If there are fans of guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai out there who have been patiently waiting (or rather, impatiently waiting) for them to eventually join forces in a band together, they’re finally getting their wish in 2026.
To date, the SatchVai Band has released three songs: “The Sea of Emotion, Pt.1”, “I Wanna Play My Guitar” (featuring Glenn Hughes on lead vocals) and the latest single “Dancing”, respectively. The latter is actually a cover song originally written by Italian singer, pianist and songwriter Paolo Conte in 1982.
Clearly not content with stopping there, good readers, the band has recently completed recording its upcoming full-length debut album. It’s scheduled for release later this year.
In the interim though, the SatchVai Band is gearing up to tour the U.S. following a successful European run of dates last summer. The American leg commences on April 1 (not an April Fools joke by the way) and will be heading to the gorgeous Mesa Amphitheatre on Friday April 10th. Make sure to show up early to catch instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders opening the show. It’ll be a “Night Of The Guitar” indeed.
In a recent phone chat with Vai, I asked him how SatchVai came to (long overdue) fruition. After all, he and Satriani have only known each other for a mere fifty years!
“I know, right!”, Vai laughed. “Actually, the idea really started when Joe and I were out on the G3 Reunion Tour in 2024. Over the years, we had always wanted to do an album together. Like anything in life, timing is everything. We had a great time on that (2024) tour, and soon after we just decided it was time to get to work on new music.”
He continued. “We had collaborated on live shows for years, so to finally get to do something creative together from scratch has been fantastic. Last week, we just finished the mastering of the album, and I can honestly say that it’s one of the best projects I’ve ever been involved with. I’m real proud of it, and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
The touring band also consists of veteran bassist Marco Mendoza, drummer Kenny Aronoff and guitarist Pete Thorn.
Given that Satriani gave Vai guitar lessons (for $5 an hour, in case you were wondering) when he was 12 years old and living in New York, I have to wonder what it was like having Joe Satriani(!) as a teacher and mentor in the 1970s. So I asked him.
“With Joe, I’d say he was pretty strict as a teacher”, Vai recalled. “At the time, he had really long hair and a beard. I remember one day walking home after a lesson and he told me to memorize every note. A homework assignment, basically.”
He added. “Long and short of it, he asked me to play a note, I think an F sharp on the B string. When I couldn’t, he literally told me to stop playing and leave. Then he said… “Don’t come back until you know the notes”, he recalled with a slightly nervous laugh.
Vai then added candidly. “That day walking home, I realized that I never wanted to be unprepared like that ever again. So essentially, the biggest lesson I learned from Joe was …”Practice, then practice more, then practice even more! It was a great lesson to learn as a young guitarist. And I’ve never forgotten it all these years later.”
It’s probably fair to say that a turning point in Vai’s career materialized when he was asked to join then-former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth’s solo band in 1985. Along with bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette, they recorded Roth’s full-length debut album Eat ‘Em and Smile, released a year later.
I’m guessing Vai wouldn’t use the word dull to describe working with Roth. He explained.
“I love Dave, and I loved working with that band. Some people might not believe this, but Dave is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever worked with in this business. Unbelievable work ethic, and yes, he was demanding. But not any more on us than he was of himself.”
He continued. “What can I say? It was the 1980s. It was a great time to be a working musician. I look back on those years very fondly.”
To that point, I asked about something that he cowrote with Roth for 1988’s Skyscraper. In this writer’s humble opinion, it’s by far the best song David Lee Roth ever recorded as a solo artist– a tune called “Damn Good”.
“Wow…thank you for that”, Vai said graciously. “I guess you could say that it was a “sleeper hit”. I wrote the music for that several years earlier, and in my mind, I was thinking of submitting it for my eventual (1990) album Passion and Warfare. Anyway, Dave ended up loving the music and eventually wrote the lyrics for it. So, he kept it for Skyscraper.”
Of course, the inevitable question had to be asked. What are the chances of SatchVai Band doing an instrumental version of it in Mesa?
“You know, that’s a great idea now that you mention it.”, Vai laughed. “Maybe we should consider it.”
It’s important to note that one doesn’t have to be a musician to appreciate the music of Vai or Satriani. As we concluded our chat, he gave me a little peak at what fans can expect on the Surfin’ With The Hydra tour.
“It’s similar to how we did it on last year’s European tour, and we’re playing the three singles we’ve released so far”, Vai said. “We kind of do a “tag team” approach with Joe onstage playing a couple of his songs, then I’ll come on and do a couple of mine.”
He concluded. “With Marco, Kenny and Pete it really is a true band experience as well. It’s really just a great night of rock music— it’s technical and melodic simultaneously. Not only is it incredible musicianship, but most importantly, it’s entertaining to watch when all is said and done. It’s a real honor to share the stage with them.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: SatchVai Band w/ special guests Animals as Leaders
WHEN: Fri. April 10. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. Showtime 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center St. Mesa 85201
TICKETS: Between $55.00-$150.00. General admission and reserved seats are available at Danny Zelisko Presents.com and MesaAmp.com.
