Steve Vai and Joe Satriani’s friendship is one of the most well-documented bonds in the world of guitar virtuosos. What began as a teacher-student relationship when they were teenagers evolved into a lifelong musical and personal connection. Over the years, they have shared the stage occasionally, primarily through Satriani’s G3 tour. However, last year marked a significant milestone: the formation of their first official band together, the aptly named SatchVai.
Along with their upcoming “Surfing With the Hydra” tour — named after some of their more recent musical projects — SatchVai is also working on a new studio album, making it the first time the duo has written and recorded an album as a unit. In a recent interview with Cassius Morris, Vai reflected on how naturally the collaboration has come together, despite his usual approach to songwriting.
“I’m really excited about the band and the tour. It’s the first time Joe and I have done something like this. We’re writing music together, and that’s just so great because I’m not usually a collaborator. When it comes to my catalog and my solo work, I don’t collaborate. My goal is to create a catalog of relatively undiluted music, for better or for worse. My playground, the end,” Vai explained (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar)
While Vai typically prefers working solo to maintain a singular creative vision, he acknowledged that working with Satriani has been a seamless and rewarding process.
“But I am a very good collaborator when I know the project, and I know the people, and I know what’s expected of me. So, with Joe, it’s just like heaven in a cup, because he’s just a great collaborator that way, too. We’ve been writing and writing; we’re feverishly writing, and it’s so much fun. We’re bouncing ideas, and it takes a certain trust and acceptance with one another to collaborate on creative things, especially when those two guys come from a world of being the master and commander on their own ship.”
This deep creative trust is something that Vai has long admired in Satriani’s approach to music. Last year, during a discussion with his longtime friend, Vai praised Satriani’s ability to tell a story through his playing, highlighting “Wind in the Trees” from the 2010 album Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards as a prime example.
“It’s such a great example of something that you do all the time, that’s part of your DNA. Your songs are complete packages – it’s not about technique, it’s the story you apply to the song. It comes out in the structure, the technique, and the tone.”
He went on to emphasize that Satriani’s compositions always serve an emotional purpose rather than simply showcasing technical prowess: “It all serves the emotional intent that the piece of music is directing and that’s what artists do. It’s not the magnification of a technique for the technique’s sake. Your tracks are well seasoned with the absolute perfect balance; they’re all like that.”
With two of the most revered guitarists in rock history finally uniting for a full-fledged project, SatchVai has already become one of the most anticipated collaborations in instrumental rock, as well as the culmination of decades of mutual respect and creative synergy.