Watch Joe Satriani’s New ‘Shockwave Supernova’ Video: Exclusive Premiere
Joe Satriani has unveiled the video for the title track of his new Shockwave Supernova LP, and we have the exclusive premiere above.
As Satriani told Ultimate Classic Rock in a recent exclusive interview, the concept for the new record developed out of his struggle during a recent tour to rein in the flashier elements of his stage performance — specifically, to quit playing with his teeth. Hitting on the idea that his more flamboyant playing is the work of an alter ego named Shockwave Supernova, Satriani found himself looking at the framework for an ambitious instrumental concept album.
"It started to dawn on me that the music I was writing really could be tied to the idea that this alter ego of mine, who I then named 'Shockwave Supernova,' you know ... of course, a personality like that would insist on some ridiculous name like that," he laughed. "I thought, you know, the record has to be the story about how the real person, Joe, wrestles with this guy and says, 'You know what? It’s time for you to move on.'"
The story ended up evolving further from there, and incorporating multiple facets of Satriani's musical personality — as evidenced by the rocking, uptempo title track, which you can listen to via the video embed above. The clip finds Satriani in space, reprising a theme he's often returned to over the years.
"Video director Sky has created a spectacular, ultra-cosmic view of my alter-ego Shockwave Supernova that even Shockwave himself couldn’t have imagined," Satriani tells Ultimate Classic Rock. "Electric 12-string guitars in outer space? I’ll sign up for that mission!"
Joe Satriani's Shockwave Supernova LP is available now.
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