Chewing the Gristle with Greg Koch
Welcome to Season 5! Listen in on Greg Koch's conversations with his guitar-hero friends. Every episode Greg unleashes his fiendish humor and unique perspective as "one of the most famous unknown guitar players in the world", asking his often-famous musical friends the questions that we all want to know the answers to! Each episode is brought to you by Fishman and Wildwood Guitars
Chewing the Gristle with Greg Koch
Steve Vai
The legendary Steve Vai and Greg delve deep into Steve's early history, talking about LA, Zappa, and a whole lot more! Steve Vai's influence on the guitar world is profound, from his early work pioneering the design of "super strats" like his Ibanez signature models, to his ever-changing approach to tone and his insightful perspective on music theory. Settle in for this gristle-infused interview with the great Steve Vai!
1:04 - Steve’s new house in Los Angeles, neighborhood block parties, and Steve’s old ‘Mothership’ home studio
5:00 - Steve’s choice to stay in LA versus moving to another music city
6:27 - Steve’s early days in LA - what brought him there, the support of parents, and whether or not pursuing professional musicianship was ever a choice for Steve and Greg
19:46 - Working with and learning from Frank Zappa
25:36 - How’s Zappa’s approach to improvisation influenced Steve
36:17 - How ‘gain’ has changed over the years, the new guitar pedals from Universal Audio, and new ‘joint shifting’ technique
49:26 - Thoughts on Steve’s new music / guitar theory book, and thoughts on music education in the 21st century
58:44 - How Steve’s been spending time during the pandemic, and thoughts on the future
Total Length: 68:26
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