Guitar legend Joe Satriani premiered a new song today, "Catbot." The thumping, riff-packed instrumental track is from his new album, What Happens Next, which—as fate would have it—was released today via Sony Legacy. You can check out the song via the YouTube player above.
“What if your robot cat got out at night and tried to hang out with real cats? That’s what this song is the soundtrack to,” Satch told Yahoo! Music. Satriani hasn't written many feline-centric tunes over the years, although he did release "Dog with Crown & Earring" as a Japanese bonus track in 2004. Cat-wise, the closest he's come (until now) is "Cataclysmic," from 2015's Shockwave Supernova.
Um, moving right along...
What Happens Next—Satch's 16th studio effort—represents a new direction for the guitarist. This time around, he wanted to take a break from his usual high-concept, sci-fi-influenced outings and move toward a basic, hard rock style. As a result, he recruited Glenn Hughes to play bass and Chad Smith—his Chickenfoot bandmate—to play drums.
“I said to Chad in an early text, ‘No odd time signatures, no progressive stuff, pure rock and soul,’" Satriani said in a November press release. "The last two records really showed I was enjoying playing with progressive elements, and when I reached the end of Shockwave Supernova, I said, ‘I think I’ve done it. For some reason, I don’t feel like going back over that anymore’.”
“Chad plays in such an unusual way," Satriani told USA Today. "It’s so instantly lovable with what he’s doing with his drumming. It always sounds like the drumming you want to hear. Everyone was in top form, because they just walked out of either the studio or off the stage. We had just the best seven or eight days.
You can catch Satriani in 2018 on his G3 Tour, which also features John Petrucci and Def Leppard's Phil Collen. You can check out the dates for that tour—plus two more new Satch songs, "Headrush" and "Thunder High on the Mountain"—below.
By the way, keep your eyes peeled for the all-new March 2018 issue of Guitar World, which should be hitting your mailbox (or your local Barnes & Noble) any minute now. It features an exclusive, multi-page master class with Satriani (complete with exclusive GW lesson videos)—plus an in-depth interview about What Happens Next.
For more about Satriani and the new album, visit satriani.com.
2018 G3 Tour featuring Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Phil Collen
- January 13 Grand Sierra Theatre Reno, NV
- January 14 Fox Theater Oakland, CA
- January 16 Delta Hall at Eccles Theater Salt Lake City, UT *
- January 17 Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, NV
- January 18 Mesa Arts Center Mesa, AZ *
- January 19 Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA
- January 20 Balboa Theatre San Diego, CA
- January 21 Fox Tucson Theatre Tucson, AZ *
- January 24 Historic Paramount Theatre Denver, CO
- January 26 The Pavillion at The Toyota Music Factory Irving, TX *
- January 27 Austin City Limits - Moody Theater Austin, TX
- January 28 Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Houston, TX *
- January 30 Hard Rock Live Orlando, FL *
- January 31 Florida Theatre Jacksonville, FL *
- February 1 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Pompano Beach, FL*
- February 2 Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall Fort Myers, FL *
- February 3 Mahaffey Theater St. Petersberg, FL *
- February 6 Raleigh Memorial Auditorium Raleigh, NC
- February 8 Toyota Presents Oakdale Wallingford, CT *
- February 9 Landmark Theatre Syracuse, NY *
- February 10 Palace Theatre Albany, NY *
- February 11 The Palace Theatre Greensburg, PA *
- February 14 Warner Theatre Washington, DC *
- February 15 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA
- February 16 Beacon Theatre New York, NY *
- February 17 Merriam Theater Philadelphia, PA
- February 18 New Jersey Performing Arts Center Newark, NJ *
- February 20 Auditorium Theatre Rochester, NY *
- February 21 Massey Hall Toronto, ONT
- February 22 Hard Rock Live Northfield, OH
- February 23 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL *
- February 24 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
- February 25 Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI
