Ever since it was announced last December that guitar heroes and longtime friends Joe Satriani and Steve Vai would be forming a band together – the first time they’ve ever done so – the main question on everyone’s lips has centered around who will fill out the group.
Today, that question has finally been given an emphatic answer.
Pete Thorn, it’s been announced, will handle rhythm guitar duties – thereby creating nothing less than an electric guitar dream team – with bass guitar duties being handled by veteran Marco Mendoza, and drums by Kenny Aronoff, who has played and toured with Satriani’s solo band, and on G3 tours, for over a decade.
In statements, Vai and Satriani both expressed their excitement at having Thorn along for the ride.
“Pete’s playing is rock solid with a huge tone in his fingers,” Vai said of Thorn. “His rhythm playing is tight and in tune in a way that’s rare, and his intonation is stunning. He’s the perfect musician for this band, and we couldn’t be happier to have him.”
Echoing Vai’s sentiments, Satriani said, “Pete is an all-around monster guitarist. He has that rare ability to shine on rhythm and lead guitar, switching back and forth with finesse. He’s got the technical abilities and the rock ‘n’ roll attitude Steve and I were hoping to find for our band.”
As for Thorn himself, the guitarist likened the tour as something close to a dream gig.
“It sounds like something out of a mad fantastical dream that the 14-year-old guitar-obsessed me would have had,” Thorn said. “‘Joe Satriani and Steve Vai called, they want you to join their new band!’ And then I’d wake up and go to 9th grade math class! But it’s real!
“It’s a mind-blowing opportunity, and yet I also feel like I’ve arrived exactly where I’ve always wanted to be. I’m beyond excited to be of musical service to these legends, and to rock out.”
Only European dates for the tour – which kicks off in mid-June – have been announced so far, but one can imagine that the new band will eventually find their way to stages on North American shores.
The makeup of the band’s future setlists also remains a bit of a mystery, though it will doubtless include The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1, Vai and Satriani’s first ever collaborative song.
Released last March, the song will be followed by the release of another collaboration shortly before the tour commences. And there might be more to come.
When the pair spoke to Guitar World following the announcement of their joint Satch/Vai tour (which featured each guitarist playing with their own band) last year, Satriani revealed, “We have three pieces that are 90 percent finished. We’ve both got ridiculous schedules, so we’re not even thinking about how impossible it is to get it done. But we’ll figure it out.”
For tickets and a full list of the band’s tour dates, visit the SatchVai Band’s website.
