Joe Satriani – Shapeshifting
Release Date: April 10, 2020 via Sony Music/Legacy Recordings
Interview and Album Review
Joe Satriani is one of the those guys. A guitar genius that has inspired countless guitar players to pick up the instrument and try to play. For those that decided they cannot do it, they are happy to air-guitar to one of Satriani’s legendary songs. There have been many however, that have taken his lead and made a career out of playing a six string. Some have even taken lessons directly from Satriani himself and went on to have highly successful careers. You’ve heard the stories. Vai, Hammet, LaLonde, Charlie Hunter, etc.. The list goes on and on. But even still – when I sit down and listen to one of his albums, I always seem to walk away from the experience amazed.
One of the greatest gifts any fan of a musician can obtain is to have that artist continually putting out new music. Fortunately, for Satriani fans, Joe just can’t slow down (I know.. I couldn’t help myself). His new album, Shapeshifting, is a thirteen track record full of signature guitar scales, melodic creation, incredible production, master musicianship and a few surprises thrown in. As Joe told me, “This is definitely my most eclectic, stylistically wide varying album I’ve ever done.” After a lengthy preview in which I went back-to-back-to-back in my first run through, I agree – this thing pushes the boundaries once again.
Shapeshifting comes blazing at you with Kenny Aronoff’s snare drum and funky time signature. Chris Chaney then lays down a killer groove on the bass guitar. Satriani begins to warm up your ears as his guitar fades in and begins the perfect climb and setup to one of his remarkable leads. And we’re only at the one minute mark. I wondered what Joe thought of the finished product and what people should expect from this album.
Satriani tells Sound Vapors, “I’m so happy with how it turned out. It’s got a bunch of new people and some familiar, wonderfully talented people helping me out on the album. It rocks and it gets dark and super happy. It just takes you everywhere. The title Shapeshifting is really the theme that I adapted in kind of a contrarian moment
where I was thinking to myself: You know instead of starting out an album by deciding how it was going to be produced and what style of music it was going to be.. I thought what if I went the opposite way? I changed myself for every song so that we could create a record that would be so much fun to listen to. It would be such a mind expanding and emotional journey that you would go on from the first track all the way to what turned out to be the thirteenth track. That you’d want to go back and listen to it all over again.” Crazy thing is, this was exactly my experience with the record. He is definitely one of those guys.
Satriani continues, “The idea popped into my head, thinking about the old mythological shape shifting people turning into other people or animals or things like that. I thought, what if I, in a partly humorous but sci-fi way, thought about myself changing my musical style to make every song happen instead of changing the song to make it fit with the Joe Satriani style. It became the theme that propelled me to keep writing in all different areas. Then when I brought new people into the project, they were all so happy to show up to work everyday and do something totally different. It added a lot of energy to the project.” The album does have an electric, energetic feel to it overall. You can feel that energy in songs like Big Distortion and Nineteen Eighty.
There’s a different kind of energy on songs like Waiting and Yesterdays Yesterday. Like Satriani mentioned, this is an eclectic batch of songs. Sometimes it’s big, turned up guitars that bring the energy. Sometimes it’s fast tempos. But sometimes it’s the energy of artists working together to create music and their artistic energy remains with the song, long after it’s been mixed down and sent out for mastering. I wanted to know more about Yesterdays Yesterday and about the songs creation.
Satriani explains, “Yesterdays Yesterday is an usual song but it’s something that I really wanted to have on the album. I went into the sessions not knowing if anyone would like it or if it belonged on the album but I said I want this album to start with a title track and end with this song,
which for me was very evocative of simpler days, kinder days. It has sort of gained meaning in the current climate that we’re living in right now.” The song which features Eric Cadieux who provides not only a plethora of instrumentation and editing to the album but also provides the whistling heard on the track. Lisa Coleman of The Revolution added synths and keys and Christopher Guest contributed a beautiful mandolin.
Satriani goes pretty deep into the pre-production and recording of these songs. It was fascinating to hear how about how all of these musicians became part of this project including producer Jim Scott. Joe also talks about the making of the video for Nineteen Eighty, which his son ZZ Satriani shot at Hurling Studios. It turned out to be a great conversation with someone that seems to think of music in a different way than most artists do. It’s a rarefied air that only these type of people can achieve.
You can my entire conversation with Joe Satriani by clicking on the link to your favorite place to listen to podcasts or by watch the video version on YouTube.
-Tommy Marz
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If you enjoyed our interview with Joe Satriani, you may want to check out our chat with Steve Vai
Transcript of interview with Joe Satriani
Tommy: All right. I want to welcome our guest today. Legendary Guitar player, honey. All right, Joe, you got a brand new record coming out April 10th. It’s called Shape. Shifting, Uh, can you tell us how many tracks on it? And what should your fans expect from this new album?
Satriani: Oh, wow. Well, that’s a big question, right there, I am very happy to answer them.
So shape shifting my new instrumental guitar album yes, coming out April 10th. This album’s got
13 tracks on it. I think there’s a bonus track we put on for the people who did the pre orders.
Um and this is Definitely my most eclectic. Stylistically wide, varying album I’ve ever done. I’m so so happy with how it turned out. I got a bunch of new people and some familiar, wonderfully talented people helping me out on the album. On it. It rocks and it gets, uh Dark is super happy and just takes you everywhere. I should say, you know, two people that the title shape shifting, really? Uh, is the theme that I adapted in a kind of Ah, contrarian moment where I was thinking to myself, you know, instead of starting out an album by deciding on how it was going to be produced
what style of music is gonna be, Which is kind of like what everybody does. I thought, what if I went the opposite way? And I changed myself for every song so that we could create a record. That would be just so much fun to listen to. It would be such, you know.
Mind expanding an emotional journey that you would go on the first track all the way to what turned out to be the 13th track that you’d want to go back and listen to it all over again. And so the idea you popped into my head, you know, thinking about the old mythological shape, shifting people into other people or animals who think like that? And I know what if I, you know, sort of In a partly humorous but SciFi way thought about myself changing my musical style to make every song happen instead of changing the song to make it fit with the Joe Satriani style.
Tommy: Love That!
Satriani: You know that it became the theme that just propelled me to keep writing in all different areas then as I brought new people into the project, they all were so happy to be able to show up for work every day and do something totally different, you know, So it’s an added of a lot of energy to the project
Tommy: Yeah, absolutely. And there is so much energy and this whole record. So this one here this is produced by yourself, and also Jim Scott, right?
Satriani: Yes.
Tommy: Cool. Well, can you tell us how you guys got together and really how it came about for you guys working together on this album?
Satriani: Quite by accident, it’s really interesting how these things happen sometimes. I really was in the middle last year of not only writing for the record, but I was also doing the Experience Hendrix tour and Kenny Aronoff was playing drums with me as well as Doug Pinnick singing and playing bass guitar and we were just having a blast on that tour. We did two of the legs that tour after the first one, I knew that Kenny was the right guy to play drums. I had already had, you know quite a lot of material written, but I was inspired as I thought about being in the studio with him.
You know to keep writing.
And somewhere along the way.
When we started talking about the project, and when we could possibly, um, fitted into his schedule, because he’s a busy guy, Kenny Aronoff Busiest guy show business, You know, he just casually texted me one day that, uh, while we were trading information about the upcoming Hendricks Tour. You mentioned that he had just been up at Plier Studio, which is Jim Scott’s studio in Valencia, California, and he said it was such a crate. Place is so much fun, and Jim was so cool and he always gets a great sound. And, you know, it was just like a casual text. And then he went back to asking questions about the upcoming tour. And as I’m looking at the text off course, Jim Scott, but
You know, I mean, this guy’s legendary, but I never thought that he would want to do an instrumental guitar album, So he was never on my list. You know, I just think she’s always busy doing
multi-platinum selling vocal Orient advance.
Tommy: Right
Satriani: Then I thought, well, why not? You know, maybe he’s just sitting around wondering when he is going to call, so I just called him and one thing led to another and my wife was driving down. To visit family and friends and we stopped off at the studio, which is just this beautifully crazy warehouse funhouse for any musicians. uh studio and what a great environment And then of course, Jim is such a special human being. Not only that incredible talent has an engineer and a producer, but he’s just really a great guy, and I really felt like he is going to be you know, like all the other guys I work with John Cuniberdie, Mike Fraser and the Johns Brothers just really great at not only organizing a project but getting good performances out of you and your band. They’re good at making you do things over and over again until it’s right. And they’re also good at stopping you After the first take and saying, You know what that is the best like, don’t even go home, you know.
Tommy: Right!
Satriani: Uh, you know, we saw eye to eye and explained the project and what I wanted to do, and he was very excited. So we just said let’s do it. And we found 10 days right at the end of August beginning September, where I could get Chris Chaney, Kenny Aronoff, Uh, myself and Eric Cadieux all together in the studio. So we just went down and we just basically lived in Valencia for a couple of months until we got the record done. It was really a lot of fun.
Tommy: Well, yeah, that too. And you mentioned you know what, Jim, You know his production and his organisational skills. But there’s also the mix, which is outstanding on this record, and he’s got such a great year for that. So now you have all of those other things. Plus, he’s mixing and he’s an absolute pro. You know, absolute pro. Yeah, you know.
Satriani: We always approach each record with a lot of different fun ideas that we’re you know.
Um, enthralled with at the moment and that touches on like, not only the song writing and playing, but you know the instruments, the amps, the microphone. The location. Recording styles, mixing styles, the mastering styles, you know. Um and I love the just powerful organic dynamic approach that Jim has, you know, And in that way, he’s very much like all the other guys that work with is that they really do enjoy dynamics and make sure that the songs recordings really have life like you can listen to them over and over again and still hear new things. Still a depth to everything, and it still sounds rich, but it’s exciting and songs take chances, you know, and on this particular record. Not only did I get that brilliance, you know from Jim Scott, but also my good friend John Cuniberdie. You know, we’ve been working since 1980 together. John did a wonderful job mastering the album and, you know, kept Jim’s vision of how things should sound right to the end, so I’m just so happy the way it all worked out was a really, really wonderful experience.
Tommy: Can you talk about the just getting to know you mentioned Kenny and getting Chris Chaney on this thing for them to work together? How that thought kind of entered your head and then like how long did it take for them to gel in the studio? I mean, I’m guessing 10 minutes, but like, how was that when you guys first started?
Satriani: Yes. Well, I’ve done a record with Chris Chaney a number of years ago called Unstoppable Momentum and again that came, you know, out of the blue, which one of those things where you don’t think about calling certain people because you don’t think they’re
You know they’re listening to your music and are aware of what you’re doing. But one of my editors like Mike B. had said “I just had a session with Chris from Jane’s addiction guy is such a pro”.
Really great with everybody in the studio, a good person and everything.
And you know, I just reached out to him. Many years ago he asked him about that. Doing that record. He was like, right on board in a second and came so totally prepared. And could come up with things in a second just as great as dealing with Vinnie Colaiuta, the drummer on that project, Mike Keneally playing keyboards. We were up at Skywalker with Fraser engineering at the time, and, uh, it was just I had a great experience with him, and I just thought, Wow, this is great. And then we ran into each other, like in Europe on some tours where we were, you know.
Inexplicably in the same town at the same hotel. You know, one day. You know what? We’re both doing something at a festival somewhere. He was with James Addiction. I was out doing something.
And so I came to mind on this project because of his versatility. Um I don’t think you’re gonna find another bass player out there. That you know is like a first call, Uh, session Bass Player for movies, soundtracks, all kinds of stuff when it comes to studio work. String bass, classical jazz, You name it, and then he’s in Jane Addiction, which is absolutely crazy. And so you know for me being, you know, a rock generation kid. I just know I insist like my musicians know how to rock and it’s you can’t write that down in a book, You know, It’s just something you gotta have in your blood and you absolutely have that you know, and it’s It’s really great. It’s such an asset musician to have the natural ability to play in different styles. You know, authentically.
Tommy: Yeah, because you mentioned being able to rock like the first single to come out was 1980. And that one thing rocks. Where did you shoot that video at? Because I love that sound stage that you’re on. It’s so awesome looking.
Satriani: Yeah, that’s hurling studios down and I guess it’s kind of like Burbank. Maybe, you know, right on the edge or something right around there, my son, ZZ Satriani. And he shot that video, you know, he’s done a bunch of stuff for me over the last 15-20 years.
Uh, he started doing podcasts for us when he was really young before a teenager, Really? And
Eventually went to school and got a degree in studio art film, and he’s a young filmmaker in LA.
Tommy: I mean, it looks great.
Satriani: Thank you. Yeah, He did a fantastic job. He and his friends all came and they just, You know, I mean, it’s pretty funny when it comes to shooting his dad, you know, but the way we’ve worked together as long as I can remember, so it’s a natural thing. We did that documentary together. I mean, he really brainstormed and did all of that, you know, beyond a supernova and last year he did, uh, somehow squeeze two videos for the squares compilation that came out and the only thing he had was photographs and his own permission to try to put those videos together. So yeah. You know, he just shot me an idea. And I said, Okay, you just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. That’s what we did and had been actually to the studio while we were recording, so he spent a good number of days just being fly on the wall and filming us recording a lot of the songs that he happened to be there that day when we were doing 1980 we had a lot of footage of that stuff. I think this week sometime The director’s cut of the video comes out which has got an intro and an outro.
Tommy: Very nice. Yeah, because I noticed that it looks like there’s some shots in pyre studio. Looks like you guys are recording and then yeah.
Satriani: You know, there’s something funny I learned from, uh, the people at Sony legacy, which is that there’s some sort of, you know, metrics they have at YouTube, and they noticed that a large percentage of the audience will stop watching a video. If there’s talking at the beginning, and you don’t think about what you’re making art, you know? So he had put together this great video that set up 1980 You know, because, like you said, it’s kind of a throwback, a kind of a song, you know, and so there was a set up to like, well, why why these guys doing this, you know and then, of course, when we got the news about the metrics and everything you know, we don’t want people clicking off thinking it is a documentary about a band. It’s a song you know, we just wanted to enjoy it. They easily did a quick edit so that people just started the top at the end of the day, you know? Ah.
But, uh, you know, they said, yeah, once we once introduced people to the song that we could go back to the director’s cut, quote on quote.
Tommy: You know, that’s really interesting and it’s cool how you guys went back. You know? Hey, ZZ is going to edit this thing. So it plays better whatever the algorithm is, and then now you have the director’s cut. I don’t know the whole thing’s interesting and very cool. Can we talk about some of the people that you also have mentioned? All these great players and stuff and people involved in the project. But you have Lisa Coleman. You have Christopher Guest, which I was a little shocked with and I guess I knew that he’s a player, but I didn’t know, like to that extent. So can you talk about having them on the album and Yesterday’s Yesterday, which is actually one of my favorite songs on the whole record.
Satriani: Great, great, actually! You know, he’s gonna be working on a video for that one. And we’re gonna be talking about that later on this week. So I’m glad you liked that song Yesterday’s Yesterday in an unusual song, but it was something that I really wanted to have on the album. I really went into the session without knowing if anyone would like it or if it belonged on the album, but I just said, I want this album to start with the title track and end with this song, which for me was very evocative of simpler days. Yes, you know, kinder days and everything, and it is sort of uh, gained meaning in the current climate that we’re living in right now. And, uh, but to enlighten you as to how the thing unfolded, it was quite organic. You know, I wrote this song. Uh, one day that just a burst of optimism and thinking about good times. From yesterday it was one of those songs. You’re not even sitting down. I think I had an acoustic guitar tuned it up and I had one foot on a chair and I started playing and there was. I quickly you know, I got my pro tools up and I recorded just like that, you know?
And, um, so anyway, I bring it in and I start telling people these are my ideas. I want this to sound like this and let’s keep going and don’t hold back and first of all my other musician on the album is Eric Cadieux. Now Eric is a great guitarist keyboardist. He was on a number of years ago with me and produced a record together called Engines of Creation, a total crazy trans electronic record back in 2000. And he’s been an editor on a lot of albums that I’ve done. So he played a lot of keyboards on this record as well as doing editing. He’s a great Whistler, so he’s whistling on the trash. And one day I You know, we were listening to my electric piano part that I put down on the song and I was thinking like I’m looking for someone who’s got like a really romantic, delicate touch that understands, you know, and he just looked at me and said, Oh, you’ve got to get Lisa to play on this again. It was one of those musicians that you don’t think that you could just reach out and call them. You know, I’m just thinking about Lisa from Prince and the Revolution. I don’t think she is going to take a call for me. But he has done a lot of work with her and he assured me she was a wonderful person, and she would break something very unique and she came in and played on two songs actually played on Yesterday’s Yesterday and same day, inexplicably, two totally different songs. She played on the song Waiting, which also, you know, just features her beautiful touch and her attention to emotional detail, as well as music.
Tommy: I think it takes it to another level to write. I mean, just having like you said, waiting for it does. It takes the album. It’s just we all want to hear your red guitar always, but it really does give it such a different touch, and it just makes you just stay glued and locked into the whole thing start to finish when you have something like her doing those things.
Satriani: I’ve always felt that you know, the context is so important for my electric guitar. When I go to play a melody, you know people are your friends who are listening to the drums, the bass and everything and it should be as unique and special as you could make it. If there were people out there that you think can add magic? The whole thing you should give him a call, You know, And that’s what happened with Christopher. You know, I’ve known Christopher Guest for many years.
I’ve played with Spinal Tap a couple of times and ended up making a cameo appearance and it is a movie for your consideration, but I’ve always known that he is a hardcore mandolin player, you know, plays a few hours every day, and he’s a fantastic musician really. And so I just said to him, I got this really happy song. That I want to put it on the album and it would be great to have a mandolin. Do you think you want to play on that kind of thing, and he listened to it and responded right away and said, Yeah, I can’t get to the studio, but I can record it at home and I’ll send you something. So he said this to brilliant performances that had like two different ways. In which you know, a mandolin played, and at the time he didn’t know that Lisa was gonna be on it. You know that the song didn’t have the whistling part yet either, so he was unsure about where it was headed. But the brave soul that he is, he sent me two really great tracks, and we were able to actually use both of them.
And I was really, really happy because it really helps you just add like a counter melody, which was
what you want, right? So much to say. Okay. I’m not just gonna sit here in the background and play, you know, back you up. I’m gonna be like a band member would be you know, if you were playing this song over and over again in front of audiences, and that’s kind of like what you look for is the spirit.
True musician spirit. And so, yeah, it puts a smile on my face. Every time I hear him start playing a mandolin. I just say so great. That’s so Christopher.
Tommy: And it is. It’s so good. I’m almost out of time here. Just two quick things. One is I don’t know what you’re anticipating, like the next single is just a lowly guy’s opinion because I know it doesn’t matter in the world. But all my friends just feel like it should be a single. It’s just there’s something so uplifting about that song and it has your signature on it. So if you guys are like saying that sure, I’d like to throw that in the ring of a single thing.
Satriani: OK, that’s great. I mean, you are not alone on that one. I got to tell you so your instincts are spot on.
Tommy: Oh, yeah! Nice. Well, hopefully, that song will be released as a single well with that.
Before I let you go, just with all the covid stuff, and you know, tours and things being postponed. Can you give us any update on your tour schedule? What’s happening right now, do you? Do you know anything?
Satriani: Yes. Well, I can say, you know, echo the sentiment out there. Eyes are pretty dire. Everyone’s wondering what’s gonna happen. You know, to the touring schedule for the whole year today, you know, we finally announced along with our partners in Europe that we rescheduled all of most of our shows. Our European shows were to start April 15th of the same date next year, So we moved our European tour to 12 months from now. And we, uh you know, it’s a delicate situation with all the partners in play when it comes to a tour. You wouldn’t believe like how difficult it is to get
Government’s airlines, venue owners, agents and promoters all around the world agree that there’s a crisis and that everyone should be allowed to cancel without getting sued. Or held economically liable. And so that’s been our problem. Where You know, I think everybody every fan out there knows that there can’t be a tour. And even if you showed up, no one would come anyway. We wouldn’t want that right. So we’re all trying to stop this virus from spreading, everyone’s trying to stay healthy and keep their loved one’s healthy. So inexplicably, if a government does not say that it’s a crisis, then the insurance companies will work with venue holders. Venue holders won’t work with promoters. Promoters won’t work with agents and before you know it, just like you want to say, hey, my fans know it’s canceled and musicians know it’s cancelled. Why can’t you guys. So now we have to be delicate in how we announce the postponement rescheduling of these things.
Tommy: So I’m sure like everybody listening. We are just hoping that this thing gets over with soon because I’m having a lot of bands and artists on the show recently, and everybody’s kind of been just dealing with it, coping with it. Some have been doing live streams and, you know, instagram lives and all these kinds of things. But really, I’m starting to think down the road a little bit because there’s so many great albums coming out. And just from a personal note. I want to get out there and see these things performed live and I know they’ll be made up. They will be made up. I know at the end of this year beginning next year, there’s gonna be a ton of that stuff, so it’s going to be a great time for that.
But right now, it’s like I’m sort of missing that the album’s coming out right now. So what I mean is that excitement when it comes out. Like so, for instance, this album comes out. April 10th.
That excitement, that fuel when you go and you get that album, and you’re listening to it for a week, and you know that Joe’s coming in town that next Friday or Saturday night, and you go, You can’t wait to go watching play because you’ve got these songs right there and their right in your head space. So you know it’s new and you can’t wait to get the excitement and everything. The energy
And I know there’s the other side too. Definitely there’s more time to digest the record. Get to know it. Get to know the lyrics, the guitar solos, the little nuances in the music. It’s like I totally get that too. I really do get it, But I’m talking about that problem. Energy that you have one album first breaks.
Love that right seeing that band play that life so we’re coping were what we’ve got to do. And I know everybody’s gonna go out there and support these great artists when they come all around to your town. And when all this has been lifted in safety, everything, go out there and have a good time. I know that’s gonna happen. Just a little thought. My head as this thing goes on longer, I’m starting to think about these things. And that little bit of that part makes me a little bit sad. I know we’ll get a chance to go out there and support him, especially with Joe when he comes around.
Can’t wait to go see him Play these songs, life. Alright, friends. I hope you don’t This one
This was a really special treat. This was great, man.