Guitar legend JOE SATRIANI checks in with the following update:

"Now that the asteroid has safely passed us by I feel it's time to break my cyberspace-silence and let you all know what I've been up to these last few months. After returning home from the last of three incredible G3 tours, I got down to writing music for a new solo record. A very prolific and cathartic two months followed resulting in a bundle of new music I was very excited to get recorded.

With 16 of the songs selected for the project, all heading in different directions and touching on a variety of musical influences, I realized I needed to assemble a new studio band. The idea was to crank up the energy level of the sessions, and allow for more individual expression of the material, from each player. I pulled into Skywalker Sound with Mike Keneally on keyboards, Chris Chaney on bass and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. The chemistry between these awesome players was fantastic, and we blazed through all the tracks with everyone laying down amazing performances.

On Valentine's Day I finally finished all the overdubs, reviewed the tracks with engineer/producer Mike Fraser and started loading out of the studio, elated! Now it's on to Vancouver, BC, to mix. The new record will be called Unstoppable Momentum and should see a release date of May 7th. I'm not sure how many songs will make it to the final sequence as I still have a lot of work ahead of me in that department.

As you can see from the tour page we are gearing up to bring the new music on tour starting in mid-May and continuing through 2013. My touring band will consist of Mike Keneally on keys and guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums. I'm so excited about tearing it up on stage with this new band! See you out there on tour..."

Confirmed tour dates include:

May

18 - KucukCiftlik Park - Istanbul, Turkey
20 - Sala Palatului - Bucharest, Romania
22 - Tvornica Kulture - Zagreb, Hungary
24 - Sava Centar - Belgrade, Serbia
25 - Cvetlicarna - Ljubljana, Slovenia
26 - Velvet Rock Club - Rimini, Italy
28 - Palapartenope - Napoli, Italy
29 - Atlantico Live - Roma, Italy
30 - Live Club - Milano, Italy
31 - Obihall - Firenze, Italy

June

1 - Gran Teatro Geox - Padova, Italy
3 - Grand Rex - Paris, France
4 - Cirque Royal - Brussels, Belgium
5 - O13 - Tilburg, Netherlands
6 - De Ooosterpoort - Groningen, Netherlands
8 - 02 Apollo - Manchester, England
9 - Royal Concert Hall - Glasgow, Scotland
10 - City Hall - Newcastle, England
11 - Philharmonic Hall - Liverpool, England
12 - Colston Hall - Bristol, England
13 - Civic Hall - Wolverhampton, England
15 - City Hall - Sheffield, England
16 - Guildhall - Portsmouth, England
17 - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire - London, England
18 - indogO2 - London, England
20 - Capitol - Hannover, Germany
21 - Jovel Music Hall - Munster, Germany
22 - Fabrik - Hamburg, Germany
23 - Columbiahalle - Berlin, Germany
24 - Haus Auensee - Leipzig, Germany
26 - Serenadenhof - Nurnberg, Germany
27 - E Werk Koln - Cologne, Germany
28 - Phonix-Halle Mainz - Mainz, Germany
29 - Theaterhaus - Stuttgart, Germany
30 - Tonhalle - Munich, Germany

July

2 - Big Box - Kempton, Germany
3 - Gasometer - Vienna, Austria
4 - Loket Amphitheatre - Loket, Czech Republic
6 - Stodola - Warsaw, Poland
9 - A2 - St. Petersburg, Russia
10 - Moscow Arena - Moscow, Russia
12 - KSK Express - Rostov-on-Don, Russia
13 - Arena Hall - Krasnodar, Russia

Satriani will be the featured guest on US nationally syndicated radio show Rockline with host Bob Coburn, on May 8th at 8:30 PM, PT/11:30 PM, ET.

Fans are encouraged to speak with Satch toll free at 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). For more information on finding a station near you and for information regarding how to log onto the internet broadcast go to Rocklineradio.com. The show will be streamed on the Rockline website for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.

Joe will embark on an Australian Masterclass Tour in April. Organizers remark: "Learn the tips and tricks that have made Joe Satriani a bona fide guitar hero. Tickets selling FAST!"

Dates include:

April

8 - Brisbane, Australia - Thump Music
10 - Sydney, Australia - Thump Music
13 - Melbourne, Australia - Thump Music
15 - Adelaide, Australia - Thump Music
17 - Perth, Australia - Thump Music

For more details visit Thumpmusic.com.au.