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IMM: The mixes, when they were constructed, were you thinking of a concert experience from a person sitting in the audience, or were you able to take liberties with each piece?

SV: I tried to keep a continuity that ran through the whole thing, and if I was to comment on anything that I think I would have done a little different, I would have brought the audience track up more. Because on my last DVD, the audience was very loud, and I remember thinking 'well, the audience is kind of loud, it sounds a little pretentious,' you know? And sometimes you don't realize these things until after the fact, so when I was doing this one I was a little more ginger with how 'live' -- from the audience point of view -- I made the track.

Another problem was the State Theater was so big, the microphones for the audience were way up in the sky, so it was hard to really capture cheers. So when I listened back, I didn't really mix this record from the perspective of being in the audience and being surrounded by the audience. The listener is more surrounded by the musicians.


IMM: Perhaps as if they were on stage.

SV: Yeah, yeah.


IMM: Does the band get nervous when they know they're being filmed?

SV: I think it varies per performer, but there's always that little thing that's going in your head: 'Oh my God, I'm being recorded, and Steve's going to be listening to every note' or whatever. But some people are like 'Whatever. I do what I do and that's it.' That's pretty much these people, they're at that level. And me, my approach is like if I don't like it I'm not going to release it, so it doesn't matter. So that takes the edge off and I just go for it.


IMM: I've noticed from the previews that this DVD looks very different from your other concert DVDs. There were some special effects that were breathtaking. Was this planned?

SV: Yeah, that was... the part you're talking about is the piece called 'The Murder.' That was something I conceived before the performance. My idea was to create this visual of this guy performing, but not playing the guitar like normal. Playing it like I'm a magician, and I'm just like this wizard that's wielding this tool, and in the process there would be sounds that would be emanating out of the instrument that were unearthly, you know?

And when I did it live I went through the motions, and the sounds coming out of the guitar were a product of some devices that I had, which was a sustainer which whenever I would hold the note, the note would just scream out. So wherever I grabbed the guitar a note came out, and if I played it with my feet a note came out. And then I had a whammy pedal that was making the notes stretch all over the place.

So when I was actually performing, I was doing this... more like an artistic dance piece. But I knew that later on I was going to take this piece and I was going to... it was all conceived way ahead of time. I knew that I was going to take it, and I said I'm going to do my best to take all these effects, these video effects that are available, and create this visual that goes with my actions. And then I'm going to build my audio track that, harmonically and melodically, punctuates these effects and my movements.

So it's unearthly. I wish I had "Industrial Light & Magic" and a couple of million dollars to have them work on it, but I had myself and Final Cut Pro plug-ins. So I did my best. I'm really happy with the way it came out - it's entertaining.


IMM: You were both the video editor and audio engineer?

SV: I was the composer, the performer, the editor, the audio engineer, the mixer, the masterer... You know, all that crap.


IMM: How much time was there from initial planning to final DVD?

SV: Do you remember when that concert was?


IMM: I believe September 2007.

SV: We're coming up on September 2009, so that's two years. And then probably six months before that. So 2 1/2 years. That piece 'The Murder' took me months to build. Months.


IMM: It looks like every second was worth it, from what I saw.

SV: Thanks.


IMM: It was very moving. This is the first HD filming that's been done. When you first saw the raw footage in HD, what did you think?

SV: Oh, it was so rich. I had some issues because the cameras that shot the show and the soundcheck weren't calibrated properly, so cutting from one camera to another... they were vastly different. So I spend a tremendous amount of time color-correcting the footage, and did my best to get it to work between edits. It was so hard... I went back and forth - it cost me a fortune.

Usually you don't have to do that. Usually you just cut it together and everything works, but the color of the footage varied so greatly from camera to camera that when I got into the final edit bay after the edit, it was just a tremendous amount of work to get the colors to work. But I worked hard enough to where I think at the end of the day the look of it is nice and shiny.

But going from viewing the high definition footage to the (standard NTSC) DVD footage, it was just so painful to realize that I'm watching high definition and everybody else has to watch DVD. Because as an artist, you just strive for the best you can offer, and nobody is really doing Blu-Ray performances these days - concert performances. It's just too expensive.


IMM: And this will be available on also Blu-Ray, from what I have read.

SV: It's going to be available on Blu-Ray, and the only reason is because I'm in complete control. I own the record company, I'm paying for it. I may never make my money back, but I have to offer it because it's the best that I can do. A lot of artists just strive on just doing their best, and that's all you can do. And if I didn't do that, then I would be cheating those people who really want to experience it to its fullest because that's what I want to see.

I'm never going to watch the (standard) DVD. The DVD is like putting it through a blender, you know? The Blu-Ray is just stunning. It sucks you in - the colors are just gorgeous. And it was shot in 720p, it wasn't even shot in 1080p. My next DVD will be shot in 1080p. It might be too real - you'll really see how old I am then (laughs).


IMM: Even the QuickTime previews - they were stunning.

SV: Yeah, we worked hard on even making the QuickTime look good.


IMM: There have been concert films in the past. What have you liked about them? What elements, perhaps, have influenced you that you incorporated into this new project? 'The Song Remains The Same' comes to mind, perhaps because it's one of the more popular ones.

SV: Well I've seen that a million times, and I'm sure that it's left imprints, because a rock concert has certain elements, and whether you're Led Zeppelin or Steve Vai, those elements are going to be presented, you know? You're going to be playing music on a stage with lights that are flashing, and I don't really see a lot of similarities in these 2 DVDs. 'The Song Remains The Same' was more like a film. It had a lot more conceptual aspects to it with those little skits and stuff, and this is more like a concert performance.

But I don't watch a lot of concert DVDs. The way that I put the show together is I put certain elements into the show, and then you just capture it and do your best. I don't think I can necessarily put my finger on something that I've seen that is reflective in this show. I thought about doing some 'side' kind-of-like scenes that are backstage and stuff like that, but that's so conventional, you know?


IMM: Are there special bonus features?

SV: Yeah, there's interview footage. The bonus features this time are very straight ahead, very simple. Basically, they're just interviews with the band. But they're informative and interesting.


IMM: They help put everything in context.

SV: Yes.


IMM: I've noticed the last 10 years, including this one, have been more live projects. Is there a reason for this? Have you preferred doing live more over studio these days?

SV: I think that's just the way it turned out.


IMM: I saw a parallel, I think about Frank Zappa from 1978-88. His recordings, his output was more live.

SV: Yeah, Sometimes it's easier. Because you've got everybody rehearsed, everybody's working, and you can capture a certain vibe off of the stage that you just can't get in the studio.


IMM: You found that the same as well?

SV: Absolutely. Because the way I work in the studio is I don't get the band together and jam songs out, you know? I construct the music. I build the music off of an idea and I look to put together... when I'm putting the music together -- although it's constructed -- I'm still looking for a vibe. I'm still looking for a vibe that exists when you have a band together.


IMM: Were there any surprises once you got this lineup together, that once you began rehearsals and hearing the music, was anything different? Did anything change before it got to a performance in front of people?

SV: Well, I knew that the violins were going to add a certain dimension, and I imagined what it was going to sound like in my head. Like when I decided to re-orchestrate 'Angel Food' for the violins. It started out as a piece for piano and guitar. It's a piece from the 'Fire Garden Suite' on 'Fire Garden,' and I did an arrangement of it for my 'Fire Garden' band which was pretty cool.

But when the 'String Theories' band came along -- which is this band -- I thought 'let me do an arrangement and re-orchestrate the piano part for two violins.' And I knew it was going to be cool, but I've got to say it turned out even cooler than I thought.


IMM: Many bands have a single violinist, but you had the two. What made you decide two violins is the sound? Or maybe it wasn't a decision?

SV: Well I started out... unfortunately, the situation that I'm in I have to think economics. Because you have to... every person you add to the band, you've got to pay salaries, you've got to pay per diems and hotels and all this stuff. You know what I mean? And unfortunately the economics have to balance out.

And I don't care if I don't make much money at the end of the tour, I just want to make sure I'm doing the best I can. I set out with the idea that having two violin players would be great, but then in my mind I figured I'm just going to get one. I had found Alex, and I was very content. But then I was getting these messages from this girl in the midwest. She was very persistent, and we kept saying 'we found somebody, thank you.'

But then she sent a clip... she custom-made this clip where she played some of my music and everything, and that was Ann Marie Calhoun. And I was blown away. Her intonation was flawless, and she was very competent in what she was playing and she really wanted the gig, and I said 'O.K.' And it was just a stroke of good fortune, because these two players work together so well, and they bring such a dimension to the music, and I knew if I had two I'd be able to do a lot more. And I didn't care about the economics. I had to have them.


IMM: How did you come up with the title of the new DVD?

SV: Well, 'Where The Wild Things Are' is a popular children's book, and I always thought it would one day make a cool name for a record or a project. I had my reservations because it didn't come from me. It was something that already existed, but it was kind of cool. And I was going to use it in the past, but I just kept putting it on the shelf.

And then when I was working on the DVD, I came up with a title. And the title was 'Paint Me Your Face.' I was going to use that - it was my working title, and then I talked to a couple of people who were with me at the time and I said, 'Well, what do you think of the title?' And they said 'It's cool, but you always had this 'Where The Wild Things Are' thing bouncing around,' so I was kind of like inspired to use it.

I had always held off because it was a children's book, and I figured 'Ah, people won't care. They may not even know.' And then sure enough -- ironically enough -- the moment I chose to use it and all the press is printed up with it, Warner Brothers films and is about to release -- a week after my release -- a full-length feature film called 'Where The Wild Things Are' (laughs). It's so ironic.

So that's how it came up. I still think it's a cool title, but in retrospect maybe it would have been better for me to use 'Paint Me Your Face' (laughs).

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The band: Bryan Beller (bass), Jeremy Colson (drums), Dave Weiner (guitar and sitar) and Zack Wiesinger (lap steel), Alex DePue and Ann Marie Calhoun (violin).

Steve Vai's official website: www.vai.com

Purchase "Where The Wild Things Are" directly from Steve Vai's official store here.

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John Slywka is a freelance music journalist based in Chicago. Other professional credits include: Recording Engineer and Videographer. If you would like to contact John, please contact this website.


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