Joe Satriani Wants to Get a ‘Couple More Records’ Out of Chickenfoot
Sammy Hagar has his doubts about the future of Chickenfoot, the hard rock supergroup he fronts alongside bassist Michael Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Chad Smith. Satriani, however, thinks the band still has some life left in it.
Satriani was asked to weigh in during a recent appearance on 'The Eddie Trunk Podcast,' and while he didn't contradict Hagar's earlier remarks about the band being too much work for too little financial reward, he painted a rosier picture.
Saying he's "always that guy that's bugging" his bandmates to record, Satriani admitted that the biggest issue is always scheduling -- his included. "I come back from being around the world and touring and doing this stuff, and I'm, like, 'C'mon, let's go. Let's go.' And they're, like, 'Well, hold on a minute.' And then I'm off again," he explained. "So I guess I'm partly to blame because of my busy schedule."
That being said, Satriani added, "This is a band of equals writing original material. And so I really want it to fly, you know what I mean? I really want to put in as much time as I can get into the band. But it's a little different for the other guys, because they have history and they have current commitments -- especially Chad; he's in a world-famous band already. We're trying to get our priorities straight, and we probably never will. But I do think there's a couple more records in there somehow."
Of course, records are one thing, but touring is a completely different -- and increasingly crucial -- part of the equation. "It becomes a little bit stranger as the music industry changes; it's rolling away from focusing on albums. And I think that puts Chickenfoot in an even more awkward position, because I think a rock band needs to put out a record and tour; I think that's what you've gotta do. And the putting out a full album and touring is something that, I think, that the four members of Chickenfoot are having a hard time fitting into their future schedule," Satriani mused. "Recording songs, that'd be a piece of cake and we'd love to do it, but I think it's how we proceed after we record songs."
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