joe satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani (born July 15, 1956) is an
American instrumental rock guitarist and
multi-instrumentalist, with multiple
Grammy Award
nominations. Early in his career, Satriani worked as a guitar
instructor, and some of his former students have achieved fame with
their guitar skills (
Steve Vai,
Larry LaLonde,
Rick Hunolt,
Kirk Hammett,
Andy Timmons,
Charlie Hunter,
Kevin Cadogan,
Alex Skolnick).
Satriani has been a driving force in the music credited to other
musicians throughout his career, as a founder of the ever-changing
touring trio,
G3, as well as performing in various positions with other musicians.
In 1988, Satriani was recruited by
Mick Jagger as
lead guitarist for Jagger's first solo tour.
[1] Later, in 1994, Satriani was the lead guitarist for
Deep Purple.
[2] Satriani worked with a range of guitarists from several musical
genres, including
Steve Vai,
John Petrucci,
Eric Johnson,
Larry LaLonde,
Yngwie Malmsteen,
Brian May,
Patrick Rondat,
Andy Timmons,
Paul Gilbert,
Adrian Legg, and
Robert Fripp through the annual
G3 Jam Concerts.
[3] He is currently the lead guitarist for the supergroup
Chickenfoot.
He is heavily influenced by blues-rock guitar icons such as
Jimi Hendrix,
Eric Clapton,
Jimmy Page,
Ritchie Blackmore and
Jeff Beck,
[2][4] but possesses his own easily recognizable style. Since 1988, Satriani has been using his own signature guitar, the
Ibanez JS Series, which is widely sold in stores.
[5] He also has a signature series amplifier, the
Peavey JSX (although he has since returned to using
Marshall amplifiers); a signature
Vox amPlug headphone amp; and various signature Vox
effects pedals including the "Satchurator"
distortion, the "Time Machine"
delay, the "Big Bad Wah"
wah and the "Ice 9" overdrive.
[edit] Life and career
Satriani playing in Chile, 2
003
Satriani was born in
Westbury,
New York. He was inspired to play guitar at age fourteen soon after learning of the death of
Jimi Hendrix.
[6]
He has been said to have heard the news during a football training
session, where he confronted his coach and announced that he was
quitting to become a guitarist.
[7] In 1974, Satriani studied music with
jazz guitarist
Billy Bauer and with reclusive
jazz pianist Lennie Tristano.
The technically demanding Tristano greatly influenced Satriani's
playing. Satriani began teaching guitar, with his most notable student
at the time being fellow
Long Island native
Steve Vai. While he was teaching Vai, he was attending
Five Towns College for studies in music.
In 1978, Satriani moved to
Berkeley, California to pursue a music career. Soon after arriving in California, he resumed teaching. His students included
Steve Vai,
Kirk Hammett of
Metallica,
David Bryson of
Counting Crows,
Kevin Cadogan from
Third Eye Blind,
Larry LaLonde of
Primus /
Possessed,
Alex Skolnick of
Testament,
Rick Hunolt (ex-
Exodus),
Phil Kettner of
Lääz Rockit,
Geoff Tyson of
T-Ride,
Charlie Hunter and
David Turin.
Satriani started playing in a San Francisco-based band called the Squares,
[8]
where he continued to network and make musical connections (Squares
sound man John Cuniberti co-produced his second album). He was
eventually invited to join the
Greg Kihn Band,
who were on the downside of their career, but whose generosity helped
Satriani pay off the overwhelming credit card debt from recording his
first album.
[9] When his friend and former student Steve Vai gained fame playing with
David Lee Roth in 1986, Vai raved about Satriani in several interviews with guitar magazines, including
Guitar World magazine. In 1987, Satriani's second album
Surfing with the Alien
produced popular radio hits and was the first all-instrumental release
to chart so highly in many years. In 1988 Satriani helped produce the EP
The Eyes of Horror for the
death metal band
Possessed.
In 1989, Satriani released the album
Flying in a Blue Dream.
It was said to be inspired by the death of his father, who died in 1989
during the recording of the album. "One Big Rush" was featured on the
soundtrack to the
Cameron Crowe movie
Say Anything....
"The Forgotten Part II" was featured on a Labatt Blue commercial in
Canada in 1993. "Can't Slow Down" featured in a car-chase sequence in
the Don Johnson starring show
Nash Bridges.
In 1992, Satriani released
The Extremist,
his most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album to
date. Radio stations across the country were quick to pick up on "Summer
Song," which got a major boost when
Sony used it in a major commercial campaign for their
Discman portable CD players.
[10] "Cryin'," "
Friends," and the title track were also regional hits on radio.
In late 1993, Satriani joined
Deep Purple as a temporary replacement for departed guitarist
Ritchie Blackmore
during the band's Japanese tour. The concerts were a success, and
Satriani was asked to join the band permanently but he declined, having
just signed a multi-album solo deal with
Sony, so
Steve Morse took the guitarist slot in Deep Purple.
[11]
In 1996, Satriani founded the
G3, a concert tour intended to feature a power trio consisting of three
instrumental rock guitarists. The original lineup featured Satriani,
Vai, and
Eric Johnson.
The G3 tour has continued periodically since its inaugural version,
where Satriani is the only permanent member, featuring differing second
and third members. Other guitarists who have performed in such a G3
configuration include among others:
Yngwie Malmsteen,
John Petrucci,
Kenny Wayne Shepherd,
Robert Fripp,
Andy Timmons,
Uli Jon Roth,
Michael Schenker,
Adrian Legg and
Paul Gilbert.
In 1998 Satriani recorded and released
Crystal Planet, which went back to a sound more reminiscent of his late '8
0s work. Planet was followed up with
Engines of Creation,
one of his more experimental works featuring the 'Electronica' genre of
music. During the subsequent tour, a pair of shows at the Fillmore in
San Francisco were recorded in December 2
000 and released as
Live in San Francisco, a two-disc live album and
DVD.
[edit] 2000 and beyond
Over the next several years, Satriani regularly recorded and released evolving music, including
Strange Beautiful Music in 2
002 and
Is There Love in Space? in 2
004.
In May 2
005, Satriani toured India for the first time, playing concerts in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.
In 2
006 Satriani recorded and released
Super Colossal and
Satriani Live!, another two-disc live album and DVD recorded May 3, 2
006 at the Grove in Anaheim, CA.
On August 7, 2
007 Epic/Legacy Recordings re-released
Surfing with the Alien to celebrate the 2
0th anniversary of its release. This was a two-disc set that includes a
remastered album and a
DVD of a previously never-before-seen live show filmed at the
Montreux Jazz Festival in 1988.
[12]
Satriani's next album, titled
Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock, was released on April 1, 2
008.
[13]
Satriani released a live DVD recording of a concert in Paris titled
Live In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock and a companion 2 CD set on February 2, 2
01
0.
[14]
In March 2
01
0 Satriani participated with other guitarists in the Experience Hendrix Tribute Tour, performing music written and inspired by
Jimi Hendrix.
[15][16] In April, Satriani and the rest of Chickenfoot voiced themselves in an episode of the
animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force. In May 2
01
0,
through his website, Satriani announced he was about to enter the
studio to record a solo album, and dates were also released for an
autumn tour. He also said that demos had been recorded for a second
Chickenfoot album.
In May 2
01
0, Satriani joined Sound Strike, a movement led by
Rage Against the Machine singer
Zack de la Rocha protesting
Arizona SB1070.
[17][18] As a result, Satriani refuses to perform live in Arizona.
Satriani released his 14th studio album, titled
Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, on October 5, 2
01
0.
[19]
[edit] Copyright infringement lawsuit against Coldplay
On December 4, 2
008 Satriani filed a
copyright infringement suit against
Coldplay in the
United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Satriani's suit asserts that the Coldplay song "
Viva la Vida" includes "substantial original portions" of the Satriani song "If I Could Fly" from his 2
004 album,
Is There Love in Space?. The Coldplay song in question received two
Grammy Awards for "Song of the Year."
[20] Coldplay denied the allegation.
[21][22][23] An unspecified settlement was ultimately reached between the parties.
[24]
Joe Satriani with
Stu Hamm in concert, Rijnhal,
Arnhem (June 12, 2
008)
[edit] Other work
Satriani is also credited on many other albums, including guitar duties on
shock-rocker Alice Cooper's 1991 album
Hey Stoopid,
Spinal Tap's 1992 album
Break Like the Wind,
Blue Öyster Cult's 1988 album
Imaginos, band members
Stu Hamm and
Gregg Bissonette's solo albums. Interestingly, he was credited with singing background vocals on the 1986 debut album by
Crowded House. In 2
003, he played lead guitar on
The Yardbirds's
CD release
Birdland. In 2
006 he made appearances on tracks for Deep Purple vocalist
Ian Gillan's solo CD/DVD dual disc
Gillan's Inn. On
Dream Theater's 2
007 album,
Systematic Chaos, Satriani contributed spoken lyrics to the song "
Repentance." Satriani contributed a guitar solo to
Jordan Rudess' 2
004 solo release
Rhythm of Time. He also composed much of the soundtrack for the racing
video game NASCAR 06: Total Team Control and contributed to
Sega Rally Championship.
He featured in the 2
006 Christopher Guest film
For Your Consideration as the guitarist in the band that played for the late-night show.
[25]
It was revealed on 29 May 2
008 that Satriani was involved in a new
hard rock band called
Chickenfoot with former
Van Halen members
Sammy Hagar and
Michael Anthony, and
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer
Chad Smith. The band features Hagar on
vocals, Satriani on
guitar, Anthony on
bass and Smith on
drums.
[26] Their
debut album was released on 5 June 2
009.
[27]
The first single and video released from this album is the track "Oh
Yeah," which was also played on the 'Tonight' Show With Conan O'Brien on
5 June 2
009. Satriani received a co-writing credit on all the songs featured on the band's debut album.
[28]
When Broken Records magazine asked Satriani in volume 1 issue 3, about
his new band, he enthusiastically mentioned that "it was great fun" and
it gives him a "kick in the music bone" to be playing with such great
talent. He said it felt quite natural to step back and play more rhythm
guitar than solo guitar.
Chickenfoot's second CD was titled 'III', and was released on 27 Sept 2
011. It's first single the track 'Bigfoot'. On its first week of release, it reached a chart position of #9.
[edit] Technique and influence
Satriani is recognized as a technically advanced rock guitarist, and is a guitar
virtuoso.
[29][30] He has mastered many
performance techniques on the instrument, including
legato, two-handed
tapping and
arpeggio tapping,
volume swells,
harmonics, and extreme
whammy bar
effects. During fast passages, Satriani favors a legato technique
(achieved primarily through hammer-ons and pull-offs) that yields smooth
and flowing runs. He is also adept at other speed-related techniques
such as rapid
alternate picking and
sweep picking, but does not use them often.
Satriani has received 14
Grammy nominations
[31] and has sold more than 1
0 million
albums worldwide.
[32] Many of his fans and friends call him "Satch," short for "Satriani."
An influential guitarist himself,
[33] Satriani has many influences, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore.
[34]
[edit] Equipment
Satriani has endorsed
Ibanez's
JS Series guitars, and
Peavey's
JSX amplifier.
Both lines were designed specifically as signature products for
Satriani. The Ibanez JS1 (the original JS model) was based on, and
replaced, the Ibanez 54
0 Radius model that Satriani first endorsed. However, Satriani uses a variety of gear. Many of his guitars are made by
Ibanez, including the JS1
000, and JS12
00. These guitars typically feature the
DiMarzio PAF Pro (which he used up until 1993 in both the neck and bridge positions), the
DiMarzio Fred (which he used in the bridge position from 1993 to 2
005), and the Mo' Joe and the Paf Joe (which he uses in the bridge and neck positions, respectively, from 2
005 to present day). The JS line of guitars is his signature line with the JS1
000, JS12
00, JS24
00, JSBDG, and JS2
0th using Ibanez's original Edge double locking tremolo bridge. The JS1
00 and JS12
0s both use Ibanez's Edge 3 tremolo bridge. The JS16
00 is
a fixed bridge guitar with no tremolo system. The guitar he was most
associated with during the nineties was a chrome-finished guitar
nicknamed "Chrome Boy." (This instrument can be seen on the
Live in San Francisco DVD.) However, the guitar used for most of the concert was in fact a lookalike nicknamed "Pearly," which featured
Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups.
Satriani uses a number of other JS models such as the JS double neck model, JS7
00 (primary axe on the self-titled CD and seen on the 1995 tour "Joe Satriani," which features a fixed bridge,
P-90 pickups, and a matching mahogany body and neck), JS6/JS6
000 (natural body) , JS1 (the original JS model), JS2
000 (fixed bridge model), a variety of JS1
00s, JS1
000s and JS12
00s
with custom paint work, and a large amount of prototype JSs. All double
locking bridges have been the original Edge tremolo, not the newer
models, which point to a more custom guitar than the "off the shelf"
models. Joe played a red 7-string JS model, seen in the "G3 Live in
Tokyo" DVD from 2
005. He also has a prototype 24-fret version of the JS—now called the JS-24
00—which
he has used with Chickenfoot. As of late he has also used other
prototypes featuring a Sustainer or a JS model with three single
coil-sized humbucker pickups.
Satriani's guitars are usually equipped with his signature DiMarzio
humbucker pickups, Mo' Joe and PAF Joe, although his 24-fret JS model
features a Pro Track single coil-sized, humbucker pickup in the neck
position. Some of his guitars are still equipped with the pickup models
he favored in the past, the DiMarzio FRED and PAF Pro pickups.
Satriani has used a wide variety of
guitar amps, using
Marshall for his main amplifier (notably the limited edition blue coloured 61
00 LM model) up until 2
001,
and his Peavey signature series amps, the Peavey JSX, thereafter. The
JSX began life as a prototype Peavey XXX and developed into the Joe
Satriani signature Peavey model. However he still used distortion pedals
with the clean channel rather than the built in od channels. Satriani
has used other amplifiers over the years in the studio, however. Those
include the Peavey 515
0 (used to record the song '
Crystal Planet'),
Cornford, and the
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (used to record the song '
Flying in a Blue Dream'), amongst others. He has recently switched to the Marshall JVM series, having used a modified JVM 41
0H in his Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards tour in 2
01
0 and with Chickenfoot in 2
01
0 and 2
011.
These modified JVM Marshall amps are prototypes for a long-talked-about
signature amp which is loosely scheduled for the end of 2
011.
The reverb has been replaced by noise gates which cancel any lag when
switching channels. The clean channel has been replaced by the clean
channel of a 61
00 LM
model which he likes as an option to use distortion pedals with. The
orange od channel and the modern red od channel have been better matched
with each other as he still claims to prefer the organic od channels of
the JVM amp rather than pedals. The red od channel has been modified to
be based more on beefy rock than a nu-metal sound. The fx-loop has also
been simplified to be serial only.
His
effects pedals include the
Vox wah,
Dunlop Cry Baby wah, RMC Wizard Wah,
DigiTech Whammy,
BK Butler Tube Driver, BOSS DS-1, BOSS CH-1, BOSS CE-2, BOSS DD-2 and a
standard BOSS DD-3 (used together to emulate reverb effects), BOSS
BF-3, BOSS OC-2, Barber Burn Drive Unit, Fulltone Deja Vibe, Fulltone
Ultimate Octave, and Electro-Harmonix POG (Polyphonic Octave Generator),
the latter being featured prominently on the title cut to his 2
006
Super Colossal.
Satriani has partnered with Planet Waves to create a signature line of guitar picks and guitar straps featuring his sketch art.
Although Satriani endorses the JSX, he has used many amps in the
studio when recording, including the Peavey Classic. He used Marshall
heads and cabinets, including live, prior to his Peavey endorsement.
Most recently Satriani used the JSX head through a Palmer Speaker
Simulator. He has also released a Class-A 5-watt tube amp called the
"Mini Colossal."
He is currently working with
Vox
on his own line of signature effects pedals designed to deliver
Satriani's trademark tone plus a wide range of new sounds for guitarists
of all playing styles and ability levels. The first being a signature
distortion pedal titled the "Satchurator," and recently, the "Time
Machine," which will be a delay pedal, with more to follow in 2
008, including a wah pedal called the "Big Bad Wah."
[35] On March 3, 2
01
0 a new pedal was announced on Satriani's website regarding the new Vox overdrive pedal called "Ice 9."
[36]
[edit] Current 'Look' and Stage Persona Evolution
In an interview conducted by Mike Blackburn in March of 1998…
MIKE: "Can you describe how your current 'look' and stage persona evolved?"
JOE: "Well its really quite simple. For as long as people have known
about me I've been on a steady course of hair loss, and I got really
tired of working around it. One day I was out jogging in San Francisco
and my hair was quite long at the time (February 1996) and it was really
bothering me and I jogged past a pharmacy store that had a hair clipper
advertised in the window and I just went in and purchased it, ran back
home and just shaved it all off. Then I went of course, oh my God I've
just shaved my head. But I've had it for two years and I really enjoy
it. It's more fun for me and I'm not a weave, fake hair kind of guy, so
it's more honest and in line with my kind of music and my image of
straight ahead."
[edit] Recurring themes
Satriani during a concert at the Rijnhal,
Arnhem (June 12, 2
008)
Satriani's work frequently makes references to various
science fiction stories and ideas. "Surfing with the Alien," "Back to
Shalla-Bal," and "The Power Cosmic 2
000" refer to the comic book character
Silver Surfer, while "Ice 9" refers to the secret government ice weapon in
Kurt Vonnegut's
Cat's Cradle. "Borg Sex" is a reference to
Star Trek, which features a
homogeneous cybernetic race known as the
Borg. His albums and songs often have other-worldly titles, such as
Not of this Earth,
Crystal Planet,
Is There Love in Space?, and
Engines of Creation.
On the album
Super Colossal the song titled "Crowd Chant" was originally called "Party on the Enterprise." "Party on the Enterprise" featured
sampled sounds from the
Starship Enterprise from the
Star Trek TV show. But as Satriani explained in a
podcast, legal issues regarding the samples could not be resolved and he was unable to get permission to use them.
[37]
Satriani then removed the sounds from the song and called it "Crowd
Chant." This song is now used as goal celebration music for a number of
National Hockey League teams including the
Minnesota Wild.
[38] This song is also used in EA Sports Hockey video game "NHL1
0".
"Redshift Riders," another song on the
Super Colossal
album, is "based on the idea that in the future, when people can travel
throughout space, they will theoretically take advantage of the
cosmological
redshift
effect so they can be swung around large planetary objects and get
across [the] universe a lot faster than normal," Satriani said in a
podcast about the song.
[39]
On the album
Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock the song "I Just Wanna Rock," is about a giant robot on the run who happens to stumble upon a rock concert.
[40]
[edit] Philanthropy
In 2
006, Satriani signed on as an official supporter of
Little Kids Rock,
a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and
instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the
U.S.A. Satriani has personally delivered instruments to children in the
program through a charity
raffle for the organization and, like
Steve Vai, sits on its board of directors as an honorary member.
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Nominations
Satriani has the second most
Grammy Award nominations (after
Brian McKnight), of any artist (15) without winning.
See further artists[41][42]
[edit] Discography
[edit] References
- ^ "Joe Satriani's G3 rounds up another trio of guitar slingers". Azcentral.com. 2007-03-07. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ a b Shrivastava, Rahul. "Joe Satriani Interview". BBC. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
- ^ John R., Luini. "Joe Satriani Biography". ForeverJoe. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
- ^ "Joe Satriani Interview". Metal-rules.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ Harris, Rich. "Ibanez JS Joe Satriani Guitar Specs". Retrieved 2007-01-13.
- ^ Hard N Heavy Video Magazine interview - 1989
- ^ "Joe Satriani: The Satch Tapes - 1993". Satriani.com. 2003-11-18. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ Selvin, Joel (May 10, 2009). "Guitarist Satriani joins Hagar for Chickenfoot fun". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ Blackburn, Mike (March 25, 1998). "Interview with Joe Satriani". BWBK. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
- ^ “”. "Sony CD Commercial Satriani Summer Song". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ Satriani's Offer of a Future with Deep Purple. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
- ^ "joe satriani - discography > surfing with the alien". Satriani.com. 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "NEW MUSIC BLOG: Joe Satriani". musicradar.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "Joe Satriani - Live In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock". Satriani.com. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ "satriani.com". satriani.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "experiencehendrixtour.com". experiencehendrixtour.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ Rohter, Larry (May 27, 2010). "Performers to Stay Away From Arizona in Protest of Law". The New York Times.
- ^ Condon, Stephanie (May 28, 2010). "Musicians Boycott Arizona to Protest Immigration Law". CBS News.
- ^ "Joe Satriani To Release 'Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards' In October". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "GRAMMY.com". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ Slender Fungus (2008-12-09). "Retrieved 10 December 2008". Coldplay.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "Guitarist Satriani sues Coldplay". BBC News. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ Coldplay Sued By Joe Satriani For Allegedly Plagiarizing 'Viva La Vida' Melody », peoplestar.co.uk, Retrieved on 2008-12-06.
- ^ "Coldplay copyright case 'settled'". BBC News. September 16, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ^ Talk Show Guitarist. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
- ^ "" All Things Loud " Jon Cohan's Drum Tech Site". Allthingsloud.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ "Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers Launch New Project | News @". Ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "Joe Satriani home news". Satriani.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "Rock Guitar World: Joe Satriani". Cs.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "CANdYRAT Records". Candyrat.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "joe satriani - home > news". Satriani.com. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ Joe Satriani Interview
- ^ Harmony Central April 21, 2008 Real "Guitar Hero" Joe Satriani turns Teacher at WorkshopLive.com
- ^ "Tyne - People & Places - BBC Introducing". BBC. 2010-07-20. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ "joe satriani - gear > 2008-01-18 vox announcement". Satriani.com. 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "joe satriani - gear > 2010-03-03 vox announcement". Satriani.com. 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Minnesota Wild Home". Minnesotawild.com. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "Joe Satriani - Artist Bio | Myplay: Powered by Sony Music". Myplay. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Rock Instrumental Performance". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Pop Instrumental Performance". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2011-03
