Over the past 30 years, Joe Satriani has proven himself to be one of the most imaginative, brilliant and talented rock guitarists ever to strum six strings. When the guitar icon swung by the Rolling Stone office, he agreed to test his creativity by interpreting oblique concepts and words as impromptu solos.

Check out 9 clips in the playlist below:

Joe Satriani's new album is the springboard and creative center for his alter ego "Shockwave Supernova," the outlandish and extroverted 'performance side' of the normally shy and reserved guitar virtuoso. With this new persona as partner, Satriani will launch his wildly ambitious 15th solo album, Shockwave Supernova, on Friday, July 24th; making him one of the first to utilize the new “Friday, Global Release Day” for music. The album will be released on CD, download and 2 LP vinyl. Listen to the title track via the YouTube clip below.

As the street date draws closer, Satriani has filmed a pair of Behind The Songs video clips, detailing the tracks "If There Is No Heaven" and "On Peregrine Wings".

It would be easy to call Shockwave Supernova a “masterpiece” or “the last word on guitar” from the world’s most commercially successful solo guitar performer. Satch, however, sees it much more personally. He has consistently advanced the artistry of the instrument; an effort he dedicated himself to on September 18th, 1970, the day his idol Jimi Hendrix died.  

Recorded late last year at Skywalker Sound in Lucas Valley, California, Satriani assembled the dynamic trio of world-class musicians who had recently been part of his global tour; renowned keyboardist and guitarist Mike Keneally, a veteran of several Satch outings and recordings; along with drumming whiz Marco Minnemann and bass extraordinaire Bryan Beller.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better band to help bring these songs to life,” says Satriani.

The album also sees Satriani once again joining forces co-producer and engineer John Cuniberti. Satch and Cuniberti share production on Shockwave Supernova, as they have on numerous albums - their shared history dates back to the guitar star’s 1986 debut album, Not Of This Earth and its follow-up, the platinum-selling, critically acclaimed, Surfing With The Alien.  

Minnemann and Beller handle the bulk of Shockwave Supernova’s rhythmic duties, with the exception of four cuts - the driving “Keep On Movin’”, full of wondrous Satch guitar wizardry and Keneally’s playful piano, “In My Pocket”, a deliciously greasy, souped-up take on Swing, along with “Crazy Joey” (a deliriously effervescent romp) and “Scarborough Stomp” (a relentless upbeat rocker) - find Satriani joined by another powerhouse rhythm section: the esteemed drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (whose work includes the likes of Frank Zappa, Sting, Paul Simon, among others) and Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney (whose resume includes Alanis Morrisette, Celine Dion and Rob Zombie, to name a few).

Check out this special reveal of the Shockwave Supernova album packaging that art director Todd Gallopo from meat and potatoes gives to Joe Satriani, showing off all of the cool aspects of the design.

Celebrate the release of Joe Satriani’s new album, Shockwave Supernova, with the artist himself as it releases on July 24th. Guests will enjoy a seat at an exclusive live interview taking place at the AOL studios in NYC, a meet and greet with Satriani, an autographed copy of Shockwave Supernova, plus complimentary wine and beer. Satriani will be interviewed one-on-one by legendary rock journalist Brad Tolinski, as they discuss the new album and much more.

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Tracklisting:
“Shockwave Supernova”
“Lost In A Memory”
“Crazy Joey”
“In My Pocket”
“On Peregrine Wings”
“Cataclysmic”
“San Francisco Blue”
“Keep On Movin’”
“All Of My Life”
“A Phase I’m Going Through”
“Scarborough Stomp”
“Butterfly And Zebra”
“If There Is No Heaven”
“Stars Race Across The Sky”
“Goodbye Supernova”

Satriani recently announced The Shockwave UK Tour, which will take in nine dates from November 1st. The tour promotes Joe’s upcoming new studio album , and will also be the first time since he last toured the UK with his Unstoppable Momentum album in 2013. Joe’s touring band will include Bryan Beller (bass), Mike Keneally (keyboards, guitars) and Marco Minnemann (drums).