Steve Vai has announced he will host and serve as the musical director for “The Big Mama Jama Jam-a-thon” — an open, improvisational music/art event where the music doesn’t stop for 52 hours — to be held Sept. 28-30, 2018 at Musicians Institute’s brand new venue, LiveHouse, in Los Angeles, California. The jam-a-thon will mark the public grand opening of LiveHouse. 100% of the profits raised will benefit Extraordinary Families, a leading nonprofit foster family, adoption agency in the Los Angeles area dedicated to improving the daily lives of children and youths in foster care.
Various professional musicians to be announced (including many of Vai’s friends) and novice musicians, along with celebrities, painters, poets, magicians, visual artists, speakers and other creative performers from all genres are invited to support each other in an “in-the-moment,” continuous 52-hour jam featuring non-stop music and other creative activity. Vai will be center stage for the majority of the event and will be directing the band and jammers in an impromptu setting.
The festivities, which will commence on Friday, Sept. 28 at Noon Pacific and conclude at 4:00 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, Sept. 30, will be streamed live worldwide via www.jamathon.org, www.vai.com, and Steve’s official Facebook page, alongside other outlets including websites, social media, and cable TV stations. The website www.jamathon.org includes more specifics about the jam-a-thon and outlines various ways to be involved and donate to Extraordinary Families.
“I currently serve on the board of Extraordinary Families and let me tell you, these folks are extraordinary, and do vital work for families and children in L.A.,” said Steve Vai. “It is such an honor to be involved with this organization, and to host something like this that will benefit so many children and families. ‘The Big Mama Jama Jam-a-thon’ will be a ton of fun and a place where anything can happen — expect quite a wild ride!”
“Our organization is so fortunate to have such extraordinary and dedicated supporters who have demonstrated a long-standing commitment as role models for children and youth in foster care,” said Sarah Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Extraordinary Families. “And we welcome more supporters to be someone who matters to someone who matters.”
Stig Mathisen, Chair of the Guitar Program at Musicians Institute (MI) added: “MI is very honored to team up with Steve Vai and Extraordinary Families for this unique charity event and important cause, bringing together the world of music academia and the music industry, benefitting families that are doing an incredibly important job of providing support for children and youth in foster care.”
Entry to the jam-a-thon can be purchased here. Wristbands (good for 4-hour blocks of time) are for sale for $50 on a first-come, first-served basis (these will also be available at the door if spots remain available). Individuals interested in taking to the stage to participate in the jam can purchase and secure a slot on the jam (approximately 10 minutes in duration) during the hours of Midnight PDT to 7 p.m. PDT on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Midnight PDT to 3 p.m. PDT on Sunday, Sept. 30. 100 pre-purchased slots will be made available and guaranteed for a donation of $100 each, while they last. On-site stage participation passes can be purchased for $150 if schedule and space allows but advance registration is encouraged. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and simple munchies will be made available to purchase in the venue.
Auction items plus other unique and fulfilling opportunities to donate to Extraordinary Families will be available online at www.jamathon.org and at various times throughout the live webcast.
About Steve Vai:
A virtuoso guitarist, visionary composer, and consummate producer who sculpts musical sound with infinite creativity and technical mastery, Steve Vai has awed fans of all genres with his exceptional guitar skills and musicianship for decades. At age 12, he started taking guitar lessons from Joe Satriani. At 18, he began his professional music career transcribing for, and then playing with, the legendary Frank Zappa. More than three decades, over 15 million in album sales, and three GRAMMY® Awards later, Vai has proven himself, in his own right, to be one of music’s true originals.
Vai’s work has been recognized with a long list of awards and honors, including over 15 from Guitar Player magazine alone. His career accomplishments have earned him honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Musicians Institute. The 2016 Long Island Music Hall of Fame inductee was voted the 10th “Greatest Guitarist” by Guitar World magazine and consistently lands among the best in various lists of the top guitarists of all time. In 2012, the TEC Foundation honored him with the prestigious Les Paul Award, created in 1991 to salute those who have set the highest standard of excellence in the creative application of technology (past winners include Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan, and Bob Clearmountain).
Vai has toured the world as a solo artist (including many performances backed by an orchestra), as a member of G3 and Generation Axe (with Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi), and with Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth (just after Roth left Van Halen), Alcatrazz, and Whitesnake—at the peak of its popularity. Vai’s full discography encompasses more than 60 albums, including many with Zappa, others from stints with Roth and Whitesnake, as well as live releases, collaborations, compilations, and orchestral works. Two of Vai’s landmark recordings are 1990’s groundbreaking Passion and Warfare, and 2007’s Sound Theories Vol. 1 & 2, performed with the Netherlands’ Metropole Orkest. As an accomplished audio producer, Vai has written, produced, and engineered all of his solo albums, and released many via Favored Nations Entertainment, his own independent record label that has also released over 70 albums by legendary musicians such as Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Lukather, Eric Johnson, Billy Sheehan, Larry Carlton and many more.
For more information, please visit www.vai.com
About Extraordinary Families:
Over 20,000 children and youth are currently in L.A. county’s child welfare system and are in need of safe loving homes. An average of 1,000 young adults age out of the system every year and are still in need of critical resources and support. Extraordinary Families finds families for children in foster care, and provides employment services, education planning, resource coordination, and mentoring to foster youth transitioning to out of child welfare and into adulthood.
Extraordinary Families’ mission is to help children and youth in foster care to have the childhoods and futures they rightfully deserve. The organization’s vision is that every child, youth, and family in child welfare will have the ability to achieve their hopes, fulfill their dreams, and thrive. Extraordinary Families was formed in 2015 with the merger of two robust nonprofits: Southern California Foster Family and Adoption Agency (SCFFAA) with a 20-year history of direct fost/adopt services, and Child Welfare Initiative (CWI) founded in 2007 to advance advocacy and policy initiatives.
For more information, please visit www.ExtraordinaryFamilies.org
About Musicians Institute:
Located in the heart of Hollywood, California, Musicians Institute (MI) is a world-renowned music college dedicated to inspiring artistic and academic excellence while preparing students for careers in the music and entertainment industry.
Musicians Institute provides an innovative education that prepares graduates for creative and professional careers in the contemporary music industry. MI is dedicated to providing comprehensive instruction, facilities and other resources to support and inspire artistic and professional accomplishment. MI connects students to the global music industry with all the tools they need to enhance their careers and pursue their artistic dreams.
More information about Musicians Institute can be found at www.mi.edu
About LiveHouse on the Musicians Institute Campus (the venue for the event):
As a welcoming, multi-purpose, arts-centered, community-rooted venue in the heart of Hollywood, Musicians Institute’s newly built LiveHouse is an 11,000 square-foot music venue, student lounge, and dance studio, all under one roof.
The 300-person capacity venue incorporates a 700 square-foot stage with state-of-the art sound equipment, lights, hi-def LED wall, and broadcasting abilities alongside a greenroom with its own shower and load-in dock.
As aptly noted, this will be “The Venue missing in L.A.”
The Big Mama Jama Jamathon will be the first public event held in LiveHouse.
