STEVE VAI AND FAVORED NATIONS / MASCOT LABEL GROUP PRESENT
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “TEETH OF THE HYDRA”
INVIOLATE WORLD TOUR BEGINS JUNE 4 IN GLASGOW
Steve Vai and Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group present the official music video for “Teeth Of The Hydra.” Vai shares, “The idea for this guitar and track came to me roughly seven years ago. I envisioned composing and performing a piece of music on a multi-neck instrument where all of the sound emanated from that one creation with the exception of some keyboards and drums. I sent my ideas to Ibanez, and their builders delivered this astonishing wooden creature. I was stunned. It was awesome. When I first laid eyes on it, I named it the Hydra, and instantly knew the name of the song would be ‘Teeth of the Hydra.’ A Hydra is a dragon-like creature from Greek mythology possessing various heads. For every head chopped off, two would grow in its place. I then set out to write a piece of music that utilized all the features of the Hydra, but could also stand on its own as an enjoyable composition with a sultry melody and heavy dynamics.”
He continues, “When I finally sat with the Hydra and started to contemplate writing this piece and how I was to navigate the instrument in a seamless way, for a moment it seemed impossible. I just started slowly, and it all began to unfold very naturally. Things that can seem impossible don’t seem so impossible once you just start doing them. Every new discovery and accomplishment were treated as a joyous victory, even if it only involved figuring out one bar of music. The overall inner vision was the guide through the process, but with every accomplishment, the process became more and more addictive. I became immersed in the splendors of the Hydra. It was a meditative experience, and on the day that it all finally clicked, performing the song felt like stillness in motion—that’s when the performance becomes virtually effortless, and the freedom of present-moment expression has you feeling as if your feet are about a foot off the ground. The exhilaration can be overwhelming at times. I’m very happy with the way the video came out, and having BJ McDonnell as director, along with his amazing crew, was vital. Enjoy!”
The performance clip was directed by BJ McDonnell, and produced by John Heller and Jason Salzman. The Director of Photography was Eric Leach, with art direction by Michael Mesker. Greg Wurth was the Sound Engineer and Assistant Editor.
Vai’s new studio album Inviolate debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Current Hard Rock Albums chart. Cumulative streams exceed 5 million, with “Teeth Of The Hydra” accounting for more than one million.
The Inviolate World Tour will commence with a European leg of appearances beginning in Glasgow on 4 June, 2022. The itinerary will stretch in to mid-July, staging performances in the U.K., Ireland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. Steve Vai’s North American performances supporting the new album will start on September 28 at The Magnolia in El Cajon, CA. The final show is planned for his hometown of Los Angeles, at the Theatre at Ace Hotel on December 3. For tickets and a variety of EVO Experience VIP bundles available visit https://www.vai.com.
Vai will be joined by his long-tenured ensemble members Dave Weiner (guitar / keys), Philip Bynoe (bass), and Jeremy Colson (drums). Vai shares, “It’s amazing to realize that after three years of not performing our show on a stage, that it’s now on the horizon, and will start to unfold in Europe this summer. I can feel the road now and the enthusiastic audiences that we will be connecting with.”
Confirmed European appearances include:
04 June Glasgow, UK o2 Academy
05 June Manchester, UK The Ritz
07 June London, UK Palladium
09 June Bristol, UK o2 Academy
10 June Dublin, Ireland Academy
11 June Belfast, UK The Limelight
13 June Paris, France Le Trianon
14 June Strasbourg, France La Laiterie
16 June Oslo, Norway Rockefeller
17 June Bergen, Norway USF Verftet
18 June Gothenburg, Sweden Pustervik
19 June Stockholm, Sweden Fållan
20 June Copenhagen, Denmark Amager Bio
22 June Lille, France Splendid
23 June Clisson, France Hellfest
24 June Bordeaux-Cenon, France Rocher de Palmer
25 June Nimes, France Paloma
26 June Lyon, France Transbordeur
28 June Nuremberg, Germany Hirsch
29 June Linz, Austria Posthof
01 July Udine, Italy Castello
02 July Macerata, Italy Sferisterio
03 July Bari, Italy Teatro Petruzzelli
04 July Firenze, Italy Ultravox Arena
05 July Gardone Riviera, Italy Anfiteatro del Vittoriale
06 July Zurich, Switzerland Komplex
08 July Berlin, Germany Columbia Theatre
09 July Weert, Netherlands Bospop Festival
10 July Antwerp, Belgium OLT Rivierenhof
12 July Toulouse, France Le Bikini
14 July Sancti Petri, Spain Concert Music Festival
15 July San Javier, Spain San Javier Jazz Festival
16 July Valencia, Spain Jardin de Viveros
17 July Vigo, Spain Auditorio Mar do Vigo
18 July Madrid, Spain Noches del Botanico
19 July Barcelona, Spain Teatro Tivoli
Confirmed North American appearances include:
9/28 El Cajon, CA The Magnolia
9/30 Riverside, CA Fox Performing Arts Center
10/01 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues
10/02 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
10/04 Salt Lake City, UT The Rockwell at The Complex
10/05 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater
10/07 Oklahoma City, OK Tower Theatre
10/08 Dallas, TX House Of Blues
10/09 San Antonio, TX The Aztec Theatre
10/11 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
10/12 Houston, TX House Of Blues
10/14 Birmingham, AL Lyric Theatre
10/15 Macon, GA Hargray Capitol Theatre
10/16 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
10/18 Clearwater, FL Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
10/19 Ft. Lauderdale, FL The Parker
10/20 Orlando, FL The Plaza Live
10/21 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
10/22 Charleston, SC Charleston Music Hall
10/23 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
10/25 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere
10/26 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest Cafe
10/27 Port Chester, NY The Capitol Theatre
10/28 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
10/29 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
10/30 Huntington, NY The Paramount
11/01 New Haven, CT College Street Music Hall
11/02 Providence, RI The Strand
11/03 Boston, MA The Wilbur
11/04 Rochester, NY Kodak Center
11/05 Albany, NY The Egg
11/07 Greensburg, PA Palace Theatre
11/08 Warren, OH Packard Music Hall
11/10 Detroit, MI Masonic Temple Theatre
11/11 Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Theatre
11/12 Nashville, TN CMA Theatre
11/13 Louisville, KY Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
11/14 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
11/16 Chicago, IL Copernicus Center
11/18 St. Paul, MN Fitzgerald Theater
11/19 Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theatre
11/20 Kansas City, MO The Uptown Theater
11/21 Sioux Falls, SD The District
11/22 Des Moines, IA Hoyt Sherman Place
11/23 Fargo, ND Fargo Theatre
11/25 Bozeman, MT The ELM
11/26 Missoula, MT The Wilma
11/27 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
11/28 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
11/30 Turlock, CA Turlock Community Theatre
12/02 Napa, CA Uptown Theatre Napa
12/03 Los Angeles, CA Theatre at Ace Hotel
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
