Steve Vai has released a music video for “Dark Matter”. Vai teamed with Blackmagic Design, Moai Films and director Lukas Colombo on the video, with Moai Films producing. “Dark Matter” is one of the songs from Modern Primitive, a collection of previously unreleased material delivered in tandem with Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition by Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings.
The “Dark Matter” video was shot entirely on green screen utilizing a full Blackmagic Design pipeline, including editorial, visual effects using URSA Mini Pro and finishing in DaVinci Resolve 15. Blackmagic Design, with offices in USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia, creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries.
Long known as one of the top guitarists in the world, Vai has won three Grammy Awards and worked with artists such as Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, and a myriad of others. Vai’s Passion and Warfare album is considered one of rock’s landmark albums.
In producing his newest music video, Vai wanted to do something special. “I wanted to create something that not only looked other worldly, but was also shot uniquely as well,” Vai said. “The idea was to create an alien type landscape where each band member was filmed at a different speed and then brought together in various shots. I had to learn the song backwards! There are all these little complexities, which is a fun challenge, but it’s almost like wearing a straight jacket and trying to run a forward marathon with eyes only in the back of your head.”
Moai Films brought in VFX Supervisors Bruce Jergens and Nick Torres to help guide the design. The VFX team combined 2D and 3D elements to create the unique environments. “We wanted to have a completely alien environment,” said Torres, “with tall spires as mountains and a glassy still ocean with a fast rolling fog on top.”
Vai, who hosted the Big Mama Jama Jamathon — a 53 1/2-consecutive-hour event at Musicians Institute in Hollywood to benefit non-profit foster care and adoption agency Extraordinary Families — with guests such as Dave Navarro, Moby, Orianthi, Al Di Meola and Dweezil Zappa, Sept. 28-30 will continue to have a busy fall season. Vai will perform his own compositions with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra (Carlos Izcaray, Conductor) in Birmingham, AL at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center on Nov. 2, before joining Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tosin Abasi in the supergroup Generation Axe for a 32-date tour of North America, beginning November 7 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA.
“The Generation Axe show is a unique performance of five fiercely talented guitar players coming together to create a 6-string extravaganza that is sure to amaze and delight,” Vai said.
Each Generation Axe tour stop will include a variety of collaborations by the five players, including everyone performing together as one cohesive band with a rhythm section including Pete Griffin (Dweezil Zappa, Stanley Clarke, Edgar Winter) on bass, Nick Marinovich (Yngwie Malmsteen) on keys, and JP Bouvet on drums. Vai, Wylde, Malmsteen, Bettencourt and Abasi will perform songs from their various catalogs and join forces on some well-known songs (as well as probably a few unexpected, unearthed gems). Special VIP packages are available. For more information: www.generationaxe.com
Fans can pre-order Generation Axe’s forthcoming release, The Guitars that Destroyed the World: Live in China on CD and vinyl, along with autographed copies, signed guitars, merch bundles and much more at https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/generation-axe
Vai has also spearheaded a fundraiser through PledgeMusic benefitting Los Angeles-area foster children non-profit Extraordinary Families with exclusive merchandise and signed CDs. This is an extension of Vai’s Big Mama Jama Jamathon held in Hollywood, CA Sept. 28-30. More info at https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/steve-vai-jamathon-2018
GENERATION AXE TOUR DATES
11/07 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
11/08 Anaheim, CA City National Grove
11/09 Las Vegas, NV The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
11/10 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre #
11/11 Albuquerque, NM El Rey Theater
11/13 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre – Denver
11/15 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre
11/16 Salina, KS The Stiefel Theatre
11/17 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
11/18 Des Moines, IA Hoyt Sherman Theatre
11/19 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
11/20 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe Live
11/21 Detroit, MI Fillmore Detroit
11/23 Medford, MA The Chevalier Theater
11/24 Niagara Falls, NY The Rapids Theatre
11/25 Kitchener, ON Centre in the Square
11/27 Bethlehem, PA Sands Bethlehem Event Center
11/28 Port Chester, NY Capitol Theatre
11/29 Albany, NY The Palace Theatre
11/30 Atlantic City, NJ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City – The Theater
12/01 Rochester, NY Kodak Center for the Arts
12/03 Greensburg, PA The Palace Theatre
12/04 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre at Westbury
12/05 Richmond, VA The National
12/08 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
12/09 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
12/10 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
12/11 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
12/13 Austin, TX The Moody Theater
12/14 Dallas, TX The Bomb Factory
12/16 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex – Rockwell
12/18 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
# – Nuno Bettencourt not appearing
