Satch is back! The guitar icon has announced that he'll release new album Shapeshifting on 10 April and the first single Nineteen Eighty is available now.
Satriani's collaborators on the album are mix of the new and the familiar. Shapeshifting features drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Fogerty), bassist Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) and keyboardist Eric Caudieux as the core band with contributions from Lisa Coleman (The Revolution) and intriguingly, Spinal Tap legend Christopher Guest.
Shapeshifting was co-produced by Satriani and Jim Scott (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) with longtime associate John Cuniberti on Handling the mastering duties.
Lead single Nineteen Eighty Satch in a retro mood – revisiting the time of his first band, the Squares. He notes that back in those days he, “dialed back the guitar solos and histrionics to try to create a cooler new wave vibe.”
The guitarist kept it period-correct too with a vintage MXR EVH phaser. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Eddie Van Halen,” Satriani says. “In my mind, he just crystallized that era. The late ‘70s and early ‘80s, he kind of saved rock guitar. So that’s what I would have been doing.”
Joe Satriani tours the UK in May after April dates in mainland Europe. For tour dates visit joesatriani.com and for Shapeshifting album preorders head to Satch's online store.