Whenever the title “guitar legend” is combined with “virtuoso”, Joe Satriani is not far away. The former autodidact from New York was a teacher and style master for later stars such as Kirk Hammett from Metallica and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine).
With Steve Vai, his long-time brother in spirit, he founded a band with a strange-sounding name: Satchvau, where “Satch” is Satriani’s long-time nickname, and “Vai” simply stands for the man with the three-necked guitar. The dream duo is going on an international tour together under the motto “Surfing with the Hydra”, and there are also three dates in Germany in July 2025.
The famous three chords
For a long time there was an artistic conflict between the nimble and artificial art that Satriani, Bonamassa and Co mastered and the sloppy punk/grunge school of guitar playing; the famous three chords.
In an interview with the specialist magazine “Classic Rock”, Joe Satriani now addresses these trenches. At least he confirms that Kurt Cobain, of all people, was “a great guitarist”.
The Nirvana singer always emphasized on the Fender Jaguar that he couldn’t distinguish between major and minor chords, and that he had no desire to improve in any way. “I wouldn’t even pass the simplest exams,” he said in 1993. “Everyone knows more than me.”
Virtuoso King Satriani doesn’t dispute this. “I was very happy with the Nirvana records,” and credits Cobain with an intuitive talent. “He was a great guitarist. If you watch the Nirvana clips, you can still tell today that this guy plays everything he’s supposed to play. He doesn’t look at what he’s playing, so he obviously really masters the instrument in his own way.”
The guitar solo is falling out of fashion
Equally relevant: “And he played with one of the greatest drummers of all time; Dave Grohl. That wouldn’t have worked if he wasn’t a good guitarist.”
When asked whether the fall out of fashion of the guitar solo as a result of the punk and grunge era had somehow changed his relationship to his instrument, he said: “I didn’t pay any attention to it. My album ‘The Extremist’ from 1992 was a love letter to the classic rock era, a throwback anyway. When I came out of the studio I realized: ‘Oh, it’s all Nirvana and Soundgarden around me’.”
In addition to his Satchvai project, Satriani plays in Van Halen colleague Sammy Hagar’s band. The Halen album “Best of All Worlds” will be performed in various Las Vegas shows.
He had previously released a live album from the long-term project “G3”, in which legendary songs have been virtuosically interpreted since the 1990s. The all-star line-up includes Steve Vai and Eric Johnson.