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Biography
Satriani was born in Westbury, New York, US and raised in a neighboring town called Carle Place. He first expressed an interest in playing the drums, but settled on guitar at the age of 14, largely in response to the death of one of his idols and perhaps greatest source of inspiration, Jimi Hendrix. Satriani was a fast learner and 4 years following his decision to pursue guitar he was training under legendary jazz artists such as guitarist Billy Bauer and pianist Lennie Tristano.
Within a few years time Satriani had his own students, one of them being the technically proficient and likeminded artist Steve Vai. Satriani sought out a music career in Berkley, California and made his transition to the city in 1978. In addition to acting as a solo artist he still kept his stint as a teacher alive. A few of his students went on to be highly respected and commercially prominent artists in their own rights, such as Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Kevin Cadogan of Third Eye Blind, and David Bryson of Counting Crows.
One of Satriani’s first immersion in the California music scene was his joining of the San Francisco rock band the Squares. Through this experience he networked with many other musicians one of them being Greg Kihn who eventually invited Satriani to join his band. By this time Satriani already released a self-titled EP as well as his first studio album “Not of This Earth”, which came out through Relativity records and was later reissued on Epic.
Though Satriani was respected within a tight niche community, he was still in commercial obscurity. However all eyes and ears started to fixate on him after Steve Vai (who during this time was ridding off the success of his work with David Lee Roth) spoke glowingly of him in Guitar World Magazine.
Satriani released his breakthrough record “Surfing With the Alien” in 1987, which peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200, making it one of the most successful instrumental albums of it’s time. His follow up album “Flying in a Blue Dream” came out in 1989. This release was a critical and commercial hit as well, appearing at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. This release has since achieved gold certification and it’s single “One Big Rush” was featured in the Cameron Crowe masterpiece “Say Anything”. In between these albums Satriani released the EP #11 and also accompanied Mick Jagger on a tour of Australia and Japan.
During this period Satriani was topping countless guitar magazines as one of the world’s greatest guitar players; however, he took a brief break from recording and focused his attention on developing signature guitars for the company Ibanez. Sariani returned with his highly anticipated 1992 release “The Extremist”, which became his most popular release to date making its way to No. 22 on the US Billboard Charts. Satriani issued his compilation album “Time Machine” in 1993 and subsequently replaced Richie Blackmore as the guitarist for Deep Purple.
Satriani returned to his solo career a year later and released his 1995 self-titled studio album. Also around this time he initiated the renowned G3 concert tour with Steve Vai. G3 is an annual reoccurring event and has featured incredible talent such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Robert Fripp, John Petrucci, and Steve Morse.
In 1998 Satriani put out “Crystal Planet”, which featured the hit single “Ceremony”. Following this release was “Engines of Creation”, arguably Satriani’s boldest experimentation (featuring elements of electronica and techno).
Satirani churned out a string of high quality releases through out the remainder of the 2000s including “Strange Beautiful Music”, “Is There Love in Space?”, “Super Colossal”, and “Professor Satchfunkilus and the Musterion of Rock”. Satriani rounded off the decade releasing a collaborative recording with Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, and Chad Smith under the name Chickenfoot.
Live reviews
Top notch band.
Satriani is a virtuoso and he is an absolute master of his instrument. His show reflects that.
Usually a band would not sound as cohesive live as they do on their studio albums. Joe Satriani and his band on the other hand sounds has full authority of the soundscape. Every note was precise. Plus, all the improvisations were appropriate, not to mention very dynamic.
I got the VIP pass. Met Joe and got him to sign the posters for some of my friends with whom I grew up listening to Satch. The VIP pass took us on stage pre-show. Got to see Joe's tech tuning his guitars, saw his Marshall amps and his gear. Took lots of pics there.
Show started at 8 pm. The live tone was fantastic. Very balanced sound from every instrument.
Mike Kennelly performed an interesting solo halfway through the show. He plays the backing guitars on some of the songs, and even plays guitar solos, sometimes alongside Joe.
Bryan Beller is a unique bassist. His chemistry with Joe is great. It becomes obvious that he is a great support.
Marco Minneman played a solo as well. I am not a drummer, but would love to go to a workshop of his if he ever did any.
Stage lighting is another big highlight. Spectacular. The production assistant Jeff told me how they have 9 crews working on the set, plus another 7 from the venue who setup everything in 3 hours, and pack it up in an hour or 2 for the next show. That's a lot of work.
What's important is band chemistry. They're very dynamic on stage, solid performers. They all have such a mature and professional approach to their love of music, it's humbling. They're pushing the boundaries of the definition of rock for sure. It's [rock music] not all about sex, drugs, or Satanism. It's very dynamic, cultured, and definitely accomplished.
Jeesan
As always here comes joe shining on the stage with his charming charisma giving you the blues rock - hard rock tunes of your live using his favorite axes the Ibanez pluged into marshall tube head amp running through marshall cabinet adding joe's playing skills to deliver sounds you will never forget... the show was awesome full of energy and positive attitudes from the very beginnings to the last minute of it ,the opening band was as cool and tasty as the beer i was holding in my hand during the show .. band members were a bunch of the best musicians we can find in our world today we've got Bryan Beller on bass and Marco Minnemann on drums(if you haven't seen these two yet! then go check the aristocrats band) and the amazing Mike Keneally which will be a part of Joe satiriani's G4 experiment along with Paule Gilbert and andy timmons , beside that, this guy can play almost anything from amazing fills and thrills on keyboard to a capturing guitar chops and solos very amazing . in general there was a sweet vibe running through the air ,the mood was set on ROCK-ON mode the audience was cheering and enjoying best music, you will defiantly leave at the end of the show with a smile on your face and a look of satisfaction in your eyes ,and that's my friends tells everything.
HSEN
I saw Joe at the Fargo Theatre on the 17th of Apr. It was a kickass show! I had back stage meet & greet as well. the event staff was very polite and accommodating. We got to see the back stage set-up, including all of the axes Joe was using during the tour, as well as song lists, pedal set-ups, etc. The show itself was amazing! Joe played flawlessly as usual(although, he'd probably say differently), and played all the greats! The new songs are amazing as well, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for the future. Joe was extremely friendly and easy to talk to. We talked about all kinds of things for at least five minutes. He was that way with all of the fans that were at the meet & greet. Always willing to sign whatever you had, as well as pictures with the man himself. Joe is and always has been a class act. I'll continue to enjoy and revel in his artistic genius, and see him whenever, where ever I can. Rock on Joe!
Mrickster
Amazing show! Joe left me speechless! Only a few criticisms. Almost three hours of deafening guitar was fun but it became grinding after a while, it would've been nice to have it broken up with the occasional vocal. The acoustics of The Danforth aren't the best and the sound became muddled and Joe's guitar work occasionally became lost. After seeing so many pyrotechnic showcases I would generously call "concerts" it was refreshing to see a simple straight up show that showcased some of the best musicianship I've seen in a very long time. And after seeing the on-going feud called "Van Halen" it was also great to see a group of musicians having the time of their life together and an artist absolutely loving what he does. Joe was downright exuberant! I would recommend this show to anyone who loves watching brilliant musicians create unforgettable music together. Great fucking show!!
kevin-hill-7
I traveled from Athens-Greece to attend this concert but I was bit disapointed. When I go to listen to Joe Satriani's music I expect, first of all, to have a clear and delicate sound of his guitar. Joe Satriani is not simply a lead guitarist of a rock group, but he is the only reason why somebody goes to one of his concerts expecting, most of all, to listen to his music and enjoy his guitar techniques.
Unfortunately, the sound was very loud, even harsh sometimes, and on top of that the sound adjustment of the lead guitar, the bass and the drums was at the same level. How is it possible the bass and the drums to cover Joe Satriani's lead guitar ??? All musicians were really excellent, but that doesn't mean that they must be equally tuned. When they all play together on stage they support Joe Satriani, they cannot perform at an equal basis.
Best regards,
Dimitrios Panagiotopoulos
jimpanag53
Had a "BLAST" at the show last night! The venue and especially the event staff were phenomena! This is my third time at The Fox, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate going to that venue!
I always have a GREAT time at The Fox; from the acoustics, staff, lighting, bar, and sound are always top notch and it NEVER disappoints! Money well spent and any opportunity to go,
The 2-28 Joe Satriani show was AMAZING! 30 years... WOW!! "Surfing with the Shockwave" Very well produced, tight set(s), you heard me right people! Joe played 2 sets and brought the house down!
Going to see Generation Axxe at The Fox in April. Life is good.
john-burton-1
Joe still has it! At first, my plan was to be near to the stage for the first song in order to take pictures, and then leave the crowd... But then he entered, and all that energy (and amazing playing performance, of course) kept me there song after song, for the whole concert. The setlist was his latest album, Unstopable momentum (great work, by the way), and the well known top charts - The must have in order to get the chills... (Before the encore, people around was like "c'mon, I need Summer Song!". Was a great experience, and even after a long, great career, Joe still have the stage energy that moves the crowd.
diego-faria
There was the kick and the engagement from the side of the performers. Not so much from the side of the public though, which I feel a bit ashamed of. Nice movie show displayed behind the musicians, that really helped to visualise the music and feel a different dimension of it. I liked how the musicians were natural and spontaneous. Everything lasted pretty long, I think 2h, including the extra 2 songs at the end. You could see they do enjoy what they do. Pity there was no room for dancing.
monami555
Joe is one of those musicians that I could see again and again. The show included many songs from his career all the way back to the early 80's.
His show was fantastic and longer than I expected (two 75 minute sets with a break in between.) I was very surprised to hear Big Bad Moon from Flying in a Blue Dream.
My personal favorites are from Surfing with the Alien. He included several of those songs and some surprises as well.
It was well worth the price of admission.
martzkev
Joe Satriani has a medium intense show, with a lot of deep solos and some improvisation over the original compositions.
A great gig to see his technics and have fun with the songs. Always playing with good musicians, you should focus on the bassist too.
I'm a Satriani enthusiast as I've been following his career since the first record, so I think he's constantly improving.
renanviegas
