All Star Jason Becker & Friends Deliver 'Some Assembly Required

02-16-2024

() "Some Assembly Required" is a collaboration project conceptualized by Josh Villalta and Nita Strauss, combining some of the top guitarists in the world to do something incredibly special in tribute to this once-in-a-lifetime musician - Jason Becker.

Utilizing an unreleased demo of Becker's, Strauss, along with Zakk Wylde, Steve Vai, Chris Broderick, Phil Demmel, Jennifer Batten, and many more, came together, lending their hearts and souls into what's become an unforgettable, unmissable display of guitar mastery.

"Some Assembly Required" has quickly turned into a powerful display that is equal parts a six-string love-story and a call for action for us all to take a closer look at what can be done to help others suffering from the same degenerative disease that took hold of Becker.

"The original idea Josh put forward was to to work together on a song for my own album," Strauss shares. "We poured through lots of Jason's demos until we landed on this track, which was originally recorded with Gregg and Matt Bissonette. However, as the idea materialized, we realized this could be a much bigger project and more importantly, have a bigger impact to help Jason raise awareness and funds. From there, it took on a life of its own! The incredible Billy Sheehan came down to the studio and played bass, and we reached out to tons of Jason's friends and peers, from all genres and eras, and amassed an army of friends to trade solos on this track. We left Jason's original demo solo where it was, where it shines to this day alongside so many of the players that love and look up to him. We were able to send this video to Jason on Christmas Day and bring some holiday cheer to him and his family! He loved it and christened it with the name we have today - 'Some Assembly Required.'"

For those who may not know of Jason Becker's legacy, we'd have to travel back to 1985 when 16-year-old guitarist, Becker, partnered up with Marty Friedman as the duo Cacophony. His success at such an early age was no coincidence, his metal mastery becoming a talking point amongst his peers, going on to support some of the biggest names in rock including David Lee Roth and create some huge guitar moments as a solo artist.

As Becker's career began to blossom, Jason was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 1989 - at just 20 years old. As the disease progressed, Jason no longer could hold on to the instrument, but the urge to continue pushed on as he, amazingly, engineered his own way of writing music, a technique using "eye geometry" and chin movements, described further in the documentary on Becker's journey.

Watch "Some Assembly Required" video