Master Class with Steff Burns, historian Dutch guitarist in Vasco Rossi who shared the stage with rock legends like Alice Cooper and Huey Lewis and The News.

Saturday 2nd October 2021
h 05:00 pm - 07:30 pm
Saint Louis, via cimarra 19/b

NB. Limited number master class. Sold out, it is no longer possible to book

Participation fees: € 25 for Saint Louis students; € 40 for outdoors
Credits for academic courses: 1/2 CFA

Stef Burns, one of the most appreciated guitarists in Italy and in the world, has always held one of the fundamental roles in the history of rock, that is the musical "shoulder" of a rock star, thanks to his ability to deal with both studio sessions and world tours. modifying his style according to the personality of the star next to him.

Born in Oakland, California, and raised in Walnut Creek, CA, Stef began playing guitar at the age of 6 accompanying his father, and formed his first band at the age of 9. During his high school period he played in different groups, venturing into various musical genres: from funk to rock, from jazz to fusion showing an extraordinary technical sensitivity despite their young age.

The first real band that brings the Californian guitarist to the fore are the "Omega", a great funk band at the Tower of Power, which also included Bill and Reni Slais (later members of the Elvin Bishop band) and Mickey Thomas (later in Starship). In 1983 he went on an American tour and recorded the album "Out Of Our Hands" with Pablo Cruise.

Stef Burns, however, appears on the world stage on the occasion of his work with Sheila E., between 1983 and 1984. In those two years Stef had the opportunity to play the funk produced by Prince in America, Japan and Europe, and to record two Sheila E. albums (“Romance 1600 ″ and“ Sheila E. ”) and two B-sides (“ Too sexy ”, co-written by Stef himself, and“ Save the People ”).

Remembering that period, Stef states: "It was a great time (...) I learned a lot about funk guitar from Prince". The Sheila E. band, opening act for Prince's "Purple Rain tour", was composed among others by Benny Reitveld (Miles Davis / Santana) on bass, who will also participate in the studio sessions of Stef "Swamp's first album. Tea "of 1999.

Tra il 1986 e il 1987 Stef suona e va in tour con i Berlin, mentre nel 1988 segue in tour mondiale il cantante Michael Bolton. Questa band era composta tra gli altri da Jonathon Cain alle tastiere e da Ross Valory al basso, in precedenza membri dei Journey. Nel 1989 Stef comincia un lungo sodalizio con i Y&T che lo porterà a registrare 4 album con questa band (“Ten”, “Yesterday and Today Live”, “Musically Incorrect” e “Endangered Species”). A proposito di Stef Burns il leader dei Y&T, David Meniketti, ha dichiarato: “Stef è un vero musicista, è in grado di suonare ogni genere e farlo con semplicità e stile. Con gli Y&T inseriva sempre quella cosa extra che ti faceva capire che stavi suonando con un chitarrista di livello mondiale”.

In 1991, warmly recommended by Joe Satriani, Stef begins his engagement with Alice Cooper, which will lead him to record two albums with the historic rock star: “Hey Stoopid” and “The Last Temptation”. On "Hey Stoopid" featured in addition to Stef: Mickey Curry on drums (Bryan Adams), Hugh McDonald on bass (Bon Jovi) and as guest guitarists: Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Slash, Vinnie Moore, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. On “The Last Temptation” instead Stef played all the guitar parts. From 1991 to 1995 he followed Alice Cooper on various world and American tours having the opportunity to share the stage with bands of the caliber of: Judas Priest, Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeath and Faith No More.

Since 1996 Stef Burns has been part of the basic formation of Vasco Rossi's band after an initial approach with the Italian rocker in 1993, the year in which he took part in the recording of the album "Gli spari sopra". From Gli spari sopra da ora, Stef Burns has followed Vasco Rossi in the best selling albums and in the numerous sold out in stadiums all over Italy, becoming a fundamental figure for Vasco fans and entering the hearts of many Italian musicians and audiences.

In 2004, during the “Buoni o Cattivi Tour” he was invited to play a jam at the G3 with Joe S a t r i a n i, Steve Va i and Robert Fripp in Rome, thus receiving the definitive recognition as a world famous guitarist. Stef describes that as a beautiful experience.

2005 marks a further step forward for the artistic development of the Californian guitarist: after "Swamp tea" (1998), Stef's first solo album, "Bayshore Road" (Favored Nations) is released, a work born from the collaboration between Stef and the world famous classical guitarist Peppino D'Agostino.

In the album, the electric style of Stef Burns and the acoustic one of D’Agostino blend perfectly, creating songs halfway between fusion and world music. The album was followed in 2006 by an Italian tour and was sold out in the main national clubs. Now, after yet another Vasco Rossi tour and the incessant American tour with Huey Lewis and the News (since 2000 Stef replaces the resigning Chris Hayes), Stef Burns is out with her album "World, Universe, Infinity" ( label: Ultratempo), a work that represents a sort of new beginning of a new course in the formidable career of the American guitarist.

To confirm that the fans have welcomed this new more rock and melodic dimension of the artist, in addition to the excellent feedback from critics and the sales results, there are the two Italian tours (organized by ULive) that have sold out everywhere . The DVD video, Stef Burns Group (aka SBG) “In Concert! World, Universe, Infinity… Live! ", Was released April 2010 with a live concert recorded by the band plus Backstage Special Features also the Video clips of the singles," Begin "and" Space Time "

NEW Album “Roots & Wings” UltraTempo/Self 2014
Il chitarrista statunitense Stef Burns insieme alla sua “lega” sui palchi per presentare il nuovo lavoro discografico, “Roots & Wings” (Ultratempo/Self), un disco che esce a sei anni di distanza dall’ultimo capitolo della sua carriera solista, e che lo mostra per la prima volta sotto una veste inedita, quella di cantante, a completare il suo quadro d’artista. L’album richiama i miti di sempre, come Jimi Hendrix, e i musicisti che Burns ha incrociato nel corso della sua lunga carriera, da Alice Cooper a Huey Lewis & the News, fino a Vasco Rossi. Un disco personale ed energico, fatto anche di rimandi ad artisti amati nella sua vita, come Queen, Beatles, Van Halen e Foo Fighters, per un concentrato di classic rock che non teme la sfida con la musica contemporanea.