A Conversation with Joe Satriani

Ep 53: The iconic guitarist and composer talks SatchVai Band, his earliest inspirations, and his plans for the future Hello, music lovers!  Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.  I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers. Today’s guest is one of the most critically lauded and commercially successful rock guitarists of his generation. Since the 1987 release of his second album, the evergreen Surfing with the Alien, Joe Satriani has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards and sold more than 10 million albums.  And he did all of this with a body of work that is almost exclusively instrumental. Taking a page from the book of the late Jeff Beck, Satriani blended a penchant for memorable melodies, intense and ambitious arrangements, and considerable virtuosity, in the process, becoming the best-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time.  For his latest venture, Satriani has teamed with one of his oldest friends and collaborators - another legend, who also happens to be a former student of Satriani’s - the great Steve Vai, to form The SatchVai Band. (For our listeners here in Buffalo, NY, you’ll have the opportunity to catch this powerhouse in action at Kleinhans Music Hall on Tuesday, May 12.) During our chat, Joe - who also happens to be one of the nicest guys I’ve ever encountered in the music business - reflected on his earliest musical inspirations, the importance of jazz in the development of his musical imagination, why the SatchVai Band puts a perma-grin on his face, and his passion for the soon-to-be-released first studio album from that band.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Joe Satriani… Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod