When Chickenfoot plays the sold-out Commodore Ballroom next Friday (May 15), there's a fair chance that local studio ace Mike Fraser and guitar-wizard Dave Martone will be found backstage angling for free shots of Sammy Hagar's premium brand Cabo Wabo tequila. They're both close friends and musical associates of Chickenfoot guitarist Joe Satriani, who called the Straight yesterday to promote his new supergroup, which also includes former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.

Fraser mixed Chickenfoot's self-titled debut CD, which is scheduled for release on June 9, and has mixed, engineered, and/or produced a number of Satriani's top-selling instrumental discs. Martone took part in the "Crowd Chant" track on Satriani's 2004 Super Colossal CD, and Satch returned the favour by playing guitar on Martone's 2008 instrumental outing, Clean. As far as local rock-guitar freaks are concerned, nothing could be cooler than seeing Martone step onto the Commodore stage and trade some twisted licks with his mentor, but as Satriani explained, that probably won't happen.

“On this particular tour we want to make sure that we use all the time that we’ve got to introduce ourselves to the audience," he said, "since we’re really a new band. We haven’t really got into the jamming yet, but I’m sure that’ll come. I love playing with Dave, though. He’s a phenomenal guitarist, and he’s a great guy to hang with.

"And of course I’ve worked with Mike for years," added Satriani. "I met him back in ’96, and we’ve done many albums together, and he’s a fantastic engineer/producer/mixer.”

No word yet on whether celebrity shutterbug and former Vancouverite Bryan Adams—who did the photography for the Chickenfoot album—will make the trek from England for the gig. Or if he even drinks tequila.