ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 13, 2009
By Steve Newton
Any self-respecting rock-guitar freak has at least a couple of Joe Satriani CDs in his or her collection. The Bay Area musician has been steadily churning out adventurous, technically boggling instrumental albums since blasting onto the six-string scene in 1986 with Not of This Earth. But as Satriani explains on the line from his home in San Francisco, it should come as no surprise to anyone that he was ready to forgo the instrumentals that made him famous in order to join rock supergroup Chickenfoot.
“Just growing up a child of rock ’n’ roll, I think it’s a natural thing that you’d want to take part in the kinda music that you listen to,” he points out. “Until I was about 30, when I started the instrumental stuff, I was always in rock ’n’ roll bands with singers.
“And there’s also that thing of not being the focus of the attention that’s really liberating,” he continues. “I can take three steps back and I can hang with the band while the lead singer delivers the message.”
That singer is none other than Sammy Hagar, the shaggy-haired howler and tequila pusher who music fans either love or hate, depending on their impressions of David Lee Roth, the singer he replaced in Van Halen back in 1985. Rounding out the Chickenfoot lineup is another ex-VHer, bassist Michael Anthony, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. Together, they create a party-hearty hard-rock noise that is both mainstream in an OU812 kind of way and—thanks to the guitar histrionics of Satriani—a little out there.
Satriani was only 17 when Hagar’s voice first caught people’s ears on the self-titled Montrose debut of 1973, but he wasn’t one of those teenagers who was transfixed by the unbridled rockingness of tracks like “Rock the Nation” and “Bad Motor Scooter”. In fact, he wasn’t even aware of Montrose until after the band broke up.
“Maybe it was just a regional thing,” he ponders. “I mean, I was into bands that they had played with. Growing up in New York, I used to go to the Fillmore in Manhattan and I got to see Humble Pie with Steve Marriott and guys like that that I know Sammy and Ronnie [Montrose] were really into.”
Now that Satriani has hooked up with Hagar and they’re making their own noise in the standard rock-quartet format, he’s totally happy. He figures there’s still plenty of ways that he can challenge himself on his instrument.
“Every day I put on a CD I have that’s got all the guitars missing, so I can play along with it and figure out the best way to represent all the different parts [on-stage].”
To hear the full audio of my interviews with Joe Satriani from 1990 and 2018 subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can also eavesdrop on my uncut, one-on-one conversations with:
Dave Martone, 2020
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, 2006
Joss Stone, 2012
Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, 2005
Jack Blades of Night Ranger, 1984
Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard, 1992
Colin James, 1995
Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, 1998
Tom Cochrane of Red Rider, 1983
Ed Roland of Collective Soul, 1995
Taj Mahal, 2001
Tom Wilson of Junkhouse, 1995
Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, 2003
David Lindley, 2002
Marty Friedman of Megadeth, 1991
John Hiatt, 2010
Nancy Wilson of Heart, 2006
Jeff Golub, 1989
Moe Berg of the Pursuit of Happiness, 1990
Todd Rundgren, 2006
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, 2001
Steve Earle, 1987
Gabby Gaborno of the Cadillac Tramps, 1991
Terry Bozzio, 2003
Roger Glover, 1985
Matthew Sweet, 1995
Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds, 2003
Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars, 2001
John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, 1995
Steve Hackett from Genesis, 1993
Grace Potter, 2008
Buddy Guy, 1993
Steve Lynch of Autograph, 1985
Don Wilson of the Ventures, 1997
Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar, 1998
Trevor Rabin of Yes, 1984
Albert Lee, 1986
Yngwie Malmsteen, 1985
Robert Cray, 1996
Tony Carey, 1984
Ian Hunter, 1988
Kate Bush, 1985
David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, 1984
Jeff Healey, 1988
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, 1996
Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, 1993
Colin Linden, 1993
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 1995
Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, 1986
Elliot Easton from the Cars, 1996
Wayne Kramer from the MC5, 2004
Bob Rock, 1992
Nick Gilder, 1985
Klaus Meine of Scorpions, 1988
Jason Bonham, 1989
Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers, 1991
Joey Spampinato of NRBQ, 1985
Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, 2003
Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, 2003
Steve Kilbey of the Church, 1990
Edgar Winter, 2005
Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, 1990
Randy Hansen, 2001
Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, 1984
Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam, 2007
Jimmy Barnes from Cold Chisel, 1986
Steve Stevens of Atomic Playboys, 1989
Billy Idol, 1984
Stuart Adamson of Big Country, 1993
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, 1992
Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule, 1998
John Bell of Widespread Panic, 1992
Robben Ford, 1993
Barry Hay of Golden Earring, 1984
Jason Isbell, 2007
Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, 1991
Joe Satriani, 1990
Vernon Reid of Living Colour, 1988
Brad Delp of Boston, 1988
Zakk Wylde of Pride & Glory, 1994
John Sykes of Blue Murder, 1989
Alice Cooper, 1986
Lars Ulrich of Metallica, 1985
John Doe, 1990
Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, 1992
Myles Goodwyn of April Wine, 2001
John Mellencamp, 1999
Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1999
Kenny Aronoff, 1999
Doyle Bramhall II, 2001
Jon Bon Jovi, 1986
Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers, 1992
Randy Bachman, 2001
Little Steven, 1987
Stevie Salas, 1990
…with hundreds more to come
my cousin was killed last year in a motorcycle crash new joe very well, and was good freinds with steve vai,he was from westbury new york