In a new interview with New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Joe Satriani discusses the upcoming release from his 80s band The Squares, the 2019 Experience Hendrix tour, and his Chickenfoot bandmate, Sammy Hagar.

"A typical day with Sammy is always the most crazy, random stuff,” he says of Hagar, for whom Satriani recently played material from the forthcoming Squares album. “It was great to sit someone like Sammy down and surprise him, 'cause he’s been around the block a few times. He was definitely shocked and surprised. He was smiling and thought the record sounded great, so I was very happy about that.”

The collection of unreleased demos from The Squares will be released on April 5th via Joe's Strange Beautiful Music label. Pre-order the album here.

Joe Satriani has had a long and acclaimed solo career, his awards and accolades from fans and the industry alike are unending. Yet, through all of that, Satriani has often mentioned in interviews the musical trio that launched the next step in his musical career, his first band, the Squares, formed in Berkeley, CA in the late 70’s.

Until now, no recordings of the inception of the legendary Satriani sound was available.

"Unbelievable! I swear to God, I think this is great.. This could come out today!" - Sammy Hagar

“Joe's guitar playing on these tracks is perfectly arranged, raw and visceral, with impeccable intonation and tone, exquisite phrasing, and fierce chops… all with no whammy bar or wha-wha! This record is a jewel for all Satch lovers, and a peek into the past of one of our beloved guitar geniuses” - Steve Vai

"It’s great to hear Joe Satriani playing in an era when rock bands owned their own P.A. systems, played four sets a night, and snuck in their “originals” between Bad Company covers. The melodic vocals and well-written songs here make it worth a trip back to this era. It also becomes apparent very quickly that there is a star in the band, and he is playing the electric guitar. Super tight rhythms and killer solos abound!" - Paul Gilbert

The song "I Love How You Love Me" can be heard below. This upbeat, high energy song is a cover of the Barry Mann and Larry Kolber composition, originally popularized by the Phil Spector produced version by The Paris Sisters.
A message at Satriani's official website states:

"In Berkeley, CA, back in the late '70's my then brother in law Neil Sheehan and I decided to start a band. It would be a power pop trio with me on guitar and Neil managing and writing lyrics. We sought out a drummer and a frontman/bassist, and in December of '79 we found them playing on the local bay area scene. Our lead vocalist/bassist Andy Milton was from Cleveland, Ohio. He was 6ft. tall, good looking and had a voice like a modern day Elvis. Our drummer Jeff Campitelli was fresh out of high school. A local phenom who could groove like Charlie Watts but with a new ferocious energy that would help propel the band into the burgeoning New Wave music scene.

"We called ourselves "The Squares", or sometimes just "Squares". There were other bands with the same name but we were determined to get to home base first and claim the name. That never happened. We were part Van Halen and part Everly Brothers. A mix of heavy metal, rock 'n' roll, punk and new wave. We were hard to pin down and categorize, which is most likely why we never "made it."

"But as we were trying our best to get a record deal and become superstars we had a lot of good times, and we laid down some seriously good music. We were ahead of our time, which, in this case, is another way of saying we were out of step with what people were looking for back then.

"Ultimately, I left the band I started to pursue a solo career. It was gut wrenching to walk away from something I put all my heart and soul into, but, as it turned out it was the right thing to do.

"What remains are the original early '80's demos recorded and mixed by our then live sound engineer John Cuniberti. We've restored the original recordings, brought them into the digital world, and with loving hands and ears John has remixed the best of what we did in the studio. They sound better than ever. John was careful to preserve the band's original intent with regards to song arrangements, sound and vibe, and in some cases, extremely creative mix ideas.

"Turn it up and enjoy The Squares!"

Tracklisting:

"Give It Up"
"Everybody's Girl"
"B-Side Girl"
"I Need A Lot Of Love"
"Can't Take It Anymore"
"So Used Up"
"You Can Light The Way"
"Tonight"
"Never Let It Get You Down"
"Follow That Heart"
"I Love How You Love Me "

"I Love How You Love Me":

Lineup:

Joe Satriani - guitar, vocals
Andy Milton - bass, vocals
Jeff Campitelli - drums, vocals

Catch Joe Satriani on the 2019 Experience Hendrix Tour, which runs March 3rd until April 6th.

The Experience Hendrix Tour, the critically acclaimed multi-artist celebration of Jimi Hendrix's musical genius is returning in 2019 with its biggest ever tour - 30 dates through the East Coast, South and Midwest. What began as a single show tribute at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2000 has blossomed into a full-fledged concert experience that has thrilled countless fans across the US. The tour presents a host of great artists collaborating and interpreting Hendrix's legendary songs as part of a powerhouse, three hour concert experience.

This latest edition of the much anticipated tour once again emphasizes the influence Hendrix has made on a diverse group of artists. The concerts will bring together artists as disparate as guitar wizard Joe Satriani, blues great Taj Mahal, Ernie Isley and Dweezil Zappa. Megadeth's Dave Mustaine will make his Experience Hendrix Tour debut while mainstays such as Billy Cox, Jonny Lang, and Eric Johnson will also be on board for the expedition. The Experience Hendrix Tour offers fans a rare opportunity to see many highly regarded players performing together in a unique setting.

15-time Grammy Award nominee Joe Satriani will make his long-awaited return when the tour kicks off March 3rd kickoff in Pompano Beach, FL. Notable for being the biggest-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time, Satriani came to the forefront with the release of his 1987 solo album Surfing With The Alien. He has worked with Mick Jagger, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult and the fabled Spinal Tap and is a member of rock super group Chickenfoot. In keeping with the spirit of the Experience Hendrix Tour, Satriani has formed an all star trio especially for the occasion, calling upon bassist and vocalist dUg Pinnick from King's X, and prolific sideman Kenny Aronoff on drums to serve as his rhythm section.

Satriani commented, "The Experience Hendrix Tours are always so much fun. The camaraderie between all the musicians on the show is magical. I'm so excited to play some deep Hendrix tracks in a power trio setting with dUg Pinnick and Kenny Aronoff!!!"

Originally the lead guitarist for Metallica, Dave Mustaine next founded Megadeth in 1983 and the group has earned a loyal, worldwide following. The Southern California native can be considered an architect of the speed metal movement, which is one of many branches on the family tree of heavy, guitar-based music that can be traced back to Jimi Hendrix. With five platinum albums and one multi-platinum album under his belt, Mustaine and his sound are institutions in the rock world. The 2019 Experience Hendrix Tour will be his first.

Dave Mustaine expressed his excitement about being part of the tour. "Jimi Hendrix. The name that comes to my mind as one the 'Premiere American Guitarists Of All Time.' An Innovator, and legendary musician, I am beyond honored to do my part in this tribute to the immortal Jimi Hendrix, and want to thank [EH Tour producer] John McDermott for inviting me to play along such mind-blowing guitarists as Joe Satriani, and a personal favorite of mine, Eric Johnson. See you there!"

Also hitting the road this time around will be Billy Cox, bassist for both Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Cox has been the backbone of the tour since its inception, providing a spiritual connection between the past and present. Two other artists who enjoyed friendships with Hendrix will also take part. Blues legend Taj Mahal and guitar Ernie Isley each make a welcome return to the tour, as ds the dynamic guitar and vocalist Jonny Lang, the legendary Eric Johnson, Cesar Rosas & David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Chris Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble fame as well as Calvin Cooke and Chuck Campbell, the "Sacred Steel" slide guitar masters known as The Slide Brothers, Mato Nanji of Indigenous and Henri Brown

"The tour is more than a series of concerts," said Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. "It's a celebration of a man whose amazing gift changed the face of music and informed an entire culture. His influences were varied and diverse. And this year we're shining a light on that diversity with artists who represent it across cultures and who also share a love for Jimi and his music. It's exciting to be able to honor Jimi's enduring legacy in this way."

The 2019 Experience Hendrix tour dovetails with the release this November 9th release of the Deluxe Edition box set of Electric Ladyland from Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hendrix's masterpiece. It will be available as as either a 3CD/1 Blu-ray set or a 6LP/1 Blu-ray set, remastered by Bernie Grundman and including Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes, which presents demos and studio outtakes from this period in Hendrix's career, plus a new 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire original album by Hendrix's original engineer Eddie Kramer. Also included is Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68 well as the feature length documentary At Last...The Beginning: The Making of Electric Ladyland.

It has also been announced that every pair of tickets purchased online for select Experience Hendrix Tour dates will come with a physical CD copy of Both Sides Of The Sky. Heralded by Relix as "both a historically valuable document...and a treat musically," Both Sides Of The Sky is the third volume in a trilogy of albums intended to present the best and most significant unissued studio recordings remaining in Jimi Hendrix's archive.

The 2019 Experience Hendrix Tour is sponsored by Youcisian, the popular online music instruction platform, along with Fender Musical Instruments, Dunlop, Hal Leonard, and Axe Heaven.

Complete details here. Watch a video trailer below.

Tour dates:

March
3 - Pompano Beach Amphitheater - Pompano Beach, FL
4 - Ruth Eckerd Hall - Clearwater, FL
5 - Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts - Melbourne, FL
6 - Florida Theatre - Jacksonville, FL
8 - North Charleston Performing Arts Center - North Charleston, SC
9 - Fox Theatre - Atlanta, GA
10 - Schermerhorn Symphony Cente - Nashville, TN
11 - Von Braun Center - Huntsville, AL
12 - Tivoli Theatre - Chattanooga, TN
14 - Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts - Raleigh, NC
15 - Ovens Auditorium - Charlotte, NC
16 - Tennessee Theatre - Knoxville, TN
17 - Taft Theatre - Cincinnati, OH
19 - The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY
20 - Overture Center for the Arts - Madison, WI
21 - The Riverside Theater - Milwaukee, WI
22 - he Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL
23 - Fox Theatre - Detroit, MI
24 - The Clay Center - Charleston, WV
26 - Warner Theatre - Washington, DC
27 - Xcite Center at Parx Casino - Bensalem, PA
28 - Theatre at Westbury - Westbury, NY
29 - New Jersey Performing Arts Center - Newark, NJ
30 - Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino - Niagara Falls, NY

April
1 - Landmark Theatre for the Performing Arts - Syracuse, NY
2 - Count Basie Center for the Arts - Red Bank, NJ
3 - Palace Theatre - Albany, NY
4 - Lowell Memorial Auditorium - Lowell, MA
5 - Zeiterion Performing Arts Center - New Bedford, MA
6 - Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre - Wallingford, CT