It looks as though the chicken whose  landing we reported recently is now  preparing to take flight for the very first time. Newly-minted “supergroup” Chickenfoot has recently announced dates for their first live performances, which will give a little taste of the new group to a small number of potential fans across North America.

For those who have not taken advantage of the opportunity to check out some of the tracks these guys have been laying down, there are now three available on their official website. They started with a couple of tracks called “Down The Drain” and “Soap on A Rope” last month and on the 13th of this month they added “Oh Yeah” to the list.

Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of Sammy Hagar, but I did like Van Halen’s sound when he was fronting for them, and I think he’s sounding pretty good with this new group also. I guess I was just never that crazy about Hagar’s material was a solo artist, although it’s hard not to have at least a little fondness for a song with a title like “I can’t drive 55.”

I’m going through my typical routine of listening to a new track about 10 times right now as I check out “Oh Yeah.” I’ve learned through the years that I need a few “takes” to  really decide if I like a song or not. I’m a slow learner.

Whether this new track resonates with me or not, there’s no question about the fact that these guys are anything but amateurs. Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, I know, but maybe what I am really trying to say is that these guys can rock. I’m really liking the sound of Satriani’s playing and the sound he coaxes out of his set-up.

Chad Smith is a good solid drummer, although I have heard anything from him yet that really blows me away, but to be fair, I am not familiar with any Red Hot Chili Peppers material, so he may have some great chops I just have not heard yet.

Michael Anthony, sounds, well, like a good bass player. I guess when you decide to take up the bass, you know your chances of logging the lion’s share of spotlight time are slim, with the exception of someone like Geddy Lee or other bassists that also happen to be frontmen. At any rate, Anthony’s playing sounds like a good fit and there’s no question in my mind about his abilities as a bass player.

So, after listening to “Oh Yeah” a bunch of times, I’ve decided I like it. It goes without saying that everyone will inevitably draw their own conclusions, but I think classic rock fans should give these guys a chance. I’m not jumping up and down here over these guys – not yet anyway –  but I think what I have heard so far sounds pretty good and  I’m certainly going to be checking out their other material as soon as its available.

Check out Chickenfoot’s tracks online at their official website.

Chickenfoot’s debut live show is set to rock the following venues:

May 14 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
May 15 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC, Canada
May 17 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
May 19 – The Roxy Theatre – West Hollywood, CA
May 22 – Park West – Chicago, IL
May 24 – The Mod Club Theatre – Toronto, ON, Canada
May 26 – Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA
May 28 – The Fillmore NY Irving Plaza – New York, NY
May 29 – Theatre of The Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA