Joe Satriani on Hendrix and Getting Sammy Hagar to South America

Joe Satriani, one of the most respected and innovative guitarists in the world today, recently announced the release of the live-concert film, 'Satchurated: Live in Montreal.' The DVD was filmed live during Satriani's The Wormhole Tour, supporting his studio album 'Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards' at the Metropolis in Montreal, Canada.

The Dec. 12, 2010 concert was filmed by award-winning concert filmmakers Pierre and Francois Lamoureux, and will be released to select theaters throughout the U.S. on March 1, in both 2D and 3D formats, followed by a shorter version for television broadcast. The soundtrack for 'Satchurated' was produced by Satriani and Mike Fraser and will be released on April 10 through Epic Records for a limited engagement.

Noisecreep recently spoke to Satriani about the documentary.

Joe, talk about the concept behind 'Satchurated.'

The bottom line was, let's give fans the ultimate up-front experiences – as intimate as if they were right there at the show, up close. And I think we achieved that. The feedback we've gotten so far has blown me away – people are saying they feel like they were there.

Growing up, what concert films did you enjoy most?

Man, they were so different back then! The camera rarely moved much back in the late 1960s and early 1970s [laughs]. For me, anything that had Hendrix in it, that was my favorite. I didn't care if it they did that the silly zoom in and zoom out that used to be popular- if it featured Hendrix I was there. I remember seeing the Monterey Pop film. Hendrix in that was amazing – it captured such a beautiful moment in time in his career. He's got all of this talent and technique and just bursts off the screen. It was so beautifully shot, the color was so rich, and he just had that X factor.

Joe, the night you taped this show for the film was very emotional for you. Talk about that.

That evening was the first anniversary of my mother's passing. It was very tough for me. I didn't sleep the night before and I was an emotional wreck. I told myself, just keep it together, don't break down. After the show, I wasn't even sure what had just happened. But I knew that there was an emotional intensity in that performance unlike any other, for my mom, and that I had been in a very emotional zone that I'd never felt before. She was there with me. It was a very complicated night, but one I will never forget it. I'm glad we captured it the way we did. Oh, and the band had an amazing night as well. As always, they added special energy.

The technology you used is very interesting.

This is the first time we have shot 3-D. It's a new technology that's not gimmicky at all, it's jut amazing. Seriously, it's like you are right next to us. When we first sat in that theater and watched, it blew us all away. The depth just draws you in.

What are the next few months like for you?

I'm prepping for a G-3 tour with Steve Vai and Steve Lukather. We'll be headed to New Zealand and Australia in mid-March. Then I go out with Chickenfoot for a U.S. tour, which will cover a lot of ground and should be fun because we'll have a second record to pull songs from – so now we have more of a "catalog" (laughs). But then, my mission is to get Chickenfoot to South America – more than anything.

Why?

Believe it or not, Sammy Hagar has never toured South America – so we have to get him there!