Watch Steve Vai and Nuno Bettencourt Play "Yankee Rose" and "Voodoo Child" at a Bowling Alley
On a Wednesday night in January, a few friends got together for a low-key gig at Hollywood's Lucky Strike—a hidden bowling alley that doubles as a rock venue.
The gig, which was dubbed Soundcheck Live, was hosted by none other than Nuno Bettencourt.
He and his friends—including Steve Vai, Phil X, Richie Kotzen, Tom Morello, Stu Hamm and Kenny Aronoff—filed on and off the stage all night long, performing a host of classic rockers along the way.
For instance, check out Vai and Bettencourt's performance of "Yankee Rose," a song Vai recorded with David Lee Roth more than 30 years ago. It was—of course—one of the highlights of Roth's 1986 Eat 'Em and Smile album. Nuno plays bass in the clip; the band is rounded out by Carl Restivo on vocals, Glen Sobel on drums and Steve Ferlazzo on keyboards.
If you keep watching the video, you'll see Kotzen, Morello and Hamm join the band before they break into Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)."
"Yankee Rose" starts at 1:56. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" starts at 10:15.
To see more videos from this show, plus a slew of photos and social media pics/clips and embeds, head to californiarocknews.com.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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