Mike Bax at Canada's Lithium Magazine recently caught up with guitar legend Joe Satriani to discuss his new album, Shockwave Supernova, his creative process, his ability to retrofit ideas, and his upcoming animated project Crystal Planet. An excerpt from the in-depth interview is available below:

Mike: Would you describe yourself as somebody who is always writing?

Joe: "Yeah. The brief period where as soon as a record is done I have a moment of shut-down, I exhale and say, 'Wow. I’m so happy THAT’S over.' It’s very emotionally cathartic to go through working on songs that mean a lot to you in a concentrated form like that. Especially when you are making a record, it’s just so expensive, you know? You are trying every day to squeeze everything out of every minute you are in a studio. So once that gets finished I shut down, but the reality is that’s only for about a day or two. Then suddenly I feel the need to walk away for a bit and start writing something different. That is where the other projects really help – to be involved in other projects simultaneously and be able to put something aside like an album project and work with another collaborator or a TV show or something else, that pulls your creative mind away from what you just did and lets you apply it to something different.

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Satriani has announced plans to release his 15th solo studio 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.

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).

Recently, during the final performance of his two-year Unstoppable Momentum tour, Satriani had an epiphany; he found himself, “playing the guitar with my teeth an awful lot. I thought, ‘Why are you doing this?’ It’s as if something else, or somebody else, was driving me to do it.” Satriani seized upon this moment of self-realization as 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 launched his wildly ambitious 15th solo album, Shockwave Supernova.

In a creative and engaging alternative venture, Satriani, a lifelong science fiction fan, has reached out to the future, through the medium of animation. Finally recognizing the on-stage symmetry with his alter ego allowed Satriani to also take a risk on this particular style of storytelling. He says, “Guitarist Ned Evett and I have created an animated series called Crystal Planet. The actual Crystal Planet is our very own Earth, set billions of years in the future. The hero of the show uses music generated by a unique electric guitar to travel through time while the show’s characters struggle to preserve the future and past of humankind.”  

More information on Crystal Planet and how and where fans will view the series will be coming shortly.

Fans are now able to pre-order the new album with an exclusive signed poster only at satriani.com. Joe will be selecting art for the poster from fan submitted art – check Joe’s FB page for more details.

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).

Tour dates:

November

1 - Manchester, England - O2 Apollo
2 - Birmingham, England - Symphony Hall
3 - Glasgow, Scotland - Royal Concert Hall
4 - Sheffield, England - City Hall
5 - Cardiff, Wales - St. David’s Hall
7 - Southend, England - Cliffs Pavilion
8 - Bristol, England - Colston Hall
9 - Portsmouth, England - Guildhall
10 - London, England - Eventim Apollo