Guesting on Talkin' Rock With Meltdown, guitar legend Joe Satriani discussed his new album, Shapeshifting, playing with Deep Purple, Metallica's influence, guitar shred, and more.

On the last musician that blew him away:

"Nita Strauss. She was really good. She really brought it, she's got the sound and her technique's amazing. She's a really great performer, and it was really cool to see her just be able to flow with older players like myself and Steve (Vai) and Paul (Gilbert) and the younger players. And I just thought, 'Well, that's a mark of someone who's going really far.' Even though she's been a pro for a long time, she's out on tour all the time with Alice Cooper, as a solo artist, I think her time is coming. She's about to explode on the scene."

Strauss recently released a video for "Alegria", a track from her Controlled Chaos album, released in November 2018 via Sumerian Records. Watch below:

Pre-order Satriani's Shapeshifting album here. The first single, “Nineteen Eighty”, is available now on all streaming platforms. A video for the track can be seen below:

In addition to the CD and standard black vinyl, the D2C store will offer an exclusive translucent blue colored, signed vinyl. Additional offerings will include stemless wine glasses, coffee mugs, koozies, crew socks, guitar picks and a t-shirt - all featuring Joe’s original artwork. Also available, an autographed CD via pre-order with Newbury Comics online retails store. Anyone who pre-orders via the D2C will receive early access to the upcoming US tour, to be announced shortly.

Shapeshifting was co-produced by Satriani and Jim Scott (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) with longtime associate John Cuniberti on board handling the mastering duties. Satriani enlisted a wide range of collaborators, both old and new, to help him bring the songs to life. Legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Fogerty), bassist Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) and keyboardist Eric Caudieux were the core musicians on the new album with additional contributions coming from Lisa Coleman (The Revolution) and Christopher Guest.

The retro feeling sounds of first single, “Nineteen Eighty” finds Satriani spiritually revisiting the time period when he was working with his first band, the Squares. The future guitar hero the world came to know less than a decade later, would have to wait. He recalls that in those early days, they “dialed back the guitar solos and histrionics to try to create a cooler new wave vibe.” Decades removed from those goals, he was free to go forward and attempt to recapture what was on his mind in 1980.

Staying true to the sounds of the time, he even used a vintage MXR EVH phaser. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Eddie Van Halen,” Satriani says. “In my mind, he just crystallized that era. The late ‘70s and early ‘80s, he kind of saved rock guitar. So that’s what I would have been doing.”

Tracklisting:

"Shapeshifting"
"Big Distortion"
"All For Love"
"Ali Farka, Dick Dale, An Alien And Me"
"Teardrops"
"Perfect Dust"
"Nineteen Eighty"
"All My Friends Are Here"
"Spirits, Ghosts And Outlaws"
"Falling Stars"
"Waiting"
"Here The Blue River"
"Yesterday’s Yesterday"