INTERVIEW: Joe Satriani on Chickenfoot III
Chickenfoot III. You know the joke by now: the band feels so comfortable in what they’re doing that they feel like they stepped over the difficult second album and went straight to the third. The band – Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith – are indeed in fine form on the newly-released album. It still sounds like the Chickenfoot who whipped up such a frenzy with their 2009 debut, but it’s at once more relaxed and more intense, heavier and more detailed.
The first thing that really struck me about this album was that there’s a really identifiable Chickenfoot sound. It doesn’t sound like a Joe Satriani album, it doesn’t sound like a Sammy Hagar album.
That’s great, I’m so happy to hear you say that. That’s something that I’ve always felt that we were very lucky to naturally stumble upon. But we didn’t want to overthink it or intellectualise it. Just do it naturally and let it happen.
This album is almost like an essay on the right hand of Joe Satriani – there’s a lot of great rhythm stuff going on.
As I was writing the demos for this record I was once again conscious of trying to not hold back and to use as much as I had to flesh out a lot of the songs. It’s a funny thing, because when we’re away, we’ll maybe be taking a flight somewhere and we’ll be talking about what kind of songs we like as a band, and that’s one thing, but when we get together to play there’s really no time for discussion or any of that stuff. We basically have to record very quickly, and everybody has to bring all their stuff to the table and just do it. And so I hate to talk about it and give the wrong impression and that we thought about it, because we didn’t, but I all I can tell you is that I prepared for the experience by making sure that everything I knew how to do was fresh on my fingers and ready to be exploited at a moment’s notice. So I like to say that I’ve taken all the good stuff that I’ve ever heard from any guitar player and I’ve tried to learn it and to use it and to understand it. So a lot of my roots come out when I’m making a Chickenfoot record.
COOL VIDEO ALERT: Chickenfoot – Big Foot
Y’know what’s awesome about Chickenfoot? You can hear, like, three seconds of a Chickenfoot song and instantly know that it’s Chickenfoot. Not a Joe Satriani song, not a Sammy Hagar song. A Chickenfoot song.
Classic Rock to release Chickenfoot III fan pack
Wow, those fine folks at Classic Rock Magazine have done it again! After killer fan packs for Motorhead and Whitesnake, check this out from the Classic Rock website:
Classic Rock is cock-a-hoop to announce the launch of its latest Fan Pack, dedicated to Chickenfoot.
The Chickenfoot Fan Pack includes Chickenfoot III, the band’s eagerly anticipated second album, plus a 132-page magazine dedicated to the band.
Pre-order the Chickenfoot fanpack through MyFavouriteMagazines.co.uk before September 27 and receive a free very limited edition Chickenfoot bottle opener keyring.
Inside the Chickenfoot Fan Pack:
Fans who buy the Chickenfoot Fan Pack will be able to hear Chickenfoot III weeks before it appears in record stores. What’s more, the Fan Pack version of Chickenfoot III comes with two exclusive bonus tracks that won’t appear on the record store version of the album.
Chickenfoot III tracklisting
PRESS RELEASE
(LOS ANGELES, CA – July 13, 2011) – A much anticipated follow up album to the successful eponymous debut of a rock band packed with successful veterans – guitar hero Joe Satriani, drummer Chad Smith, former Van Halenbassist Michael Anthony and frontman Sammy Hagar – has garnered a bevy of buzz and rumors that the band is setting straight today with the official announcement of the album title, full track listing, release date and more:“Chickenfoot III” (not IV as previously implied), produced by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica), is set for worldwide release on September 27th from eOne Music in North America and around the world by earMUSIC/Edel in a special 3D designed package. The album’s lead single “Big Foot,” is set for release on August 2nd.
Chickenfoot album trailer 2
YES! Bring it on! September 27!
COOL VIDEO ALERT: Chickenfoot album teaser
If you’re in a reminiscent mood, you can check out my interview with Joe Satriani about the first Chickenfoot album here.
Hi! I'm Peter Hodgson. I write for Gibson.com, Australian Guitar, Australian Musician, Mixdown Magazine (including my instructional column, 'Unleash Your Inner Rock God,' which has been running since 2007), Blunt, Beat (including their weekly hard rock/metal column Crunch) and The Brag. And I'm Assistant Social Coordinator with Seymour Duncan.
I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old, and I've been writing for magazines since I was 18. I've also worked as a guitar teacher (up to 50 students a week), a setup tech, a newspaper editor, and I've also dabbled in radio a little bit. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and my hobbies include drinking way too much coffee, and eating way too much Mexican food.
You can check out my guitar playing at Bandcamp or on YouTube, and feel free to email me at iheartguitarblog@gmail.com