Exclusive Interview with Joe Satriani
Sometimes little things happen to our humble website that take us by surprise. We've been fans of Joe Satriani since the "Not of This Earth" album way back when. One of us had then spent hours and hours trying to play a recognisable version of Rubina before they realised that they actually ran out of talent after playing the opening few notes.
So when we were recently lucky enough to get a few minutes of the Chickenfoot guitarist's time we couldn't believe our luck. Joe was gracious enough to answer our inane ramblings even though he probably gets hundreds of requests and no doubt has to answer the same questions time and time again...so on behalf of Rockgig and the millions of guitarists who have tried and failed to play along to your albums - Thanks!
I've read a review of the new cd and it said that it feels more of a band now than a project is that how you see it?
… It always feels like a band to me!
Did you approach the new cd any differently to the first one?
… More rockin’, with better songs and better playing.
Did you feel under any more pressure to produce a classic second album?And is that why you called it 3?
… The pressure never changes no matter what number release it is. It always has to be great.
I've read that you feel that the new cd is heavier musically and lyrically to the first why is that?
… We wanted it that way, so, we made sure everything we composed, performed and recorded achieved those goals.
How long did it take to record the new cd?
… Just a few months, February through May of this year.
Where was the new cd recorded?And what equipment did you use?
… It was recorded at Sammy’s studio using an API desk and going into ProTools. John Cuniberti design the system for Mike Fraser to record with. We monitored on NS-10’s with a sub-woofer.
How much do you enjoy fitting in with a band dynamic?And how is it different to your solo music?
… Working with a great singer is very cool. Sammy is fun to collaborate with, and he’s very prolific. I like leaving big spaces in the songs for him to fill up. That leaves me more time to groove with the rhythm section.
It seems that you play in a more song orientated style with Chickenfoot is that your thoughts too?
… It would be silly to play any other way, it’s a rock band!
I read that you wrote the music to "Come Closer"on piano and to Sammy's lyrics which you don't normally do.Why the change for that song and how pleased are you how the song turned out?
… Sammy’s decided to supply me with lyrics first to see if it would work. It worked like a charm. I was very inspired by what he gave me, and used his lyrics to inspire me in a new direction. I am very pleased with how well it turned out.
There is a little B3 organ from Mike Keneally on "Alright Alright"how did that come about?
… I brought Mike in to play on “Come Closer”, “Different Devil”, and “Alright Alright”. He is such a good musician, and always comes up with cool parts. He has been my solo band for the past year and we’re having a great time making music together.
Because of the time pressures you face do you feel that when a new song is recorded quickly that sometimes it is still developing when you play it live?Or is that part of the Chickenfoot magic?
… Albums are always recordings of songs just as they develop. You never really figure songs out until you've taken them on the road for a while. So, I’m used to it now.
There are only 10 songs and about a 45 minute playing time on "3".Do you feel attention spans wane after a certain length of time?
… Just make the record great, never mind the length, or, number of songs. 10 is a good number.
Are there any unused songs left from the sessions?
.. A few…
Kenny Aronoff is Chad's temporary replacement(due to Chad's touring commitments with RHCP) do you feel that the band may lose some of it's live craziness with Chad not being around?
… Have you met Kenny? He’s just as nuts as Chad. I think that’s why Chad suggested. Kenny is a truly awesome drummer.
I see Kenny is on the "Big Foot" video was that a conscious decision to introduce him to the fans?
…Yes.
When will the tour to promote "3"start?
… We will do a webcast performance on the 27th of this month, and a short “road test” tour in November, together with some TV appearances. The real tour will start next spring.
In the UK the new cd is available as part of a fan pack with a magazine and other goodies what do you think of this idea and do you think it could help cd sales as it gives the buying public more?
… It’s good to be able to introduce a new album with great journalism as part of the package. It helps us tell our story more completely, and it gives the fans so much more get into.
(Photo credits - Kevin Nixon)
Joe, Sammy, Michael and Kenny Aronoff (replacing Chad on drums) will be performing a European Roadtest early next year. Having seen Chickenfoot play live take our word for it - you will not see a better live band.
So when we were recently lucky enough to get a few minutes of the Chickenfoot guitarist's time we couldn't believe our luck. Joe was gracious enough to answer our inane ramblings even though he probably gets hundreds of requests and no doubt has to answer the same questions time and time again...so on behalf of Rockgig and the millions of guitarists who have tried and failed to play along to your albums - Thanks!
… It always feels like a band to me!
Did you approach the new cd any differently to the first one?
… More rockin’, with better songs and better playing.
Did you feel under any more pressure to produce a classic second album?And is that why you called it 3?
… The pressure never changes no matter what number release it is. It always has to be great.
I've read that you feel that the new cd is heavier musically and lyrically to the first why is that?
… We wanted it that way, so, we made sure everything we composed, performed and recorded achieved those goals.
How long did it take to record the new cd?
… Just a few months, February through May of this year.
Where was the new cd recorded?And what equipment did you use?
… It was recorded at Sammy’s studio using an API desk and going into ProTools. John Cuniberti design the system for Mike Fraser to record with. We monitored on NS-10’s with a sub-woofer.
How much do you enjoy fitting in with a band dynamic?And how is it different to your solo music?
… Working with a great singer is very cool. Sammy is fun to collaborate with, and he’s very prolific. I like leaving big spaces in the songs for him to fill up. That leaves me more time to groove with the rhythm section.
It seems that you play in a more song orientated style with Chickenfoot is that your thoughts too?
… It would be silly to play any other way, it’s a rock band!
I read that you wrote the music to "Come Closer"on piano and to Sammy's lyrics which you don't normally do.Why the change for that song and how pleased are you how the song turned out?
… Sammy’s decided to supply me with lyrics first to see if it would work. It worked like a charm. I was very inspired by what he gave me, and used his lyrics to inspire me in a new direction. I am very pleased with how well it turned out.
There is a little B3 organ from Mike Keneally on "Alright Alright"how did that come about?
… I brought Mike in to play on “Come Closer”, “Different Devil”, and “Alright Alright”. He is such a good musician, and always comes up with cool parts. He has been my solo band for the past year and we’re having a great time making music together.
Because of the time pressures you face do you feel that when a new song is recorded quickly that sometimes it is still developing when you play it live?Or is that part of the Chickenfoot magic?
… Albums are always recordings of songs just as they develop. You never really figure songs out until you've taken them on the road for a while. So, I’m used to it now.
There are only 10 songs and about a 45 minute playing time on "3".Do you feel attention spans wane after a certain length of time?
… Just make the record great, never mind the length, or, number of songs. 10 is a good number.
Are there any unused songs left from the sessions?
.. A few…
Kenny Aronoff is Chad's temporary replacement(due to Chad's touring commitments with RHCP) do you feel that the band may lose some of it's live craziness with Chad not being around?
… Have you met Kenny? He’s just as nuts as Chad. I think that’s why Chad suggested. Kenny is a truly awesome drummer.
I see Kenny is on the "Big Foot" video was that a conscious decision to introduce him to the fans?
…Yes.
When will the tour to promote "3"start?
… We will do a webcast performance on the 27th of this month, and a short “road test” tour in November, together with some TV appearances. The real tour will start next spring.
In the UK the new cd is available as part of a fan pack with a magazine and other goodies what do you think of this idea and do you think it could help cd sales as it gives the buying public more?
… It’s good to be able to introduce a new album with great journalism as part of the package. It helps us tell our story more completely, and it gives the fans so much more get into.
(Photo credits - Kevin Nixon)
Joe, Sammy, Michael and Kenny Aronoff (replacing Chad on drums) will be performing a European Roadtest early next year. Having seen Chickenfoot play live take our word for it - you will not see a better live band.
CHICKENFOOT
EUROPEAN ROADTEST
TOUR DATES
JANUARY 2012
Manchester
Academy
Thursday
12th January 2012
Ticket
Prices: £29.50 (subject to booking fee)
London
O2 Academy Brixton
Saturday
14th January 2012
Ticket
Prices: £32.50 (subject to booking fee)
Paris
Olympia
Monday
16th January 2012
Ticket
Prices: Euro 69.70, 58.70
Tilburg
O13
Tuesday
17th January 2012
Ticket
Prices: Euro 47.50
Dusseldorf
Mitsubishi Electric Hall
Thursday
19th January 2012
Ticket
Prices: Euro 40.00
Ticket
Hotline: +49 (0)1805-570 000
Book
Online: www.eventim.de
