CIOKS SOL powers the whole affair.
