Paul may refer to:

• Paul (name), a given name or surname (includes a list of people with that name)

People[link]

Christianity[link]

• Paul the Apostle (c. 5 – c. 67), also known as Paul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Christian missionary and author of much of the New Testament
• Saint Paul (disambiguation), multiple other people and locations named "Saint Paul"
• Pope Paul (disambiguation), multiple Popes of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman and Byzantine empire[link]

• Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus (c. 229 BC – 160 BC), Roman general
• Julius Paulus Prudentissimus (fl. 2nd century AD), Roman jurist
• Paulus Catena (died 362), Roman notary
• Paulus Alexandrinus (4th century), Hellenistic astrologer
• Paul of Aegina or Paulus Aegineta (c. 625 – c. 690), Greek surgeon

Royals[link]

• Paul I of Russia (1754–1801), Tsar of Russia
• Paul of Greece (1901–1964), King of Greece

Other people[link]

• Paolo Giovio or Paulus Jovius (1483–1552), Italian bishop
• Paul the Deacon or Paulus Diaconus (c. 720 – c. 799), Italian Benedictine monk

Places[link]

• Paul, Cornwall, United Kingdom
• Paul, Idaho, United States
• Paul, Cape Verde

Other uses[link]

• Paul (bakery), bakery franchise based in France
• Paul (film), 2011 film with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
• Paul (play), play by Howard Brenton
• "Paul" (song), by the German punk band Die Ärzte
• Paul (Pokémon), fictional character
• St. Paul (oratorio), work by Felix Mendelssohn originally entitled 'Paulus' (in its German version)
• Hurricane Paul (1982)
• Hurricane Paul (2006)
• Paul is dead, conspiracy theory about Paul McCartney
• Paul the Octopus (2008–2010), an octopus that correctly guessed results in the 2010 World Cup
  • Paul II (octopus), the successor of Paul the Octopus
• Poker Face Paul, a Game Gear video game that comes in blackjack and poker versions

See also[link]

• Paula (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Look up erd or ERD in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Érd is a city in Hungary.

ERD may refer to:

• ERD, IATA code for Berdyansk Airport, Ukraine
• Elastic recoil detection, an analytical technique in materials science
• Emergency repair disk, aka Microsoft ERD (also see ERD Commander).
• Emergency Reserve Decoration, a UK Army medal
• Evolutionary Rapid Development, a software development process
• Extended reach drilling, a form of directional drilling
• Entity-relationship diagram, a model of relationships between database tables

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Paul Gilbert
Paul Gilbert with Mr.Big at Festivalna Hall, Sofia
Background information
Born	(1966-11-06) November 6, 1966 (age 45) Carbondale, Illinois United States
Genres	Instrumental rock, heavy metal, hard rock, neo-classical metal, speed metal, progressive metal
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass, keyboards, Percussion, Harmonica
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Universal Japan, Shrapnel
Associated acts	Mr. Big, Racer X, G3, Yellow Matter Custard, John Paul Jones, The Evil Stepsisters
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Ibanez PGM signature series, Ibanez Fireman

Paul Brandon Gilbert (born November 6, 1966 in Illinois, USA) is an American guitarist. He is well known for his technical guitar work with Racer X and Mr. Big, as well as many solo albums and numerous collaborations and guest appearances with other musicians.

He has been voted number 4 on a list in GuitarOne magazine of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time",^[1] as well as a spot in Guitar World's 50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time list.^[2]

Shrapnel Records[link]

Gilbert was raised in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.^[3] Around 1981-82, he first contacted Mike Varney, founder of Shrapnel Records, asking for a gig with Ozzy Osbourne. At the time, Varney couldn't think why Osbourne would want a 15 year old guitarist, but after listening to his demo he changed his mind. Gilbert was featured in Guitar Player magazine at the age of fifteen.^[3] They talked for the next 3 years, until Paul went to L.A. for the GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology), and then was ready to record Racer X's debut album Street Lethal.

Racer X[link]

Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Racer X originally comprised Paul Gilbert (guitar), Juan Alderete (bass), Harry Gschoesser (drums) and Jeff Martin (vocals). They were heavily influenced by Judas Priest and Gilbert's playing was reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, displaying fast-driven solos with extreme-level technique. Gschoesser was replaced by Scott Travis (later known for being the drummer for Judas Priest) in 1986, and Bruce Bouillet was added as a second guitar player. Bouillet was a very skilled player, as he had to play over Gilbert's always difficult and challenging phrases. Paul Gilbert gained recognition as one of the fastest guitar players in the world due to incredibly technical pieces like "Technical Difficulties" "Frenzy", "Scarified", "Y.R.O." and "Scit Scat Wah". Gilbert left Racer X in 1988. Racer X carried on for a short time with guitarist (and fellow GIT alum) Chris Arvin and vocalist Oni Logan (later of George Lynch's Lynch Mob) when singer Jeff Martin departed to play drums in Jake E. Lee's Badlands, in which he replaced Eric Singer who left to join Alice Cooper. Shortly thereafter, the members of the re-invented Racer X went their separate ways. The original band would eventually reform (although without Bruce Bouillet, who in-turn did produce the first reunion record).

Paul contacted the members of Racer X, and all agreed to return, with the exception of Bruce Bouillet. In mid-1999 the band recorded the album Technical Difficulties. Technical Difficulties went gold in Japan, and Racer X's new record label requested a follow-up. In late 2000, the band released another album, Superheroes. The record was mixed by former Racer X guitarist, Bruce Bouillet.

In order to further capitalize on their new-found success in Japan, Universal Japan requested that the band record a live show for another live CD and DVD. On May 25, 2001, the band played their first live performance in thirteen years to a sold-out crowd at the famed Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The show was recorded for both audio and video, and in 2002, both the CD and DVD were released under the name Snowball of Doom.

In January 2002, in support of Superheroes and Snowball of Doom, Racer X toured Japan and Taiwan. The band performed these shows in their Superheroes costumes, and the final show, in Yokohama, was hastily recorded in two tracks on the sound board and was to be later released as Snowball of Doom 2. Later that year, Universal Japan pushed for another Racer X release. In October 2002, all four members of Racer X gathered at Gilbert's house in Las Vegas to record Getting Heavier, which was sold alongside Snowball of Doom 2 in a package deal. Although the album was a successful release in Japan, some fans were disappointed with the lighter tracks, which resembled a Paul Gilbert solo album more so than a traditional Racer X album.

Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Paul Gilbert, and finally Racer X. The Racer X lineup consists of Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.^[4]

Mr. Big[link]

When Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's band in 1988, he joined with Paul Gilbert, who had left his former band, Racer X. They founded Mr. Big, with Pat Torpey on drums and singer Eric Martin. The band was initially a huge success in Japan, and became famous internationally in 1991, with the release of their second album, Lean Into It. This album featured the ballad "To Be With You", which received strong media play and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gilbert continued playing in Mr. Big until the late 1990s. He left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Richie Kotzen. Mr. Big disbanded in 2002.

In June 2009, Paul Gilbert reunited with original Mr. Big members; Eric Martin (vocals), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Pat Torpey, for a world wide reunion tour. They recorded a new album with producer Kevin Shirley.^[5] titled What If.... The album was released in Japan on Dec. 15th, 2010, in Europe on Jan. 21st, 2011 and in the USA in Feb. 2011. A tour to support the album kicked off at The House of Blues, in Hollywood, CA on April 2, 2011, followed by several dates in Japan in the same month. In May and June 2011, the tour continues in China, Korea, The Philippines and Europe.

Projects[link]

Gilbert performing on March 2, 2007

In May 2003 he played in an only twice-performing project called Yellow Matter Custard, a Beatles cover band consisting also of Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), Neal Morse (ex-Spock's Beard), and Matt Bissonette. In February 2011 Yellow Matter Custard re-formed for 3 Nights Across America. Kasim Sulton replaced Matt Bissonette in the 2011 shows due to other commitments. They took their name from a Beatles lyric in "I Am the Walrus": "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye".

He rejoined Portnoy along with Dave LaRue and Daniel Gildenlöw for a Led Zeppelin tribute band called Hammer of the Gods in November 2003. The same year, he toured Japan with Linus Of Hollywood, TJ Helmerich, and Scot Coogan in support of his solo albums Burning Organ, Paul the Young Dude/The Best of Paul Gilbert, and Gilbert Hotel. In September 2005, he joined Portnoy, Sean Malone, and Jason McMaster in the Rush tribute band Cygnus and the Sea Monsters. In May 2006, he joined Portnoy, Gary Cherone, and Billy Sheehan to form Amazing Journey: A Tribute to The Who, playing three shows. The band (excluding Sheehan) destroyed their equipment after the show in homage.

He was also revealed to be the guest guitarist on the Neal Morse solo album, Sola Scriptura. In 2007, Paul Gilbert toured with Bruce Bouillet for promotion of his first instrumental album, Get Out of My Yard, which was released in 2006. Also joining him was his wife, Emi Gilbert, on keyboards. Paul Gilbert also joined Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in the 2007 G3 tour. This was the 5th North American G3 run and the 12th tour worldwide since its inception.

On January 23, 2008, Paul released an instrumental CD titled Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar. It was released in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in America on April 8, 2008. This is Paul's second instrumental album.^[6]

On October 22, 2008, Paul released an album with vocalist Freddie Nelson entitled United States.^[7] The collaboration has been described as a cross of Queen and Mr. Big.^[8]

Paul with Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Gilbert, and finally Racer X. This Racer X lineup consisted of Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.^[4]

Gilbert also joined George Lynch and Richie Kotzen on the Guitar Generation tour.

On June 30, 2010, Gilbert's new album Fuzz Universe was released in Japan, with a release in America and Europe soon after.^[9] It is Paul's 3rd solo album being entirely instrumental.^[9] A cover of Johnny Cash's "Leave That Junk Alone" is featured as a Japanese bonus track.^[9][10]

Influences and Style[link]

Talking about his influences, Paul mentions many different artists, including: Randy Rhoads, Kim Mitchell, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, John J Kirby, Tony Iommi, Alex Lifeson, Jimmy Page, Robin Trower, Ritchie Blackmore, Pat Travers, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Judas Priest, Akira Takasaki, Steve Clark, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, and The Ramones. Paul has stated many times that he was heavily influenced by his uncle Jimi Kidd who was instrumental in getting Paul interested in playing the guitar. He is also a great fan of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. He states on the Space Ship Live DVD that George Harrison is one of his favorite guitar players. Guitar World magazine declared him one of 50 of the world's fastest guitarists of all time, along with Buckethead, Eddie Van Halen, and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, funk and european classical music, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed. He is noted in particular for his efficient picking and his tendency to pick many notes rather than relying on legato for fast passages.

Instructor[link]

Paul Gilbert wrote his own section of the British guitar magazine, Total Guitar, where he normally demonstrated guitar techniques in the magazine and accompanying CD. Even before that, he contributed instructional articles to Guitar Player Magazine in a late 1980s/early 1990s series entitled "Terrifying Guitar 101". His period of working with Total Guitar spanned thirty-one issues until the November 2006 issue. Paul also teaches at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) regularly, and is also an "honorary dean" of the GIT division in Japan. Paul visits Japan, enjoying the lifestyle like his Shrapnel labelmate Marty Friedman, who still lives in Japan and speaks Japanese fluently. Gilbert is known for his instructional videos, which are often comical in nature. One of his instructional videos includes him pulling a rabbit out of his guitar, putting his guitar in a straightjacket and having presents thrown at him by members of the film crew. Paul also was, for a short time, the guitar teacher of Buckethead, Russ Parrish (A.K.A. Satchell from Steel Panther), Michelle Meldrum (The late wife of Europe guitarist John Norum) and Nicole Couch of Phantom Blue. Gilbert now writes a column for Premier Guitar entitled "Shred Your Enthusiasm".

Gear[link]

Gilbert playing his signature guitar 2007

Paul Gilbert primarily uses his Ibanez PGM signature series guitars,^[11] identified by the unique painted on "F-holes". Although earlier PGM models featured the Ibanez Lo-Pro/Edge double locking tremolo system, many of his guitars (such as his main PGM300) were modified to accommodate a fixed bridge after he stopped using whammy bars in the early 90s, hence the Ibanez PGM301 guitar. Along with his signature guitars, Gilbert often uses his sticker-covered "Dino" Ibanez RG550, in addition to a wide variety of Ibanez solidbody and semi-hollow electric guitars. Recently, Gilbert has been using Ibanez "Fireman" (a reversed-body Ibanez Iceman with single-coil pickups and an extra cutaway) guitars, which he designed himself.^[12] A red version The Ibanez Fireman is to be mass-produced for consumers at a more affordable price than the Ibanez PGMFRM1 (current Paul Gilbert signature Fireman) in Fall 2011.

Regarding amplifiers, Gilbert used A/DA preamps (A/DA MP-1) and rack effects units early in his career prior to switching to Laney amplifiers. He praised the Laney amps as having "the best natural distorted sound of any tube amp ever heard" Since the G3 2007 tour however, Gilbert stated that playing with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci inspired him to take a closer look at his own guitar sound. As a result of his search he found the Marshall Vintage Modern series. He currently uses the Marshall Vintage Modern 2266c combo amps. Paul now uses the Marshall JMD:1 (specifically JMD501) amplifier along with his Vintage Modern amplifier. Paul uses Jim Dunlop Tortex picks, of which he prefers the orange (.60mm) picks. As far as cables Paul uses^[13] Bullet Cable 30' Coiled Cables, Bullet Cable SLUG DIY solderless patch cables for his pedalboard and effects.

Paul has been known to use the following effects:

Paul also used a modified vintage A/DA Flanger from the 1980s (source: Berlin VIP session interview). You can hear it on tracks like 'Bucket of Rocks', and he also uses it on the 'Snowball of Doom' DVD. Paul stated the flanger had been modified. He would set the flanger to self oscillate, which would make the pitch of the resulting signal alternate up and down to create a sound similar to a dive bomb or a pull up on a whammy bar. Unfortunately, during Paul's 2008 European tour, his trusty A/DA Flanger broke. Thankfully, before the pedal broke, he and Ibanez collaborated to make a similar pedal, with both a regular flanger mode and a mode which can be set to create a close approximation of the A/DA pedal's sound, and the pedal has been released as the Ibanez Paul Gilbert AF-2 Airplane Flanger. He also uses the Psilocybe phaser and THC chorus pedals from Home Brew Electronics.

In the intro to "Get Out Of My Yard" Paul uses a Boss DD-3 Delay pedal to achieve the altered pitch looped effect at the beginning of the track. This was also demonstrated by Paul on the instructional DVD of the same name.

He is also famous for using a Makita cordless drill with three picks mounted on the end of it, which he used most famously on the Mr. Big track "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy".

In 2009, Ibanez released a new PGM model, the Ibanez PGM401, which is rather different from most of Paul's previous models, with an ash body (most of his previous models were made of basswood, although his PGM800 guitar was made of lightweight ash, a similar but different wood than that used in the PGM401), Trifade Burst finish, Cosmo Black hardware and a regular headstock replacing the reversed one of the previous models. Also, rather than the DiMarzio PAF Pro, Tone Zone and Super Distortion pickups used in his previous models, the PGM401 comes with Paul's favorite humbucker model for the past five years, the DiMarzio Air Classic, arranged in a dual humbucker arrangement. Paul has stated that he had the bridge pickup moved 1mm closer to the neck, which he said results in a warmer and thicker sound, particularly for the high notes he often uses in soloing. The F-holes are 3% smaller, to make the look more balanced with the pickup mounting rings. But perhaps the biggest difference from other current Ibanez guitar models, is that the PGM401 uses the old late-1980s neckjoint, which is thicker than the current neckjoints on other Ibanez guitars.^[14]

In 2011, Ibanez released a new model for Gilbert the FRM100. The design of the FRM100 was inspired by many hours of playing and performance by Paul Gilbert with the original Ibanez Fireman model featuring a distinctive reverse Iceman body outline ^[15]

Discography[link]

Racer X[link]

• Street Lethal (1986)
• Second Heat (1987)
• Extreme Volume Live (1988)
• Extreme Volume II Live (1992)
• Technical Difficulties (1999)
• Superheroes (2000)
• Snowball of Doom (2002)
• Getting Heavier (2002)
• Snowball of Doom 2 (2002)

Mr. Big[link]

• Mr. Big (1989)
• Raw Like Sushi (1990)
• Lean Into It (1991)
• Raw Like Sushi II (1992)
• Bump Ahead (1993)
• Japandemonium: Raw Like Sushi 3 (1994)
• Channel V at the Hard Rock Live (1996)
• Hey Man (1996)
• Big Bigger Biggest: Greatest Hits (1996)
• Next Time Around Best Of (2009)
• Back To Budokan Live (2009)
• What If... (2011)

Solo Albums[link]

• Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (EP) (1991) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #59)
• King of Clubs (1998) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #28)
• Flying Dog (1998) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #23)
• Beehive Live (1999) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #72)
• Alligator Farm (2000) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #24)
• Raw Blues Power With Jimi Kidd (2002) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #94)
• Burning Organ (2002) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #27)
• Paul the Young Dude/The Best of Paul Gilbert (2003) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #31)
• Gilbert Hotel (2003)
• Acoustic Samurai (2003) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #94)
• Space Ship One (2005) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #53)
• Get Out of My Yard (2006) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #52)
• Tough Eskimo (limited edition EP) (2007)
• Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar (2008) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #39)
• United States With Freddie Nelson (2009)
• Fuzz Universe (2010) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #57)

Other appearances[link]

• Trouble In The Streets- Black Sheep(1985)
• Atomic Basement Tapes - Missing Lynx (1985)
• Revelation - Darrell Mansfield Band (1985)
• Pump It!' - Jeff Berlin (1986)
• Out of the Sun - Joey Tafolla (1990)
• Humanary Stew - A Tribute to Alice Cooper
• Guitars That Rule the World (1992)
• Smoke On The Water: A Tribute (1994)
• Samad: Samad Lead Guitar on "Joget" and "Animo" (1994)
• Jeffology: A Guitar Chronicle (1996)
• Carmine Appice's Guitar Zeus (track "Dislocated") (1996)
• Akira Takasaki - Wa (1996)
• Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas (1997)
• Mikazuki^{[disambiguation needed ]} "In Rock" Sound Track, Guitar on tracks "Crescent Moon" & "Theme for Kazeo" (2000)
• Becker 2001, Warmth in the Wilderness -A Tribute to Jason Becker(Guitar and vocals for Hawkin)
• Hughes Turner Project - HTP (2002)
• Battle Gear III: The Edge (played on "Charge and Discharge," "Morning View," and "The Machine of Rage" bonus tracks) (2003)
• Kim Fox Return to Planet Earth (2003) Guitar on track 4
• Guitar Wars (2003)
• Return to the Planet Earth - Kim Fox (2003)
• One Night in New York City - Yellow Matter Custard (2003) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
• Mieze - Marco Minnemann (2004)
• Five Feet...No Inches - Pintsize (2005)
• Contraire de la chanson - Marco Minnemann (2006)
• Parador (track "Joke") - Wisely (2006)
• Light at the End of the Tunnel - War and Peace (2006) (with Richie Kotzen, John Norum, Jeff Pilson)
• Two Nights In North America - Hammer of the Gods (2006) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
• One Night in Chicago - Cygnus and the Sea Monsters (2006) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
• Live with Sex Machineguns - Tokyo (2005)
• One Night in New York City - Amazing Journey (2007) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
• Spin The Bottle - An All Star Tribute To Kiss (guitars on "I Want You") (2004)
• Numbers from the Beast - An All Star Tribute to Iron Maiden (guitars on "The Evil That Men Do") (2005)
• Evil Lives: A True Metal Tribute to Black Sabbath (with Racer X on Track 4: "Children of the Grave") (2006)
• The Fool - Jeff Martin solo album (2006)
• Sola Scriptura - Neal Morse (2007)
• G3 Tour (2007)
• Lifeline - Neal Morse (2008)
• Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash) - MC Lars (2008)
• Bowling for Soup - Merry Flippin' Christmas Volume 1 (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause) (2009)

Videography[link]

• Intense Rock Jams - Sequences & Techniques VHS version
• Intense Rock II featuring Paul Gilbert VHS version
• Guitars from Mars Japanese DVD release
• Guitars from Mars II Japanese DVD release
• Terrifying Guitar Trip VHS version
• Eleven Thousand Notes DVD
• Guitar Wars DVD
• Space Ship Live DVD (2005)
• Complete Intense Rock DVD (2006)
• Terrifying Guitar Trip DVD (2006)
• Get Out Of My Yard Guitar Instructional (string skipping) DVD (2007)
• Get Out Of My City Guitar Instructional DVD/VCD (2007)
• One Night In New York City - Yellow Matter Custard (2003)
• Two Nights In North America - Hammer Of The Gods (2006)
• One Night In Chicago - Cygnus And The Sea Monsters (2006)
• One Night In New York City - Amazing Journey (2007)
• Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar Guitar Instructional DVD And Shred Annex (2008)
• The Last Note of Freedom

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paul Gilbert

• The official Paul Gilbert site
• The official Racer X site
• Paul Gilbert - Rock Squad Interview
• Gilbert's solo on Mr Big site
• Paul Gilbert on Last.fm
• Paul Gilbert artist page at Guitar Video Channel

John Petrucci
John Petrucci in 2012
Background information
Birth name	John Peter Petrucci
Born	(1967-07-12) July 12, 1967 (age 44) Kings Park, Long Island, New York
Genres	Progressive metal, instrumental rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass, drums, programming
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Roadrunner, Sound Mind Music, Magna Carta
Associated acts	Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Explorers Club, Eric Johnson, Jon Finn Group, Nightmare Cinema, G3
Website	www.johnpetrucci.com
Notable instruments
Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Signature Model

John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. He is also a backing vocalist for Dream Theater. Petrucci was named as the third player on the G3 tour six times, more than any other invited guitarists. In 2009 he was named the No. 2 Best metal guitarist by Joel McIver in his book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.^[1] He was also named as one of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time" by GuitarOne magazine.^[2]

Biography[link]

John Petrucci was born on July 12, 1967 in Kings Park, New York to an Italian American family. He picked up the guitar at the early age of 8 because his older sister was allowed to go to bed later in order to practice the piano. However he decided to quit the guitar when his attempts to stay up late were unsuccessful. He would later pick up the guitar again at the age of 12 when his childhood friend and future Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore invited John to join his cover band.

John attended Berklee College of Music in Boston with childhood friend John Myung (bass), where they met future bandmate Mike Portnoy (drums). These three in addition to Kevin Moore, formed the band Majesty, which would later become Dream Theater.

While Dream Theater is what Petrucci is most commonly associated with, he is also a part of the project band Liquid Tension Experiment and has appeared as a guest on several records by other artists such as the Age of Impact album by the Explorer's Club.

Petrucci has released a guitar instructional video, "Rock Discipline", which covers warm up exercises, exercises to avoid injury while playing, alternate picking, sweep picking, chords and other techniques for developing one's guitar playing. Petrucci also has a book named "Guitar World presents John Petrucci's Wild Stringdom", which was compiled from columns he wrote for Guitar World magazine, bearing that same title.

In 2001, John Petrucci was invited by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai to tour with them on the popular G3 guitar tour, which exposed him to a massive number of new fans and inspired him to record a solo album. The album, Suspended Animation, was released on March 1, 2005, and was made available for order from his web site. Petrucci also appeared on the 2005 and 2006 G3 tours, and in 2007, went on G3 tour again, this time with Paul Gilbert and Joe Satriani. In a recent video with Larry DiMarzio, Petrucci revealed that he's been working on a follow up to his 2004 album, "Suspended Animation" along with the new Dream Theater album.^[3]

Petrucci also wrote and recorded two instrumental soundtrack songs for a Sega Saturn game titled Digital Pinball: Necronomicon. Each track is roughly two minutes long and they are simply titled "Prologue" and "Epilogue".

According to the spoof rock band, Nightmare Cinema (the Dream Theater members changing instruments playing a gig), he got the "alternate stage name" Johnny James.

Dream Theater bandmate Jordan Rudess revealed in an interview that Petrucci is a practicing Catholic.^[4] He currently lives in St. James, New York with his wife Rena Sands, a guitarist in the all-female heavy metal band Meanstreak, and they have 3 children, Samantha and Reny (who are twins), and Kiara. He is also an avid fan of bodybuilding and dedicates much of his off time to weight training.^[5]

He is a voting member of NARAS.

Musical style[link]

John Petrucci during a concert in 2012.

Guitar Technique[link]

Petrucci is respected for his variety of guitar styles and skills. One of the most notable of these is his high speed alternate picking which, as he himself claims, requires a "strong sense of synchronization between the two [playing] hands." John is notable for frequent use of the seven-string electric guitar, which he states is used as a "writing tool", taking advantage of the extended range both for heavier riffing (The Mirror) and to play extended range runs as part of a solo (This Dying Soul). Moreover, Petrucci often combines his metal shredding technique with a slower, emotive soloing style. Indeed, he has cited Alex Lifeson Steve Morse Al DiMeola Steve Howe and many more on his Official Website are named as an important influence. Utilising his wide variety of styles and influences.

In addition, Petrucci is the only band member to have contributed lyrics to every album; he's written lyrics for at least three songs for every single album. These include, among others, the fan favorite Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper, the heartfelt The Spirit Carries On, the politically charged The Great Debate the epic In the Presence of Enemies and Through Her Eyes. Furthermore, Petrucci has used real-life experiences for lyrical inspiration, which includes songs as The Count of Tuscany, A Nightmare to Remember, and Endless Sacrifice.

Singing[link]

Petrucci has been Dream Theater's backing vocalist since the Awake's Tour. His singing is much darker than James Labrie's and is often used in bridges like "Solitary Shell", and in choruses of songs such as "Forsaken" and "In The Name of God". On the EP Wither Petrucci performs lead vocals on an alternative, demo version of the title track. He had previously done his own vocals for "The Spirit Carries On". During live performances before the departure of Mike Portnoy, he only sang small sections of backing vocals or harmonies.

Guitar Rig[link]

Studio albums[link]

Live[link]

• "Images & Words Tour" - Mesa Boogie Triaxis Preamp (x2), Mesa Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 2:Ninety Power Amp (x2), Lexicon PCM70 (x1), Samson Wireless Unit (x1), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), TC Electronic 1140 HS Parametric EQ/Preamplifier (x1), Mesa Boogie Matrix Midi Switching (x1), Mesa Boogie Abacus (x1).
• "Waking Up The World Tour" - Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ (x1), Mesa Boogie Triaxis (x2), Mesa Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 2:Ninety Power Amp (x2), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), Lexicon PCM70 (x1), Dunlop Rack Wah (x1), Custom Mark Snyder Rack Interface (x1), Alesis Data Dump (x1), Mesa Boogie Matrix Midi Switching (x1), Mesa Boogie Abacus (x1), Furman Power Conditioner (x2). Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 Cabinets With Vintage 30 Speakers (x4). Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller, Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x2).
• "Touring Into Infinity" - Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ (x1), Mesa Boogie Mark IV (x1), Mesa Boogie Rackmount Dual Rectifier (x2), Mesa Boogie Triaxis (x1), Mesa Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 2:Ninety Power Amp (x2), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Mesa Boogie Matrix Midi Switching (x1), Furman Power Conditioner (x4), Custom Rack Interface (x3), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), Lexicon PCM80 (x2), Dunlop Rack Wah (x1), DBX 166A Compressor/Noise Gate (x1).
• "Scenes From NY" - Mesa Boogie Triaxis (x1), Mesa Boogie Formula Preamp (x1), Mesa Boogie Mark IV (x1), Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ (x1), Mesa Boogie Rackmount Dual Rectifier (x1), Mesa Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 2:Ninety Power Amp (x2), Dunlop Rack Wah (x1), Voodoo Lab GCX Audio Switcher (x3), Digital Music Corp Stereo Line Mixer (x2), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x2), Custom Rack Interface (x3), Furman Power Conditioner (x4), Lexicon PCM70 (x1), Lexicon PCM80 (x1). Custom Audio Electronics RS-10 Midi Foot Controller (x1) with Custom Audio Electronics RS-10 Expander Module (x2), Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x1), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x3). Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 Cabinets (x6).
• "World Tourbulence" - Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ (x3), Mesa Boogie Nunya Preamp Custom Made for John (x1), Dunlop DCR-1SR Rack Wah (x1), Eventide DSP7000 (x1), DBX 166A Compressor/Limiter (x1), TC Electronic M2000 (x1), TC Electronic M3000 (x1), TC Electronic 2290 (x2), Digital Music Corp Dual Stereo Line Mixer (x1), Digital Music Corp GCX Audio Switcher (x1), Korg DTR-1 Digital Tuner (x1), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Furman PL-Pro Power Conditioner (x1), Furman AR-Pro AC Line Regulator (x1), Custom Rack Interface by Mark Snyder, Ernie Ball Volume Pedals (x3), Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Overdrive (x1), Custom Audio Electronics RS-10 Midi Foot Controller with Expansions, MXR Phase 90 (x1), Axess Electronics CFX4 Control Function Switchers (x2), Framptone Talk Box through a Mesa Boogie Nomad, Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 Cabinets With Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers (x2).
• "Train of Thought Tour" - Mesa Boogie Road King (x3), Mesa Boogie Lonestar (x2), Digital Music Corp Stereo Line Mixer (x1), TC Electronic 2290 (x2), TC Electronic M3000 (x2), TC Electronic G-Force (x1), Eventide DSP7000 (x1), DBX 266XL Compressor/Noise Gate (x1), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Dunlop CryBaby Custom Shop Rack Wah (x1), Custom Mark Snyder Interface (x1), Furman AR-Pro AC Line Regulator (x1). Mesa Boogie 2x12 Cabinets (x2), Mesa Boogie 4x12 Cabinets (x2). Skrydstrup SC-1 with XT Extension Module (x1), Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x1), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x1), Boss TU-2 Tuner (x1), Boss Digital Delay Pedal (x1). Custom Steel Diamond Plate Foot Rests (x2).
• "Octavarium Tour" - Mesa Boogie Road King (x3), Mesa Boogie Lonestar (x2), Digital Music Corp Stereo Line Mixer (x2), TC Electronic 2290 (x2), TC Electronic M3000 (x2), TC Electronic G-Force (x1), Eventide DSP7000 (x1), DBX 266XL Compressor/Noise Gate (x1), Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal (x1), Boss PH-3 Phaser Pedal (x1), Boss TR-2 Tremolo Pedal (x1), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Dunlop CryBaby Custom Shop Rack Wah (x1), Custom Mark Snyder Interface (x1), Furman AR-Pro AC Line Regulator (x1). Mesa Boogie 2x12 Cabinets (x2), Mesa Boogie 4x12 Cabinets (x2). Skrydstrup SC-1 with XT Extension Module (x1), Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x1), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x1), Boss TU-2 Tuner (x1). Custom Steel Diamond Plate Foot Rests (x2).
• "Score" - Mesa Boogie Custom Built for John "Nunya" Preamp (x1), Mesa Boogie Formula Preamp (x1), Mesa Boogie Rectifier Stereo 2:One Hundred Power Amp (x1), Dunlop Rack Wah (x1), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), TC Electronic M3000 (x2), Eventide DSP7000 (x1), MXR EVH Phaser (x1), MXR Wylde Overdrive (x1), DBX 266XL Compressor/Noise Gate (x1), DOD SR830QX Dual 15 Band Graphic EQ (x1). Skrydstrup Power Conditioner (x2), Skrydstrup Preamp Switcher (x1), Skrydstrup Effects Switcher (x1), Skrydstrup Custom Rack Interface (x2). Custom Steel Diamond Plate Foot Rests (x2).
• "2005 G3 Tokyo" - Dual Rectifier (x2) Road King (x2)
• "2007 G3 tour" - Mesa Boogie Mark IV (x2), Mesa Boogie Formula Preamp (x1), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Digital Music Corp Stereo Line Mixer (x1), Dunlop Rack Wah (x1), DBX 166A Compressor/Noise Gate (x1), Boss DS-1 (x1), MXR Stereo Chorus Pedal (x1), MXR EVH Flanger (x1), MXR EVH Phaser (x1), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), TC Electronic M3000 (x1), Eventide DSP7000 (x1), Axess Electronics Switchers. Axess Electronics FX-1 Midi Foot Controller w/Extension Module (x1), Boss TU-2 Tuner (x1), Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x1), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x1).
• "Chaos In Motion" - Mesa Boogie Mark IV (x2), Mesa Boogie Lonestar (x1), Korg DTR-1 Rack Tuner (x1), Dunlop DCR-2SR Rack Wah (x1), DBX 266XL Compressor/Noise Gate (x1), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Keeley Modded Boss TR-2 Tremolo Pedal (x1), MXR EVH Flanger (x1), Keeley Modded Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer (x1), MXR EVH Phaser (x1), Hermida Tech Zendrive (x1), MXR Wylde Overdrive (x1), MXR Stereo Chorus (x1), Boss DS-1 (x1), Eventide Timefactor Delay Pedal (x1), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), TC Electronic M3000 (x1), Eventide DSP7000 (x1), Digital Music Corp Stereo Line Mixer (x1), Mesa Boogie Rectifier Power Amp (x1), Furman AR-Pro AC Line Regulator (x1), Axess Electronics CFX-4 (x3), Axess Electronics GRX-4 (x2), Voodoo Lab Pedal Power (x2), Framptone A/B Box (x1), Radial JD-1 Passive DI Box (x1). Axess Electronics FX-1 Midi Foot Controller w/Expander (x1), Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x1), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x1), Boss TU-2 Tuner (x1), Easy Button (x1). Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 Cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers (x6). Custom Steel Diamond Plate Foot Rests (x2).
• "Liquid Tension Experiment 10th Anniversay Reunion Tour" - Mesa Boogie Mark IV (x2), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Dunlop DCR-2SR Rack Wah (x1), MXR EVH Flanger (x1), MXR EVH Phaser (x1), TC Electronic 2290 (x1), Digital Music Corp Stereo Line Mixer (x1), DBX 266XL Compressor/Noise Gate (x1), Keeley Modded TS-9DX (x1), TC Electronic M3000 (x1), Eventide DSP7000 (x1). Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 Cabinets (x2). Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x1), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x1). Axess Electronics FX-1 Midi Foot Controller w/Expander (x1), Boss TU-2 Tuner (x1).
• 2010 Iron Maiden Supporting Tour: Mark V (x3), Dunlop Rack Wah, Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra
• "Black Clouds and Silver Linings Tour" - Mesa Boogie Mark V (x3), Voodoo Lab GCX Switcher (x1), Korg DTR-2000 Rack Tuner (x1), Dunlop DSR-2SR Rack Wah System (x1), TC Electronic C400XL Compressor/Gate (x1), Keeley Modded Tube Screamer (x1), MXR EVH Flanger (x1), MXR EVH Phaser (x1), TC Electronic 1210 Spatial Expander/Stereo Chorus/Flanger (x1), TC Electronic M3000 Reverb/Delay (x3), Eventide H7600 Harmonizer (x1), Custom Patch Bay for Pedalboard Connections (x1), Furman AR Pro Power Conditioner (x1), Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher (x1), Axess Electronics GRX4 Audio Switcher for Pedal and Effects Switching (x3), Axess Electronics CRX4 Control Function Switcher (x1), Furman Aura Pedal (x1), Radial DI Box (x1). Axess Electronics FX-1 Midi Foot Controller w/Expander (x1), Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x1), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x1), Boss TU-2 Tuner (x1). Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 Cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers and Custom Grills (x8). Custom Steel Diamond Plate Foot Rests (x2).
• "A Dramatic Tour of Events" - Mesa Boogie Mark V (x2), Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II (x1), Dunlop DCR-2SR Rack Wah, Mark Snyder Custom Rack Interface (x1), Axess Electronics Switchers, Framptone A/B Box (x1), Keeley Modded TS-9DX (x1), Analog Man King of Tone (x1), Analog Man TS808 Mod (x1), Boss PH-3 Phaser (x1), MXR EVH Flanger (x1), Carl Martin Compressor (x1), Furman AR-Pro Power Conditioner. Axess Electronics FX-1 Midi Foot Controller (x1), Dunlop DCR-IFC Wah Controller (x2), Ernie Ball 25k Stereo Volume Pedal (x1), Boss TU-3 Tuner (x1), Custom Steel Diamond Plate Foot Rests with Buttkicker Drivers (x2). Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 Cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers (x3), Mesa Boogie Traditional Rectifier 2x12 Cabinets with Buttkicker Drivers (x3).

Since the Train of Thought World Tour, John has used two footrests made by Patrick Slaats (who also designs Jordan Rudess's keyboard stands), such that they are book-ends for his pedalboard. These are utilised whenever Petrucci plays difficult-to-play passages within his songs, as he practices using proper classical guitar techniques - meaning that he rests his guitar on his left thigh when sequences get difficult. Before this, he used regular stage monitors to do this. He stated in the Live at Budokan DVD that he also has a "spit shield" around his cabinets, in order to avoid getting them defaced by Mike Portnoy's "gobs of goobers". He stopped using the spit shield on the A Dramatic Turn of Events tour due to Portnoy's departure.

Discography[link]

Solo Albums[link]

• Suspended Animation (2005)

With Dream Theater[link]

Studio Albums

• When Dream and Day Unite (1989)
• Images and Words (1992)
• Awake (1994)
• A Change of Seasons (EP) (1995)
• Falling into Infinity (1997)
• Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999)
• Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
• Train of Thought (2003)
• Octavarium (2005)
• Systematic Chaos (2007)
• Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)
• A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)

Live Albums

• Live at The Marquee (1993)
• Once in a LIVEtime (1998)
• Live Scenes From New York (2001)
• Live at Budokan (2004)
• Score (2006)
• Chaos in Motion 2007–2008 (2008)

With Liquid Tension Experiment[link]

• Liquid Tension Experiment (1998)
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 (1999)

With G3[link]

• G3: Live in Tokyo (With guitarists Steve Vai and Joe Satriani) (2005)

With Jordan Rudess[link]

• An Evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess (2000)

As a Guest[link]

• Explorers Club - Age of Impact (1998)
• Jon Finn Group - Wicked (1998)
• Jordan Rudess - Feeding the Wheel (2001)
• Derek Sherinian - Blood of the Snake (Played on track "Czar Of Steel") (2006)
• Marty Friedman - Loudspeaker (Special guest guitarist on "Black Orchid") (2006)
• Periphery - TBA (Guests playing a solo) (2012)^[6]

Others[link]

• Working Man - Various Artists (A tribute to Rush) (1996)
• Dragon Attack - Various Artists (A tribute to Queen) (1997)
• Guitar Battle - Various Artists (1998)

Videography[link]

See also[link]

• Dream Theater
• Liquid Tension Experiment
• G3 (tour)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Petrucci

• John Petrucci official web site

Joe Satriani
Satriani live in New York in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Satriani
Also known as	Satch
Born	(1956-07-15) July 15, 1956 (age 55) Westbury, New York, United States
Genres	Rock, instrumental rock, hard rock, blues, heavy metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer, guitar instructor
Instruments	Guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals, harmonica, banjo, harp
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Sony, Epic, Relativity
Associated acts	Alice Cooper, Mick Jagger, Deep Purple, Steve Vai, G3, Sammy Hagar, Chickenfoot, Jason Becker, Greg Kihn Band
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Ibanez Joe Satriani Signature model

Joseph "Joe" Satriani (born July 15, 1956) is an American instrumental rock guitarist of Italian origin, multi-instrumentalist and multiple Grammy Award nominee. Early in his career, Satriani worked as a guitar instructor, and some of his former students have achieved fame such as Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Charlie Hunter, Kevin Cadogan and Alex Skolnick. Satriani has been a driving force in music credited to other musicians throughout his career, as a founder of the G3 tour, as well as performing in various positions with other musicians.

In 1988, Satriani was recruited by Mick Jagger as lead guitarist for Jagger's first solo tour.^[1] In 1994, Satriani was the lead guitarist for Deep Purple.^[2] Satriani worked with a range of guitarists, including Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Larry LaLonde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Brian May, Patrick Rondat, Andy Timmons, Paul Gilbert, Adrian Legg, and Robert Fripp through the annual G3 Jam Concerts.^[3] He is currently the lead guitarist for the supergroup Chickenfoot. Since 1988, Satriani has been using his own signature guitar, the Ibanez JS Series, which is sold in music stores worldwide.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Satriani was born in Westbury, New York. He was inspired to play guitar at age 14, after hearing of the death of Jimi Hendrix.^[4] He has been said to have heard the news during a football training session, where he confronted his coach and announced that he was quitting to become a guitarist.^[5] In 1974, Satriani studied music with jazz guitarist Billy Bauer and with reclusive jazz pianist Lennie Tristano. The technically demanding Tristano greatly influenced Satriani's playing. Satriani began teaching guitar, with his most notable student at the time being fellow Long Island native Steve Vai. While he was teaching Vai, he was attending Five Towns College for studies in music.

In 1978, Satriani moved to Berkeley, California to pursue a music career. Soon after arriving in California, he resumed teaching. His students included Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett of Metallica, David Bryson of Counting Crows, Kevin Cadogan from Third Eye Blind, Larry LaLonde of Primus / Possessed, Alex Skolnick of Testament, Rick Hunolt (ex-Exodus), Phil Kettner of Lääz Rockit, Geoff Tyson of T-Ride, Charlie Hunter and David Turin.

Music career[link]

Satriani started playing in a San Francisco-based band called the Squares,^[6] where he continued to network and make musical connections (Squares sound man John Cuniberti co-produced his second album). He was invited to join the Greg Kihn Band, who were on the downside of their career, but whose generosity helped Satriani pay off the overwhelming credit card debt from recording his first album.^[7] When his friend and former student Steve Vai gained fame playing with David Lee Roth in 1986, Vai raved about Satriani in several interviews with guitar magazines, including Guitar World magazine.

In 1987, Satriani's second album Surfing with the Alien produced radio hits and was the first all-instrumental release to chart so highly in many years. In 1988 Satriani helped produce the EP The Eyes of Horror for the death metal band Possessed. In 1989, Satriani released the album Flying in a Blue Dream. It was said to be inspired by the death of his father, who died in 1989 during the recording of the album. "One Big Rush" was featured on the soundtrack to the Cameron Crowe movie Say Anything.... "The Forgotten Part II" was featured on a Labatt Blue commercial in Canada in 1993. "Can't Slow Down" featured in a car-chase sequence in the Don Johnson starring show Nash Bridges.

Joe Satriani also sang backing vocals on the self titled Crowded House album. Satriani was a friend of Michel Froom. Neil Finn of Crowded House confirms this in an interview with FlixelPix photographer David Cleland http://www.flixelpix.com/blog/archive-neil-finn-interview/

In 1992, Satriani released The Extremist, his most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album to date. Radio stations across the country picked up "Summer Song," which got a major boost when Sony used it in a major commercial campaign for their Discman portable CD players.^[8] "Cryin'," "Friends," and the title track were regional hits on radio. In late 1993, Satriani joined Deep Purple as a temporary replacement for departed guitarist Ritchie Blackmore during the band's Japanese tour. The concerts were a success, and Satriani was asked to join the band permanently but he declined, having just signed a multi-album solo deal with Sony, and Steve Morse took the guitarist slot in Deep Purple.^[9]

In 1996, Satriani founded the G3, a concert tour intended to feature a trio of guitarists. The original lineup featured Satriani, Vai and Eric Johnson. The G3 tour has continued periodically since its inaugural version, with Satriani the only permanent member. Other guitarists who have performed in G3 include among others: Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Fripp, Andy Timmons, Uli Jon Roth, Michael Schenker, Adrian Legg, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Lukather. In 1998 Satriani recorded and released Crystal Planet, which went back to a sound reminiscent of his late '80s work. Planet was followed up with Engines of Creation, one of his more experimental works featuring the electronica genre. A pair of shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco were recorded in December 2000 and released as Live in San Francisco, a two-disc live album and DVD.

2000s and future[link]

Satriani playing in Chile, 2003.

Satriani regularly recorded and released evolving music, including Strange Beautiful Music in 2002 and Is There Love in Space? in 2004. In May 2005, Satriani toured India for the first time, playing concerts in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. In 2006, Satriani recorded and released Super Colossal and Satriani Live!, another two-disc live album and DVD recorded May 3, 2006 at the Grove in Anaheim, CA. In 2006, Satriani signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the U.S.A. Satriani has personally delivered instruments to children in the program through a charity raffle for the organization and, like Steve Vai, sits on its board of directors as an honorary member.

On August 7, 2007 Epic/Legacy Recordings re-released Surfing with the Alien to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release. This was a two-disc set that includes a remastered album and a DVD of a never-before-seen live show filmed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1988.^[10] Satriani's next album Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock, was released on April 1, 2008.^[11] Satriani released a live DVD recording of a concert in Paris titled Live In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock and a companion 2 CD set on February 2, 2010.^[12] In March 2010 Satriani participated with other guitarists in the Experience Hendrix Tribute Tour, performing music written and inspired by Jimi Hendrix.^[13][14]

Joe Satriani with Stu Hamm in Rijnhal, Arnhem, 2008.

On 29 May 2008 it was revealed that Satriani was involved in a new hard rock band called Chickenfoot with former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The band features Hagar on vocals, Satriani on guitar, Anthony on bass and Smith on drums.^[15] Their debut album was released on 5 June 2009.^[16] The first single and video released was the track "Oh Yeah," which was played on the Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on 5 June 2009. Satriani received a co-writing credit on all the songs on the band's debut album.^[17] Broken Records magazine asked Satriani about his new band, and he enthusiastically mentioned that "it was great fun" and it gives him a "kick in the music bone" to be playing with such great talent. He said it felt quite natural to step back and play more rhythm guitar than solo guitar. Chickenfoot's second album was titled III, and was released on 27 September 2011. Its first single was the track 'Bigfoot'. On its first week of release, it reached a chart position of #9.

In April, Satriani and Chickenfoot voiced themselves in an episode of the animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force. In May 2010, Satriani announced he was about to enter the studio to record a solo album, and dates were released for an autumn tour. He also said that demos had been recorded for a second Chickenfoot album. In May 2010, Satriani joined Sound Strike, a movement led by Rage Against the Machine singer Zack de la Rocha protesting Arizona SB1070.^[18][19] As a result, Satriani refuses to perform live in Arizona. Satriani released his 13th studio album Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, on October 5, 2010.^[20]

On December 4, 2008 Satriani filed a copyright infringement suit against Coldplay in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Satriani's suit claims that the Coldplay song "Viva la Vida" includes "substantial original portions" of the Satriani song "If I Could Fly" from his 2004 album, Is There Love in Space?. The Coldplay song in question received two Grammy Awards for "Song of the Year."^[21] Coldplay denied the allegation.^[22][23][24] An unspecified settlement was reached between the parties.^[25]

Satriani released the DVD/Blu-ray of his 3D concert film Satchurated: Live in Montreal on April 24th 2012 after its limited showing in theaters. The film was shot in December 2010 in Montreal and was directed by award-winning filmmakers François and Pierre Lamoureux. ^[26] Satchurated is the first Blu-ray concert film available in 3D with Dolby TrueHD 7.1.

Other work[link]

Satriani is credited on many other albums, including guitar duties on shock-rocker Alice Cooper's 1991 album Hey Stoopid, Spinal Tap's 1992 album Break Like the Wind, Blue Öyster Cult's 1988 album Imaginos, band members Stu Hamm and Gregg Bissonette's solo albums. He was credited with singing background vocals on the 1986 debut album by Crowded House. In 2003, he played lead guitar on The Yardbirds's release Birdland. In 2006, he made appearances on tracks for Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan's solo CD/DVD dual disc Gillan's Inn.

On Dream Theater's 2007 album Systematic Chaos, Satriani contributed spoken lyrics to the song "Repentance." Satriani contributed a guitar solo to Jordan Rudess' 2004 solo release Rhythm of Time. He composed much of the soundtrack for the racing video game NASCAR 06: Total Team Control and contributed to Sega Rally Championship. He has in feature films, including 2006 Christopher Guest film For Your Consideration as the guitarist in the band that played for the late-night show.^[27] Other films include Moneyball in which he appears as himself playing Star Spangled Banner.

Satriani in 2005

Style and influence[link]

Satriani is considered to be a technically proficient guitarist,^[28] and has been referred to as a guitar virtuoso.^[29][30] Satriani has mastered all performance techniques on electric guitar, including legato, two-handed tapping and arpeggio tapping, volume swells, harmonics and extreme whammy bar effects. During fast passages, Satriani favors a legato technique (achieved primarily through hammer-ons and pull-offs) that yields smooth and flowing runs. He is also adept at other speed-related techniques such as rapid alternate picking and sweep picking. Satriani was influenced by blues-rock guitar icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Jeff Beck,^[2][31] as well as jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth.^[32] Satriani created his own recognizable style and is an influential guitarist.^[33] Satriani has received 15 Grammy nominations^[34] and has sold over 10 million albums worldwide.^[35]

Equipment[link]

Satriani has endorsed Ibanez's JS Series guitars, and Peavey's JSX amplifier. Both lines were designed specifically as signature products for Satriani. The Ibanez JS1 (the original JS model) was based on, and replaced, the Ibanez 540 Radius model that Satriani first endorsed. Many of his guitars are made by Ibanez, including the JS1000, and JS1200. These guitars typically feature the DiMarzio PAF Pro (which he used up until 1993 in both the neck and bridge positions), the DiMarzio Fred (which he used in the bridge position from 1993 to 2005), and the Mo' Joe and the Paf Joe (which he uses in the bridge and neck positions, respectively, from 2005 to present day).

The JS line of guitars is his signature line with the JS1000, JS1200, JS2400, JSBDG, and JS20th using Ibanez's original Edge double locking tremolo bridge. The JS100 and JS120s both use Ibanez's Edge 3 tremolo bridge. The JS1600 is a fixed bridge guitar with no tremolo system. The guitar he was most associated with during the 90s was a chrome-finished guitar nicknamed "Chrome Boy." This instrument can be seen on the Live in San Francisco DVD. However, the guitar used for most of the concert was in fact a lookalike nicknamed "Pearly," which featured Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups.

Satriani uses a number of other JS models such as the JS double neck model, JS700 (primary axe on the self-titled CD and seen on the 1995 tour "Joe Satriani," which features a fixed bridge, P-90 pickups, and a matching mahogany body and neck), JS6/JS6000 (natural body), JS1 (the original JS model), JS2000 (fixed bridge model), a variety of JS100s, JS1000s and JS1200s with custom paint work, and a large amount of prototype JSs. All double locking bridges have been the original Edge tremolo, not the newer models, which point to a more custom guitar than the "off the shelf" models. Joe played a red 7-string JS model, seen in the "G3 Live in Tokyo" DVD from 2005. He also has a prototype 24-fret version of the JS—now called the JS-2400—which he has used with Chickenfoot. As of late he has used other prototypes featuring a Sustainer or a JS model with three single coil-sized humbucker pickups.

Satriani's guitars are usually equipped with his signature DiMarzio humbucker pickups, Mo' Joe and PAF Joe, although his 24-fret JS model features a Pro Track single coil-sized, humbucker pickup in the neck position. Some of his guitars are still equipped with the pickup models he favored in the past, the DiMarzio FRED and PAF Pro pickups. Satriani has used a wide variety of guitar amps, using Marshall for his main amplifier (notably the limited edition blue coloured 6100 LM model) up until 2001, and his Peavey signature series amps, the Peavey JSX, thereafter.

Satriani in New York, 2010.

The JSX began life as a prototype Peavey XXX and developed into the Joe Satriani signature Peavey model. However he still used distortion pedals with the clean channel rather than the built in od channels. Satriani has used other amplifiers over the years in the studio, such as the Peavey 5150 (used to record the song 'Crystal Planet'), Cornford, and the Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (used to record the song 'Flying in a Blue Dream'), amongst others. He has recently switched to the Marshall JVM series, having used a modified JVM 410H in his Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards tour in 2010 and with Chickenfoot in 2010 and 2011.

These modified JVM Marshall amps were prototypes for a signature amp which was scheduled for release in 2011. The reverb has been replaced by noise gates which cancel any lag when switching channels. The clean channel has been replaced by the clean channel of a 6100 LM model which he likes as an option to use distortion pedals with. The orange od channel and the modern red od channel have been better matched with each other as he still claims to prefer the organic od channels of the JVM amp rather than pedals. The red od channel has been modified to be based more on beefy rock than a nu-metal sound. The fx-loop has been simplified to be serial only.

His effects pedals include the Vox wah, Dunlop Cry Baby wah, RMC Wizard Wah, DigiTech Whammy, BK Butler Tube Driver, BOSS DS-1, BOSS CH-1, BOSS CE-2, BOSS DD-2 and a standard BOSS DD-3 (used together to emulate reverb effects), BOSS BF-3, BOSS OC-2, Barber Burn Drive Unit, Fulltone Deja Vibe, Fulltone Ultimate Octave, and Electro-Harmonix POG (Polyphonic Octave Generator), the latter being featured prominently on the title cut to his 2006 Super Colossal. Satriani has partnered with Planet Waves to create a signature line of guitar picks and guitar straps featuring his sketch art.

Although Satriani endorses the JSX, he has used many amps in the studio when recording, including the Peavey Classic. He used Marshall heads and cabinets, including live, prior to his Peavey endorsement. Recently Satriani used the JSX head through a Palmer Speaker Simulator. He has released a Class-A 5-watt tube amp called the "Mini Colossal." Satriani has been using a Marshall JVM410 head in live gigs since 2009.^[36][37] He is currently working with Vox on his own line of signature effects pedals designed to deliver Satriani's trademark tone plus a wide range of new sounds for guitarists of all playing styles and ability levels. The first being a signature distortion pedal titled the "Satchurator," and the "Time Machine," which will be a delay pedal, with more to follow, including a wah pedal called the "Big Bad Wah."^[38] On March 3, 2010 a new pedal was announced on Satriani's website regarding the new Vox overdrive pedal called "Ice 9."^[39]

Recurring themes[link]

Satriani during a concert in Rijnhal, Arnhem, 2008.

Satriani's work frequently makes references to various science fiction stories and ideas. "Surfing with the Alien," "Back to Shalla-Bal," and "The Power Cosmic 2000" refer to the comic book character Silver Surfer, while "Ice 9" refers to the secret government ice weapon in Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. "Borg Sex" is a reference to Star Trek, which features a homogeneous cybernetic race known as the Borg. His albums and songs often have other-worldly titles, such as Not of this Earth, Crystal Planet, Is There Love in Space?, and Engines of Creation.

On the album Super Colossal, the song titled "Crowd Chant" was originally called "Party on the Enterprise." "Party on the Enterprise" featured sampled sounds from the Starship Enterprise from the Star Trek TV show. But as Satriani explained in a podcast, legal issues regarding the samples could not be resolved and he was unable to get permission to use them.^[40] Satriani then removed the sounds from the song and called it "Crowd Chant." The song is used as goal celebration music for a number of National Hockey League teams and MLS teams including the Minnesota Wild and New England Revolution.^[41] The song is also used in the EA Sports hockey video game NHL 10.

"Redshift Riders," another song on the Super Colossal album, is "based on the idea that in the future, when people can travel throughout space, they will theoretically take advantage of the cosmological redshift effect so they can be swung around large planetary objects and get across [the] universe a lot faster than normal," Satriani said in a podcast about the song.^[42] On the album Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock the song "I Just Wanna Rock," is about a giant robot on the run who happens to stumble upon a rock concert.^[43]

Awards and nominations[link]

Nominations[link]

Satriani has the second most Grammy Award nominations (15, after Brian McKnight), of any artist without winning. See further artists^[44][45]

Discography[link]

• Not of This Earth (1986)
• Surfing with the Alien (1987)
• Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)
• The Extremist (1992)
• Time Machine (1993)
• Joe Satriani (1995)
• Crystal Planet (1998)
• Engines of Creation (2000)
• Strange Beautiful Music (2002)
• Is There Love in Space? (2004)
• Super Colossal (2006)
• Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock (2008)
• Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Satriani

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Joe Satriani

• Official website
• Real "Guitar Hero" Joe Satriani turns Teacher at WorkshopLive.com
• Audio Interview with Joe Satriani on Guitar Jam Daily, June 2007
• Part 2 of Audio Interview with Joe Satriani on Guitar Jam Daily, July 2007
• Joe Satriani 2006 Modern Guitars Magazine Interview with Brian D. Holland
• MusiciansFriend Interview with Joe Satriani
• Joe Satriani live pictures
• Early Joe Satriani Photo
• Joe Satriani guitar video workshop
• Joe Satriani Artist Page at Guitar Video Channel