With herky-jerky momentum, the sinister yet jolly “Behind the Curtain” kicks o Joe Den-inzon & Stratospheerius’ exhilarating fifth album Guilty of Innocence. Chunky guitars, a battery of drums, and a seesawing Jacob’s lad- der of electric violin battle for supremacy as Deninzon’s piercing tenor equates American exceptionalism with the fraudulent Wizard of Oz. e metaphor has been employed before, but seldom with such panache.
Deninzon has been called the Jimi Hen- drix of electric violin, and that comparison seems apt on “Dream Diary Cadenza,” an excerpt of Deninzon’s solo concerto, where his violin swoops, howls, and dive bombs amid quickening arpeggios.
Elsewhere, Deninzon nods to Jean-Luc Ponty and George Clinton’s Funkadelic while charting an eccentric course that conjoins whiplash funk, spacey electronic, and pro- gressive rock. Vocals adopt a snarky tone, but the lyrics convey anything but cynicism. Deninzon is a moralist raising an alarm and pointing out insanity.
“Take Your Medicine,” a revenge fantasy aimed at scam artists, entangles Deninzon’s hyperkinetic bowing and a rubbery bass line in a muscular groove. The set’s title track lambasts the United States court system with squawking guitar, wiseacre lyrics, and Den- inzon’s dust-devil ostinatos.
On “Face,” coiled percussion, crunchy gui- tars, and whirlpooling violin entangle in a grand slalom of power chords, syncopation, and distortion. e 12-minute progressive rock epic “Soul Food” reels out vertiginous violin switchbacks, operatic choruses, and pummeling panzer division drums before galloping to a nale that combines crescendo and cacophony.
Splashy and theatrical, Guilty of Innocence is a howl for justice delivered by virtuosos completely in synch with one another. It’s a darkly comic clarion call to combat a u- enza, self-delusion, and the commoditiza- tion of daily life. Otherwise, Deninzon seems to say, we’re just another brick in the mall.
MORE CRITICAL ACCLAIM!
“When you put distorted guitars up against a violin you get magic. When you put a violin solo in a metal song, you get Fucking amazing shit! I love it when artists push the boundaries of what is perceived as the norm….. And I love it even more when it’s pure magic… I tip my hat and bow my head in awe ..”-Act/one Magazine. Read full review HERE
“Stratospheerius music is otherworldly!”They can tear out ear hairs and stomp them flat!…sounding both ahead of the curve and accessible at the same time. ”-#cirdecsongs. (www.proglodytes.com) Read full review HERE
“Guilty of Innocence is not only great, but one of the most hectic and heart-stopping albums I’ve listened to.-Zachary Nathanson MUSIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM
“Joe Deninzon’s virtuosity is undeniable….It’s progressive music that’s not afraid of a catchy chorus. The 12 minute closing track, ”Soul Food” is a well crafted multi-tempo road trip. It ventures into magnum opus territory where 70’s rockers Kansas were at home…” -Haydn Seek SkeletonPete.com
“Deninzon’s perfect vocal delivery and skills as a violinist. Stratospheerius is as tight as ever and really create a strong organic melody. Bravo! This is music!” –Warlock Asylum International News
DENINZONEWS WINTER 2017/2018 THE LATEST ON VIOLINIST/VOCALIST/COMPOSER JOE DENINZON
Season’s Greetings, Friends!
It’s been a wild ride in the past three months, and the New Year promises to be another breathtaking roller coaster!
October was jam packed, withSweet Plantainperforming in Elon, NC, Greeneville, SC, and Ft. Lauderdale, FL.Stratospheeriusrocked Chicago at the third annualProgtoberfest. Along the way, we got to perform at Sweetwater HQ in Ft. Wayne, IN. Other highlights were shows in Elkhart, IN and Madison, Wisconsin alongside incredible bands likeAisles from Chile and King Llama from California! I also had a blast doing workshops and performances for the talented young musicians at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, IL under the direction of Daryl Silberman. While there, I had a chance to jam with her husband, the great Danny Siedenberg, violist from the 90’s lineup of the Turtle Island String Quartet! Here are some pics from the tours:
Sweet Plantain with Nick Katonah from Melodic Revolution Records
With Danny Siedenberg
With Daryl Silberman and Danny Siedenberg
Joe and Aurelien with legendary Spock’s Beard drummer Nic D’Virgilio
Paul Ranieri drooling over pedals at Sweetwater
Before our performance at Sweetwater. (L ro R) Paul Ranieri, Joe Deninzon, Lucianna Padmore, Aurelien Budynek.
In late October, Sweet Plantain did a string of shows with the the band Renaissance, led by the legendary Annie Haslam, with performances at Town Hall in NYC, Ridgefield Playhouse in CT, The Egg Theater in Albany, and the Keswick Theater in PA, where a live DVD was recorded, which can be pre-ordered on their website!
With keyboardist/Musical Director Rave Tesar
Our audience at The Egg Theater in Albany, NY
With Annie Haslam
Renaissance in rehearsal
Bows at the Keswick Theater
Stratospheerius would like to thank everyone who attended our big CD Release Halloween show on October 31st at The Shrine in NYC. Thank you also to Ad Astra and Van Davis for kicking off the night!
November had Stratospheerius playing CD release shows in Binghamton, NY and Wilbert’s in my hometown of Cleveland, followed by an incredible opportunity to open for the legendary guitar hero Gary Hoey kicking off his annual “Ho Ho Hoey” tour at Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA! Thank you, Gary!
Here’s a clip of me sitting in with Gary and his band back in July playing “All Along the Watchtower.”
“When you put distorted guitars up against a violin you get magic. When you put a violin solo in a metal song, you get Fucking amazing shit! I love it when artists push the boundaries of what is perceived as the norm….. And I love it even more when it’s pure magic… I tip my hat and bow my head in awe ..”-Act/one Magazine. Read full review HERE
“Stratospheerius music is otherworldly!”They can tear out ear hairs and stomp them flat!…sounding both ahead of the curve and accessible at the same time. ”-#cirdecsongs. (www.proglodytes.com) Read full review HERE
“ (Joe) Deninzon has been called the Jimi Hendrix of electric violin…Splashy and theatrical, Guilty of Innocence is a howl for justice delivered by virtuosos completely in synch with one another!“ –Strings Magazine
“Guilty of Innocence is not only great, but one of the most hectic and heart-stopping albums I’ve listened to.-Zachary Nathanson MUSIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM
“Joe Deninzon’s virtuosity is undeniable….It’s progressive music that’s not afraid of a catchy chorus. The 12 minute closing track, ”Soul Food” is a well crafted multi-tempo road trip. It ventures into magnum opus territory where 70’s rockers Kansas were at home…” -Haydn Seek SkeletonPete.com
“Deninzon’s perfect vocal delivery and skills as a violinist. Stratospheerius is as tight as ever and really create a strong organic melody. Bravo! This is music!” –Warlock Asylum International News
Give the gift of music this holiday season, order/download/stream “Guilty of Innocence” TODAY on the following websites:
Joe Deninzon-electric violin/vocals/mandolin Jason Gianni-drums (Neal Morse Band, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Mark Wood Band) Randy McStine-bass (LoFi Resistance, The Fringe, Stu Hamm, Vinnie Moore) Michaelangelo Quirenale-guitar (Thrilldriver)
These shirts come in S, M, L, XL, and XXL. ORDER TODAY!
FOR THE FIRST TIME, JOE DENINZON SHEET MUSIC IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE!
I am proud to announce that I recently signed a deal with the wonderful Lynne Latham and Ludwig Masters, which will be publishing my sheet music. Here are the first two offerings: old warhorses from the early days of Stratospheerius, adapted for solo violin and string quartet.
A hard-rockin’ solo for violin and accompaniment CD. Accessible to advanced intermediate students who want to escape the classical box, but has plenty of pedagogical points too!
CD features Jason Gianni on drums, Aurelien Budynek on guitar, and Jamie Bishop on bass
This one is not for the meek, but will certainly impress your audience! In a “swunk” style, a combination of swing and funk, the quartet is featured individually with written out solos for all (of course you can improvise your own, with changes in the parts).
If you buy the video and play it, please post photo/video/audio on social media with #playthatthang!
You can hear Sweet Plantain performing it at 7:20 in this video:
COMING SOON: NEW VIDEO FOR THE SONG
“BEHIND THE CURTAIN”
STRATOSPHEERIUS is excited to be working with legendary MTV producer David P. Levin and renowned actor Max McGuire for the upcoming video of our song “Behind the Curtain,” The opening track from “Guilty of Innocence.”
We will also be editing with David Milone, who worked on our Hysteria video. Thanks also to Dave Silver and Alpha Wave Studios in East Hanover, NJ. Here are some photos from the video shoot:
Johnny Cash – Hurt
Nirvana – The Man Who Sold The World
Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower..
… Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius – Hysteria
When you put distorted guitars up against a violin you get magic. When you put a violin solo in a metal song, you get F***g amazing shit! That’s all I can say about that..
There is always some danger attached to the task of releasing a cover track.. to be successful the artist must find his or her own way and unique expression. Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius did just that.
It’s amazing and in my book, a thousand times better than the original.
I love it when artists push the boundaries of what is perceived as the norm….. And I love it even more when it’s pure magic, just like Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius did with this cover.
Hope you all had a great summer! Mine was highlighted by the completion of the new Stratospheerius CD, another amazing year teaching and performing at the Mark Wood Rock Orchestra Camp/Music Festival, residencies at Vance Music in Wichita, Got Strings Camp in Souderton, PA, performances with legendary KISS drummer Peter Criss, sitting in with guitar virtuoso Gary Hoey, and more… Many great experiences and many more to come! I am happy to announce that this next three months will be one of the busiest, and most productive periods EVER! Multiple tours, a new CD release three years in the making, new published pieces, concerto performances, festival appearances, teaching residencies, and more….
STRATOSPHEERIUS RELEASES “HYSTERIA” VIDEO AND SINGLE
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I proudly present to you, the first official video of Stratospheerius’ forthcoming album “Guilty of Innocence” on Melodic Revolution Records.This is our re-imagined version of Muse’s classic, “Hysteria.”
Featuring: Joe Deninzon-electric violin/vocals
Aurelien Budynek-guitar
Lucianna F Padmore-drums
Jamie Bishop-bass
Engineered and mixed by Alex Salzman. Mastered by Rave Tesar.
Filmed by David Milone at Alpha Wave Studios in East Hanover, NJ. Thank you to David Silver and Addie Silver. Also, thank you to Nick Katona for signing us to his label, MELODIC REVOLUTION RECORDS!
HYSTERIA SINGLE NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AND STREAMING HERE!
Our new single, “Hysteria,” is also available at the links below for streaming and downloading:
Joe Deninzon returns to Grand Canyon Music Festival performing Electric Violin Concerto Performance & concert with ROBERT BONFIGLIO GROUP
Once again, I will be returning to the Grand Canyon Music Festival to perform with harmonica legend and festival founder, Robert Bonfiglio. I also have the honor of playing my Electric Violin Concerto “Dream Diary” with pianist Jon Klibonoff. 11 years ago, I co-founded the Grand Canyon School of Rock. This is a 1-week program for local high school kids where I, my partner guitarist Steve Benson, and local music teacher Bentley Monk put a 40-minute performance together in 3 days with kids who in some cases, have never played instruments before! It’s always a minor miracle when it comes together, but it always comes together. One of the most rewarding experiences that I get to relive every year!
Friday, Sept 1st, 7:30 P.M. Performing with Robert Bonfiglio Group Shrine of the Ages, Grand Canyon South Rim
Robert Bonfiglio-harmonica
Steve Benson-guitar
Joe Deninzon-violin/mandolin/vocals
John Vail-bass
Saturday, September 2nd, 7:30 P.M. Shrine of the Ages, Grand Canyon South Rim Performing “Dream Diary: Concerto for 7-String Electric Violin” by Joe Deninzon and “Array of Irrevocable Light” by David Wallace
With Pianist Jon Klibonoff and Robert Bonfiglio on harmonica
Here’s a video of me and Steve Benson tearing it up on one of my favorite Mark O’Connor tunes at the Grand Canyon Music Fest a few years ago. Enjoy!
Saturday, October 21st, 6 P.M.
Performing at PROGTOBERFEST III Reggie’s 2105 South State St.
Chicago, IL We are honored to be in one of the greatest progressive rock festivals in the world, among such great artists like Mike Keneally, Dave Kerzner, Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Don Preston/Bunk Gardner/Ike Willis (Frank Zappa), and many more! https://www.facebook.com/events/1823097938013575/?
Led by legendary vocalist Annie Haslam, Renaissance has had a 50-year history blending folk, rock, and classical music. Sweet Plantain is honored to be collaborating with this incredible band for some tour dates on the East Coast. These shows will be recorded for an upcoming concert DVD and will also feature Joe Deninzon as a special guest soloist on electric violin.
