World-renowned guitar virtuoso, Joe Satriani, is featured in a new interview with The Huffington Post discussing his new album, What Happens Next. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Do you ever second guess yourself or sabotage yourself when writing a new song when you think you may have already done this before?

Satriani: "I think there are a lot of moments when you are writing a song, and your enthusiasm is running high and then the little voice in your head says, 'Hey guess what, you wrote this six albums ago'––and you can only just stop and laugh at yourself. As a writer or musician, you have to continually check yourself. It’s bound to happen when you freely associate with the moment."

Q: Listening to some of the new songs off of your upcoming release, it dawned on me that the notes that you play sound as if a vocalist is singing lyrics. Is that always your intention?

Satriani: "I certainly vocalize the lines as my way of making sure that the quantity of notes is not too high. One of the difficulties when recording an instrumental is that the audience really needs to know if you’re riffing, you’re soloing, or is this a melody. I think a lot of instrumentalists walk that fine line because it’s a lot of fun to play. But I do sit back and will sing what I think is going to be the correct melody for the song and then I will teach myself how to play it. I can tell right away when I start to do that, that it’s coming from a different place. It always leads me to moments where I’m learning to be more expressive––It’s a good routine."

Read the complete interview here.

Satriani has announced his 16th solo album, What Happens Next, set for release, January 12th, 2018 on Sony/Legacy Recordings. Just a day prior to the album release, Satriani revives his G3 tour entity, inviting Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and Def Leppard lead guitarist, Phil Collen to join him. The G3 tour launches on January 11th in Seattle, WA and continues across the US before winding up on February 25th in Milwaukee, WI. There is a special tour pre-sale promotion giving fans the opportunity to buy concert tickets with the new album as well as VIP packages. Head here for more information.

The new, instrumentally electrifying album features a power trio of legendary status; Satriani on guitar and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple,Black Country Communion) and drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), the latter reuniting with Satriani for the first time since their work in the supergroup Chickenfoot. Satriani is once again joined by producer/engineer/mixer Mike Fraser, his frequent collaborator over the last 20 years, on What Happens Next. Fraser is well-known for recording/mixing every AC/DC album since 1990’s The Razors Edge along with his classic works with Satriani going back to the release of Crystal Planet in 1998.

These new tracks literally vibrate the soul with an energy rarely found these days. From the dynamic opening track, “Energy”, to the majestic crunch of “Thunder High On The Mountain”, and the easy, sensual cords of “Smooth Soul”. This unparalleled rock-rhythm section gives What Happens Next a depth of groove that sets it apart from Satriani’s other work.

Since its debut in 1996, Satriani’s G3 tour has featured the world’s greatest guitarists (everyone from Steve Vai and Eric Johnson to Steve Lukather and Robert Fripp) and has become a consistent concert hall sell-out attraction in the US, South America, Europe, Australia and Japan. “I could say that I’m surprised at the durability of G3 and how much it’s grown, but in a way I’m not,” Satriani says with a laugh, “I think part of its charm and its mojo is in the chemistry of having three top guitarists share what they do on stage. It’s fun, it’s unpredictable, it’s wild – it’s everything you could want in a show.”

In addition to this new album and exciting tour news, a new documentary Beyond The Supernova, shot by Satriani’s filmmaker son, ZZ, makes its debut at the Mill Valley Film Festival this October. The tour documentary chronicles Joe, along with his band and crew, on their last Shockwave Supernova tour throughout Europe and Asia.

What Happens Next tracklisting:

“Energy”
“Catbot”
“Thunder High On The Mountain”
“Cherry Blossoms”
“Righteous”
“Smooth Soul”
“Headrush”
“Looper”
“What Happens Next”
“Super Funky Badass”
“Invisible”
“Forever And Ever”

“Thunder High On The Mountain”:

“Energy”:

2018 G3 Tour featuring Joe Satriani, John Petrucci & Phil Collen:

January
11 - The Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA
12 - Historic Elsinore Theatre - Salem, OR
13 - Grand Sierra Theatre - Reno, NV
14 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA
16 - Delta Hall at Eccles Theater - Salt Lake City, UT 
17 - Brooklyn Bowl - Las Vegas, NV
18 - Mesa Arts Center - Mesa, AZ 
19 - Orpheum Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
20 - Balboa Theatre - San Diego, CA
21 - Fox Tucson Theatre - Tucson, AZ 
24 - Historic Paramount Theatre - Denver, CO
25 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO 
26 - The Pavillion at The Toyota Music Factory - Irving, TX 
27 - Austin City Limits - Moody Theater - Austin, TX
28 - Hobby Center for the Performing Arts - Houston, TX 
30 - Hard Rock Live - Orlando, FL 
31 - Florida Theatre - Jacksonville, FL

February
1 - Pompano Beach Amphitheatre - Pompano Beach, FL
2 - Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Fort Myers, FL 
3 - Mahaffey Theater - St. Petersberg, FL 
6 - Raleigh Memorial Auditorium - Raleigh, NC
8 - Toyota Presents Oakdale - Wallingford, CT 
9 - Landmark Theatre - Syracuse, NY 
10 - Palace Theatre - Albany, NY 
11 - The Palace Theatre - Greensburg, PA 
14 - Warner Theatre - Washington, DC 
15 - Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA
16 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY 
17 - Merriam Theater - Philadelphia, PA
18 - New Jersey Performing Arts Center - Newark, NJ 
20 - Auditorium Theatre - Rochester, NY 
21 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ON
22 - Hard Rock Live - Northfield, OH
23 - Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL 
24 - State Theatre - Minneapolis, MN
25 - Riverside Theater - Milwaukee, WI