A true guitar master, Joe Satriani came to the SceneFour studio ready to create something out of this world. With his chrome guitar in tow, he was ready to embark on a new kind of journey.
The glove, which would allow Satriani to build visuals from his work on the fretboard, had been extensively worked on in preparation for the session. It was working perfectly, and the whole team at SceneFour was ready to watch a true guitar great construct the visuals for his canvas collection.
Satriani also wanted to work with the canvases at his home studio. He wanted to add a new dimension to the works with paint. Intrigued, and after seeing some of his personal works that he had done over the years, they were sure that this art collection would be extraordinarily different than anything they had ever released. Interview conducted by SceneFour.
When you first heard about this project, creating artwork through guitar performance, what did you think?
Joe: I think the first time somebody mentioned this to me, you go “What?” like you’re skeptical, but I was actually really interested when I went to the website and I saw the glove. I love the glove. The whole idea of wearing something else. It’s almost like a pair of shades. It helps you get into a character or a frame of mind when you do a show. And the idea of wearing some kind of a glove that would supposedly open the door to some new area of creativity, I found that very interesting. Even though I had no idea what it was going to feel like…if it was going to be painful or exciting or something like that, but it turned out to be what I hoped, which is it immediately becomes an extension of your creative mind. It’s almost like when someone gives you a new pick, and you suddenly start playing differently. So, it’s an opportunity for something new to happen
With projects like this, what is your objective in terms of the audience and their reaction?
Joe: I don’t set out to challenge the audience. I think I’m just challenging myself. Every day I get up, I think I want to do something different. I want to be more. I want to be better. I have to step outside of that thing I was doing yesterday and do something new that feels completely fresh and relevant for today. I’ll challenge myself by creating a musical structure that I’m comfortable with… that’s going to push me into a new area and if I can do that with art, if I can draw a little bit and paint a little bit, and kick up that experience a bit…maybe I bring them all together. Then I’ll do that, but it’s something that I‘m doing for myself I think.
Where does a project like this play into your career?
Joe: I think in my mind, since I grew up in a house as the youngest of five, my two older sisters were trained artists, I grew up with art in the house all the time. I was always being asked to draw, to paint, just to join in on the family fun. My wife is an artist. My son is an artist. This is something that’s just part of my life. So, any time I can make it part of my musical life, I think it is a big plus. To me, it’s just about being creative all the time with everything that you do. So, when I think about the idea of putting on a glove with lights on and playing and getting it captured in brilliant color, to me, it almost feels like I’m writing a new song. It’s like I’m creating a new album. It’s something that I’m going to want to follow until the very end as a project. I’m going to go crazy with it. I’m going to drive you crazy with it, and I’m going to be proud to show people and get them to experience it.
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Another dimension of the guitar will be revealed in the Summer of 2019. Joe Satriani and L.A. art team SceneFour are underway with the creation of artwork unlike anything released before. A powerful fusion of visuals crafted from guitar performance and hand augmentation, this highly limited collection is an extraordinary foray into a new visual realm.
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