STEVE VAI Unveils Hand-Painted “Ivya” Guitar – “I Might Call Myself A Glorified Doodler”

Guitar legend Steve Vai, who is currently on the road with Beat in North America, has shared the following message:

“For this Beat tour, I needed a few new guitars that were wired for the Roland SY1000 and GM800 guitar synthesizers.

I was always attracted to the powder blue PIA color but thought it would be nice to hand-paint the guitars. There were two that were slotted, but due to tour prep, I was only able to complete one of them. Introducing ‘Ivya’ (pronounced Iviya).

I probably spent collectively perhaps 20 hours painting this guitar in my little art room. It’s mixed medium in that I used acrylic paint, metallic and glitter paint, sharpies, various markers, water based paints, sparkle glue and other various liquids that were laying around. I am not a trained artist, but instead, I might call myself a glorified doodler. I usually approach doing art on an abstract level and just allow the markers or paint to flow in the moment and go where they want. It’s really quite enjoyable. But when I was done, the guitar was untouchable due to the lightness of the various water colors and markers. The real test was if Ibanez could shoot a finish on the guitar without creating any runs or bubbles, and I’m happy to report, they did an excellent job.

I love the way Ivya turned out, but then I thought, hmmm, what else could I do here that would be interesting and artistic. And that’s when I got together with the great clothes designer and wardrobe guru, Tony Sartino. Tony is an exceptional clothes designer and has made the vast majority of my clothes over the past 25 years or more. 

His idea came up, what if we were to take elements of the art work from Ivya and have them embroidered into a stage suit, and voila!!! The black suit with the embroidery that I wear during the Beat show when I’m playing this guitar, has elements from the art of Ivya sewn into it. How cool is that?!?!?

Thank you, Tony!”

Fan-filmed video of Beat’s entire kick-off show in San Jose on September 12 can be viewed below.

Setlist

Set 1:
“Neurotica”
“Neal and Jack and Me”
“Heartbeat”
“Sartori in Tangier”
“Dig Me”
“Model Man”
“Man with an Open Heart”
“Industry”
“Larks Tongues in Aspic, Pt. III”

Set 2:
“Waiting Man”
“The Sheltering Sky”
“Sleepless”
“Frame By Frame”
“Matte Kudasai”
“Elephant Talk”
“Three of a Perfect Pair”
“Indiscipline”

Encore
“Red”
“Thela Hun Ginjeet”

From the moment Beat went on-sale, tickets flew out of box offices across North America. Tour producer Angelo “Scrote” Bundini shares, “Due to overwhelming demand, Adrian, Steve, Tony and Danny have decided to extend the Beat tour with an additional 21 shows in order to perform these incredible King Crimson albums for even more fans. We are adding many additional cities alongside second and even third appearances in various regions. Sixty five dates in total! The audience has spoken loudly so Beat is responding in kind.”  

Visit BEAT-tour.com for tickets.

Former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin band together with guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and explosive Tool drummer Danny Carey for the first time to create Beat, a creative reinterpretation of the three iconic 80s King Crimson albums – Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair.

Adrian Belew reflects: “The 1981 through 1984 King Crimson created a music all its own. Timeless. Beautiful. Complex. Fierce. For the fans who lived through it then, and the ones who never got to witness it, our aim is to bring it to life again. A monumental task but we’re going for it!  There are not enough exclamation points to express my excitement!”

Steve Vai states: “Being a part of this ensemble is an extraordinary privilege and opportunity to perform some of the most beloved, timeless, and monumental music of the 80’s (and beyond) with truly inspired musicians. This music resonates deeply with me. Adrian, Tony and Danny are unique musicians with an otherworldly insight into presenting rich musical complexities in a very accessible way, and I am looking forward to searching each other’s musical minds in real time on stage. I’m sure sparks will fly.” He continues, “Father Robert Fripp is one of our historical geniuses. His highly specific and exceptionally brilliant guitar technique is studied and revered. His contribution to the quality of my musical life, and so many others is supreme. I can assure the fans of KC that I will be putting my best foot forward to respect this great music with the care and intensity it deserves. Did I say ‘sparks will fly?’”

Tony Levin offers: “This is going to be quite a tour. Revisiting some of my favorite music is a treat in itself, but in company of this stellar lineup, I expect to have my musical butt kicked! And it’s also great that we’re not just playing a few shows, we’re hitting it hard. So, Road Dogs are coming to your area soon.”

Danny Carey shares: “I am very excited to share the stage with three of my favorite musicians on the planet. Tony, Steve and Adrian have always been a source of inspiration for me since the beginning of my career, and now to be able to share a bit of my musical journey with them is a dream come true. There’s nothing better to make some sparks fly and light a fire under your ass than getting out of your musical comfort zone, and I can’t think of any other three guys I’d rather do this with.  I think I can speak for all of us when I say I hope all of our fans are as excited as we are about this tour.”

The vision for this undertaking emanated from initial dialogue between Angelo Bundini aka Scrote and Adrian Belew. Tour Producer Bundini recalls, “When Adrian called me to help bring his idea to fruition, I immediately thought it best to focus on the 80s albums: Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair. These three records famously marked Adrian and Tony’s entry into King Crimson. Their fluid, melodic virtuosity, and Fripp’s and Bruford’s dramatic precision created a totally unique, dynamic push and pull that would influence nearly every rock musician and/or band going forward for years, if not decades, to come.”  

Both a meet & greet and a VIP tour package are available for purchase. The M&G includes one premium ticket in the first five rows, early entry, pre-show meet & greet, personal photograph captured, limited edition autographed poster, Beat challenge coin, tote bag, an exclusive merch item, and an official laminate and lanyard. There is limited availability with pricing set at $200.00. For the VIP tour package, buyers will receive one premium reserved seat in the first 15 rows, a limited edition Beat tour poster autographed, the challenge coin, an exclusive tour merch item, and a commemorative laminate and lanyard. Availability is limited at a cost basis of $100.00. For all new appearances being announced today, a third VIP option has been made available. For $300.00, fans will receive the complete package detailed above, with front row seating guaranteed.

Tour dates:

October
4 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre (Sold Out)
5 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
6 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre (Sold Out)
8 – Richmond, VA – Carpenter Theater in Dominion Energy Center
9 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Center (Sold Out)
11 – Boston, MA – Shubert Theatre (Sold Out)
12 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (Sold Out)
14 – Halifax, NS – Rebecca Cohen Auditorium (Sold Out)
15 – Moncton, NB – Casino New Brunswick
17 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Maisonneuve (Sold Out)
18 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall (Sold Out)
19 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center (Sold Out)
21 – Albany, NY – The Egg (Sold Out)
22 – Greensburg, PA – Palace Theatre (Sold Out)
23 – Reading, PA – Santander Performing Arts Center
25 – Cleveland, OH  – Agora Theatre
26 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre (Sold Out)
27 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
28 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
30 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre

November
1 – Chicago, IL – Copernicus Center (Sold Out)
2 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
3 – Madison, WI – Orpheum Theater
4 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
6 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre (Sold Out)
8 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels
9 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts
10 – Los Angeles, CA – The United Theater on Broadway

November
18 – Thousand Oaks, CA – B of A PAC
20 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic
21 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort
22 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium
23 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
25 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre
26 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
30 – Hammond, IN – The Venue at Horseshoe

December
2 – Buffalo, NY – UB Center For The Arts
3 – Hartford, CT – Mortensen Hall at the Bushnell Center
4 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – F.M. Kirby Center
6 – Lynn, MA – Lynn Auditorium
7 – Atlantic City, NJ – Tropicana Showroom
8 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
10 – Louisville, KY – Brown Theatre
11 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
13 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
14 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
16 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel
17 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Tucson Theatre
18 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater

Photos by Michael Mesker