PLUGGING IN book review from Jazz Weekly

http://www.jazzweekly.com/2012/07/joe-deninzon-plugged-in-a-guide-to-gear-and-new-techniques-for-the-21st-century-violinist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=joe-deninzon-plugged-in-a-guide-to-gear-and-new-techniques-for-the-21st-century-violinist

Joe Deninzon: Plugged In-A Guide to Gear and New Techniques for the 21st Century Violinist

July 27, 2012

By George W. Harris

While guitarists have been comfortably plugged in to their amplifiers since the Swing Era, violinists have generally been less ambitious to explore the sonic potential of “going electric.” This booklet and cd/dvd goes a long way to introduce the curious violinist to the new world of sounds and styles.

Joe Deninzon goes through everything you’ll want to know about this niche, from the history to finding an amp as well as scales, chords, patterns and jams. The book has a plethora of licks and etudes to help you get the feel of the style, while the cd and dvd are user friendly workshops that will get you through a lot of initial questions, saving tons of time, energy and discouragement.

www.MelBay.com

The Next World review from www.progulator.com

http://progulator.com/reviews/bite-size/bite-size-prog-the-rock-oratorio/

 

Stratospheerius – The Next World 
I’m just gonna say it, no one stop me, please: This album drove me absolutely nuts. So, why the good rating? It’s well done, I simply can’t argue with that. Stratospheerius is a unique band, melding blugrass, rock, prog, jazz, and funk. It’s really hard to describe. It’s got great violin happening all over the place, it breaks down to these blugrass and country moments all of a sudden, then this weird electronic bit, and all of a sudden there’s a funk guitar going, followed by classic rock guitars and vocals. Then, of course, there’s the prog elements on a variety of tracks, which prove to be quite well done (check out “Fleshbot” and “Road Rage” great instrumental driven violin rock madness). I’m not gonna lie, this violinist is really good, and really fun. If I were supersticious, I’d have to say that the devil came down and made a deal with Mr. Denizon for sure. Stratospheerius is all over the map on The Next World. Great band, not my style, but still a great band. This one’s worth checking out to see whether you love it or hate it.

-Matt Di Giordano

The Next World Review from www.musicstreetjournal.com

Stratospheerius

The Next World

Review by G. W. Hill

You just can’t go wrong with this outfit. Nor can

you assume what you are going to hear when they

release a new disc. While the fusion elements of

previous releases are still present, this one has

more pure rock in it, too. Frankly, this might be the

best Stratospheerius disc yet. At least until the

next world, err time.

Track by Track Review

Release

Starting in a fusion way, this turns out to a killer, accessible prog rock tune.

It’s very much in an AOR motif and the peace lyrics are cool. There’s a great

non-lyrical vocal section as a bridge. There’s also a bouncy sort of section

that reminds me a bit of the reggae influenced period of Rush. There’s also

an intriguing space rock meets jam band instrumental section later. As one

might guess, there is also some tasty violin playing on this.

The Missing Link

The early sections of this have an almost modern alternative rock texture.

From there, though, it turns more unusual. Perhaps the most obvious

reference is King’s X, but it has more of a fusion element than that conveys.

As this cut continues the vocal arrangement becomes very noteworthy. In

addition, some of the changes start to feel more like some classic progressive

rock from the 1970s. This is another awesome tune on a disc that’s turning

out to be exceptional by this point.

Tech Support

Frantic and funky, this is a short song, but what a monster it is. It’s definitely

more like jazz, but there’s even a vibe to it that feels almost like Red Hot

Chili Peppers. While this might not be the prog powerhouse that the first two

cuts represented, this thing is full of energy and the instrumental section is a

real killer.

Climbing

While this cut is good, and presents a definite change of pace, it’s not nearly

as strong as the rest of the disc. The bulk of this fits somewhere between an

alternative rock sound and country music. Still, there is a smoking hot

instrumental section that’s more prog meets fusion and manages to save this

from pure mediocrity. Honestly, the problem isn’t weakness with this

particular number. It’s just that compared to the rest it’s a bit lackluster.

Fleshbot

After a gong blast, the violin heralds a killer fusion jam. This is angular in its

progression and mid-tempo in its pace. Its shifts this way and that and really

rocks like crazy. At times I’m reminded of some of the most adventurous

music from Yes. They take it out into some world music after a while. Then it

becomes more pure jazz for a short time. They drop it to a weird percussive

bit and then move back into the song proper. It gebit and then move back into the song proper. It gets pretty crazed after a time. Other than some found sound type voices, thie tune is an instrumental.

This one is certainly proof that the disc is back on track after the last one.

The House Always Wins

While this cut is a big change, it’s far from a let down. It’s sort of like a jazz

ballad with a lot of New Orleans and some blues in the mix. It’s a weird little

tune and features some small oddities in the arrangement. It’s also very

tasty and has loads of charm and style. It’s probably not really a progressive

rock number, but there’s enough fusion here to make it a close call.

Gods

What a powerhouse this one is. It comes in hard rocking with a modern

progressive rock sound. As it continues it just gets more potent. The vocals

are among the best on the disc and the music also stands out. At times this

leans towards metal. At other points it’s closer to fusion. There’s almost a

Jimi Hendrix goes fusion feeling to it at times. The guitar solo is especially

powerful as it soars over the top of the mix. There’s a full on progressive rock

interlude that serves to link the instrumental movement back to the song

proper. This is arguably the standout number on show here.

Ballad for Ding Bang

This instrumental starts out much more like pure jazz. It gets more rock

infused as it continues and it has some particularly inspiring musical interplay

and soloing. It suffers from having to follow the masterpiece that “Gods” was,

but it manages to pull it off very well by not occupying similar space.

Road Rage

The frantic jam that opens this allows Joe Deninzon lots of room to simply

scream out his violin soloing. This is a high energy cut that’s part Charlie

Daniels and part Kansas, but all Stratospheerius. The guitar also gets a

chance to shine and this thing is a crunchy crazed progressive rock meets

fusion instrumental that’s another highlight of the set.

One Foot in the Next World

While the first parts of this have that alternative rock turned modern

progressive rock sound and seem a bit lackluster compared to some of the

rest of the music here, this includes plenty of powerhouse jamming later. It’s

another standout tune. It’s got strong vocals, killer instrumentation and a

powerful arrangement.

The Prism

They saved a winner to close the set. The progression of this cut includes

some Eastern tones, and I’m a sucker for that sound. It’s also powerful and

features some killer instrumental work alongside the vocals. This is another

that has a bit of a Kansas element to it, but it also seems to lean on some

modern epic metal in some ways. Still, this is Stratospheerius, so it’s got

plenty of prog and fusion built into it. This is definitely a great way to end the

disc in style and power. There’s even a little symphonic turn that actually

closes the track.