Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have released the debut single from their collaborative project, the SatchVai Band.
Considering their status among rock’s greatest shredders, it’s fitting that the new tune is called “I Wanna Play My Guitar.” Former Deep Purple frontman Glenn Hughes provides vocals on the track, while rhythm guitarist Pete Thorn, bassist Marco Mendoza and drummer Kenny Aronoff round out the SatchVai Band.
In a conversation with Guitar Player, Satriani explained how “I Wanna Play My Guitar” captured the rockers’ youthful exuberance.
“This song depicts all that Joe and I used to think about as teenagers. All of the things we loved about pounding rock and roll and the glorious guitar,” he noted. “It is an absolute phenom for us to be able to present to you now our teenage aspirations in this song.”
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“I remember those days and how absolutely exciting it was to play the guitar,” Satriani continued. “Our whole world revolved around it as if it was a mysterious monolith, as it is, and I know that there are teenagers right now that are feeling the same thing about this sacred instrument when they play it.”
Listen to “I Wanna Play My Guitar” below.
‘I Wanna Play My Guitar’ Nearly Had a Second Singer
Elsewhere in the conversation, Satriani revealed that he initially envisioned the song with two vocalists: Hughes and Justin Hawkins, frontman of the Darkness.
“I got this crazy idea on the Monsters of Rock Cruise where Glenn and Justin were both performing,” the guitarist recalled. “Unfortunately, when I got back from the cruise I tested positive for COVID and I entered into a 10-day fog, forgetting if I had sent the invitations to collaborate.
“When I finally recovered, I heard back from Justin‘s people that the Darkness was going to be releasing a record at the same time and he wouldn’t be able to contribute to the song, so, I sent a rough demo to Glenn and he was into it.”
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Hughes, who Satriani referred to as “one of our childhood heroes,” turned out to be the perfect collaborator for the track.
“When I started writing this song I had no idea how important the contributions from Glenn and Steve would be,” Satriani admitted. “What they brought to the track made it all happen.”
The SatchVai Band will hit the road for the Surfing with the Hydra Tour. The trek begins June 13 in York, England and will take the band throughout Europe.
