Joe Satriani is recognized as the greatest guitarist to ever handle an ax; since his first recording in 1986, Satriani’s albums have been different from the norm. Over the years, Satriani has released 14 solo albums, including six songs with lyrics, according to the artist.
“Six is enough; at each concert, I’ll maybe do one song with vocals, which is plenty, considering my vocal range,” Satriani said.
Despite one of the greatest minds in music and certainly the most talented hands to strum a six-string, Satriani says his original intent wasn’t all that different from most rockers.
“When people were first introduced to me, they probably thought I was trying to go instrumental, but I spent a lot of time with other bands (Deep Purple, Mick Jagger),” Satriani said. “I just started exploring different harmonics, and I got a huge response from a lot of art magazines.”
After this first release got great reviews, Satriani, realized his dream.
“I just realized one day that what I had been pursuing wasn’t really my cup of tea,” Satriani said.
He has amassed a very impressive resume of recordings over the years. Among the most well-known Satriani efforts is “Surfing With the Alien,” his impressive second attempt. The 1987 release was one of a few all-instrumental albums to ever break into the Top 40.
On top of his many releases, Satriani has also taught some of the better guitarists of the decade, including Metallica’s Kirk Hammet, Larry LaLonde of Primus and, most notably, his close friend and acclaimed solo guitarist Steve Vai.
“Really, I’m just the luckiest teacher,” Satriani said. “Steve Vai was from my hometown and we went to the same high school, but the others I taught were already very talented when they came to me.”
Satriani said the hardest thing for him to get used to in his career was performing on stage.
“When ‘Surfing with the Alien’ came out, I had never performed in front of a crowd,” he said. “Then, all of the sudden, I was performing with Mick Jagger’s solo band, and I was performing my own stuff.”
With the technical difficulty of Satriani’s music, playing shows day after day can grow tiresome, according to Satriani.
“When I was playing with Mick (Jagger) or Deep Purple, the guitar playing was pretty laid back, because it was mainly strumming chords or short solos,” Satriani explained. “When I play my own stuff, though, it comes to a point where your fingers just don’t want to move any more.”
Satriani will be returning to New Mexico after a two-year break from the state. The last time he came to Albuquerque, Satriani was traveling in support of his album “Engines of Creation.”
Satriani and his band mates, Jeff Campitelli (drums), Matt Bissonette (bass) and Gale Henson (additional guitar), will be playing a very condensed version of the last 16 years of music, stuff from the original release to the very latest album, including his latest single “Starry Night.”
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April 18, 2024
