Greetings! I took a few months off from the newsletter. Been cooking up a few things and preparing for what’s next. It’s great to speak to all of you again. Wishing you a beautiful remainder of the spring and a summer full of good music, fun in the sun, and no crazy devastating hurricanes. Here’s the latest:
Meet Arianna Margaret Deninzon
My wife Yulia and I are pleased to announce the birth of our daughter, Arianna Margaret Deninzon on April 14th, 2013 at 11:11 A.M. Weighing 8 lbs 8 oz.
It feels great to be a father of two, and having both a son and a daughter. Words cannot express how overjoyed we are at Arianna’s arrival into this world and we are happy share this news with all of you!
Much more to juggle in my life now, but I’m so happy and overwhelmed. Who needs sleep??
Tarantella Spider Dance—is a mystical and sensual music/theater/dance spectacular about the history of the Tarantella, the Southern Italian myth of the bite of the tarantula, birth of the Spider Woman, and celebration of the wild ecstatic rites of Dyonisus. A cross cultural musical that blends Southern Italian drumming and dance rituals with Afro-Brazilian & Cuban Yoruba ceremonies for Yemanja/Aphrodites. Featuring aerial, fire and stilt dancers, acrobats and a techno Tarantella trance dance.
I am excited to be returning as a faculty member at Mark Wood’s Rock Orchestra Camp. Mark Wood was the designer of the 7-string fretted Viper Electric violin that I play. He is a legendary performer who has played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dee Snyder, and Billy Joel, to name a few. He is also a true revolutionary in the world of electric violin and string education. Camp is open to all ages and levels from intermediate to advanced/professional. I remember being a misfit violin nerd in high school with a deep passion for rock n roll and no role models on my instrument for the genre I was interested in. Growing up in the late 80’s in Cleveland, there were no jazz or rock violin teachers in my town, and very few in the mainstream music community who I could look up to. I had to trust my instincts and find my own path. I am grateful to Mark for creating an environment where string players can let their freak flag fly, exploring alternative styles of playing with an emphasis on rock and metal. I wish this camp existed when I was 17! The camp will take place at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS from July 14-20, 2012.
I guess fourth time’s the charm. After 3 unsuccessful attempts to film at Bethlehem Steelstax (the first due to liability insurance issues, and the second two due to bad weather), all the stars aligned for us on March 26th and we were finally able to realize our vision and film our video! We had a blast filming in this beautiful surreal industrial landscape and both the cast and crew, although freezing our asses off most of the time, still enjoyed the process and got some amazing footage. The following day, we all assembled at the Hoboken, NJ Loft of our videographer, Bill Hamilton, to film the fire dancer and green screen footage that will accompany the Steelstax footage in the final edit. You can see some photos of our shoot here:
Our thanks to the following people who participated in the production of this video:
Bill Hamilton (director/videographer), Chris Hanson (lighting), Travis Tomlinson (Crue), Joseph Brancatto (crew), Patrick Scullen (crew), Susana Perks (hair and makeup), Dave Silver (Silverpro Entertainment)), Julia and Elana Royter (Phoenix Entertainment), Sylviya (fire dancer). Also Mark Demko and Susan Drexinger at Artsquest for letting us use Steelstax and providing the green room, and Julia Corwin from the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA. We hope you have all received and are enjoying your prizes and thank you once again for your support. We have started editing and hope to have this video finished by June. Please check our website for updates.
“PLUGGING IN” by Joe Deninzon
If you are a string player interested in going electric and exploring the world of improvisation for the first time, buy this book today!
Stratospheerius is proud to finally have the opportunity to take the fashion industry by storm!
Our super soft and comfortable shirt feature artwork from our latest CD, “The Next World.” Comes in 2 varieties: With and without ringers. Available in M, L, XL, XXL. Order your shirt today and be the envy of all your friends! Any order Includes immediate download of our song The Prism in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire!
JOE DENINZON TRIO APPEARING ON RADIOHEAD TRIBUTE ALBUM
My jazz trio’s version of Radiohead’s classic, “The Tourist,” from our 2010 “Exuberance” CD has been featured on a compilation album of Radiohead covers, released on ESC records. We are honored to be included alongside some incredible artists. To order or download the CD, please visit the links below:
I had the privilege of laying down some electric violin tracks on the new release, “Chalk Lines,” by guitarist/vocalist Randy McStine and his band, LoFi Resistance. Randy is an incredibly talented musician who has been subbing with Stratospheerius and recently joined us on our Midwest tour Dec 13-15. The new album also features the bass playing of Dug Pinnick from one of my all-time favorite bands, “Kings X” (http://www.kingsxrocks.com).
Our latest CD, “The Next World,” reached number 10 on the national Jamband charts and has been continuously receiving nationwide airplay and rave reviews. Here is the latest from the prog rock website www.seaoftranquility.org
Here is what other critics have been saying about the “The Next World”:
“(Stratospheerius) once again shows the world that Russians and Americans can make beautiful and exciting music together …A thrilling array of songs that run the gamut from complex prog tunes to simple ballads. “The Next World” is an electrifying album, guaranteed to take you into the stratosphere and beyond…”
“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!”
“Every member plays with passion and invention. Budynek is tight and bright in rhythm mode and soars when the song calls for it. Bishop is a flat out low-end monster and perfectly matched with the fiery Padmore. She is that drummer every musician wants in their ensemble: a player that can blow your mind one moment, then tenderly hold your hand the next. As for Deninzon – the sounds he gets out of that violin are inhuman. His speed, precision, color, and character are just off the charts!”
“Tightly crafted studio pieces including intricately produced vocal articulations, electronic effects, and multi-tracked instrumentation…It’s an album with bright, vibrant tones from four players who aren’t competing, but rather congealing.”
Prog Talk: Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius
Posted 4/25/2013
With a musical background that encompasses classical, jazz, rock, world and all points in between, violinist-mandolinist-vocalist-bandleader Joe Deninzon is a whirling dervish of vibrant creativity. He is one of those folks who seem to have a limitless supply of intriguing ideas. Deninzon is the embodiment of a true progressive artist, with jazz at his sonic core.
“I was a jazz major in school, and that jazz influence has always been infused in our music,” he said.
Deninzon was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is the son of a concert violinist father and a concert pianist mother. He grew up and was raised in Cleveland, and studied classical and jazz violin at Indiana University. After relocating to New York City in 1998, Deninzon recorded his first venture into the jazz-fusion milieu, Electric/Blue. Its release was concurrent with the budding string player’s burgeoning career as a freelance studio musician and sideman.
He was also studying at the Manhattan School of Music and teaching at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. It was there that he met and began a musical partnership with guitarist Alex Skolnick, known for his work in the metal genre. The two of them pooled their love of electric Miles Davis, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and the like into an exciting new ensemble called Stratospheerius. This collaboration resulted in the 2002 CD The Adventures Of Stratospheerius. The 12-track album consisted mostly of Deninzon’s compositions along with interpretations of songs by Wayne Shorter, Vince Guaraldi and Stevie Wonder.
Stratospheerius established itself as a high-energy performance entity, with extended jams, sophisticated improvisation and intricate violin/guitar interplay, as evidenced on the 2004 concert disc Live Wires. The album was a turning point for Deninzon and company in numerous ways. Jake Ezra replaced Skolnick on guitar, and it was the debut for drummer Lucianna Padmore, a fellow New School alum. They also trimmed the outfit from a sextet to a lean-and-mean foursome, with Ron Baron on bass. In 2007 the album Headspace took the band in a slightly different direction as more overt funk and jazz styles were laced with increasing melodic and progressive rock overtones. More personnel changes transpired as bassist Bob Bowen and guitarist Mack Price joined Padmore for the expansion of their sound.
Around this juncture Deninzon took a break from the fusion world, teaming with bassist Bowen and guitarist Steve Benson in the acoustic Joe Deninzon Trio, which recorded the 2010 jazz albumExuberance. It was at this point where the versatile violinist took a step back to his musical beginnings and cast all of his improvisational influences together in a fresh light.
“What’s really fun for us is to open up the songs live and take them in all directions,” Deninzon explained. “For that to happen, you’ve gotta have an improvisational jazz mentality and tap into a certain head space. We all have a jazz background and we bring that to the table.”
Following Straospheerius guitarist Price’s departure and Bowen’s tragic death in a biking accident, Deninzon recruited French guitarist Aurelien Budynek and bassist Jamie Bishop in 2008. This has been the group’s most consistent and enduring lineup thus far, documented on the 2012 CD The Next World.
“On my first [album] we did a cover of Thelonious Monk’s ‘Well, You Needn’t,’” Deninzon said. “On The Adventures Of Stratospheerius, we covered Wayne Shorter’s ‘Nefertiti.’ Our latest is a more focused and song-oriented album. It’s heavier and more rock-oriented but there are still a lot of jazz influences there, too.”
The all-original excursion contains a lot of jazz-influenced music, such as the dynamic and atmospheric disc opener “Release,” while the instrumental “Fleshbot” has a lot of fire à la violinists Jean-Luc Ponty and Didier Lockwood. “Missing Link” matches odd time signatures with strong vocal hooks, and “Ballad For Ding Bang” is a sweet dedication to Deninzon’s son Max that features smooth chord changes and delicate accents by Padmore.
“I’ve always admired artists who are spontaneous and don’t just rehash their recorded material onstage,” Deninzon said. “I always like to keep the band on their toes and keep me from being bored playing the same material. We’ll change what we play and how we play it. Zappa was notorious for doing that kind of thing. Weather Report did that. All the great jazz groups did that. I let the music dictate where I’m gonna go—sort of like a Ouija board where you tap into that spirit and it leads you where it wants to.”
Prog Talk: Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius
Posted 4/25/2013
With a musical background that encompasses classical, jazz, rock, world and all points in between, violinist-mandolinist-vocalist-bandleader Joe Deninzon is a whirling dervish of vibrant creativity. He is one of those folks who seem to have a limitless supply of intriguing ideas. Deninzon is the embodiment of a true progressive artist, with jazz at his sonic core.
“I was a jazz major in school, and that jazz influence has always been infused in our music,” he said.
Deninzon was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is the son of a concert violinist father and a concert pianist mother. He grew up and was raised in Cleveland, and studied classical and jazz violin at Indiana University. After relocating to New York City in 1998, Deninzon recorded his first venture into the jazz-fusion milieu, Electric/Blue. Its release was concurrent with the budding string player’s burgeoning career as a freelance studio musician and sideman.
He was also studying at the Manhattan School of Music and teaching at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. It was there that he met and began a musical partnership with guitarist Alex Skolnick, known for his work in the metal genre. The two of them pooled their love of electric Miles Davis, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and the like into an exciting new ensemble called Stratospheerius. This collaboration resulted in the 2002 CD The Adventures Of Stratospheerius. The 12-track album consisted mostly of Deninzon’s compositions along with interpretations of songs by Wayne Shorter, Vince Guaraldi and Stevie Wonder.
Stratospheerius established itself as a high-energy performance entity, with extended jams, sophisticated improvisation and intricate violin/guitar interplay, as evidenced on the 2004 concert disc Live Wires. The album was a turning point for Deninzon and company in numerous ways. Jake Ezra replaced Skolnick on guitar, and it was the debut for drummer Lucianna Padmore, a fellow New School alum. They also trimmed the outfit from a sextet to a lean-and-mean foursome, with Ron Baron on bass. In 2007 the album Headspace took the band in a slightly different direction as more overt funk and jazz styles were laced with increasing melodic and progressive rock overtones. More personnel changes transpired as bassist Bob Bowen and guitarist Mack Price joined Padmore for the expansion of their sound.
Around this juncture Deninzon took a break from the fusion world, teaming with bassist Bowen and guitarist Steve Benson in the acoustic Joe Deninzon Trio, which recorded the 2010 jazz albumExuberance. It was at this point where the versatile violinist took a step back to his musical beginnings and cast all of his improvisational influences together in a fresh light.
“What’s really fun for us is to open up the songs live and take them in all directions,” Deninzon explained. “For that to happen, you’ve gotta have an improvisational jazz mentality and tap into a certain head space. We all have a jazz background and we bring that to the table.”
Following Straospheerius guitarist Price’s departure and Bowen’s tragic death in a biking accident, Deninzon recruited French guitarist Aurelien Budynek and bassist Jamie Bishop in 2008. This has been the group’s most consistent and enduring lineup thus far, documented on the 2012 CD The Next World.
“On my first [album] we did a cover of Thelonious Monk’s ‘Well, You Needn’t,’” Deninzon said. “On The Adventures Of Stratospheerius, we covered Wayne Shorter’s ‘Nefertiti.’ Our latest is a more focused and song-oriented album. It’s heavier and more rock-oriented but there are still a lot of jazz influences there, too.”
The all-original excursion contains a lot of jazz-influenced music, such as the dynamic and atmospheric disc opener “Release,” while the instrumental “Fleshbot” has a lot of fire à la violinists Jean-Luc Ponty and Didier Lockwood. “Missing Link” matches odd time signatures with strong vocal hooks, and “Ballad For Ding Bang” is a sweet dedication to Deninzon’s son Max that features smooth chord changes and delicate accents by Padmore.
“I’ve always admired artists who are spontaneous and don’t just rehash their recorded material onstage,” Deninzon said. “I always like to keep the band on their toes and keep me from being bored playing the same material. We’ll change what we play and how we play it. Zappa was notorious for doing that kind of thing. Weather Report did that. All the great jazz groups did that. I let the music dictate where I’m gonna go—sort of like a Ouija board where you tap into that spirit and it leads you where it wants to.”
I am excited to be returning as a faculty member at Mark Wood’s Rock Orchestra Camp. Mark Wood was the designer of the 7-string fretted Viper Electric violin that I play. He is a legendary performer who has played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dee Snyder, and Billy Joel, to name a few. He is also a true revolutionary in the world of electric violin and string education. The camp will take place at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS from July 14-20, 2012.
Hope you’re all staying warm and managing to get out and hear some live music every once in a while. January was an incredible month. I was honored to perform orchestral arrangements of some of my/Stratospheerius songs with the Oklahoma all-state honors high school orchestra at Oklahoma State University. Thanks to my friend Christian Howes (www.christianhowes.com) and director Douglas Droste for giving me the opportunity. These education residencies are a great source of inspiration for me and I hope to be able to do more of them in the future. Stratospheerius and Sweet Plantain had some amazing shows as well, and there’s a lot more to come in the next few months…
Here’s what’s happening in February and March:
Sweet Plantain will be presenting our first clinic at the annual American String Teacher’s Association Conference in Providence, RI on Saturday, March 2nd.
The clinic, titled “The Laptop as a 5th Member of the String Quartet,” will explore incorporating electronic music, programming beats, etc into an acoustic string quartet setting. Sweet Plantain will demonstrate these techniques performing original compositions like “Excursions,” (Incorporating samples from A Tribe Called Quest) and “Concerto for Nation” (Mixing Vivaldi double Cello Concerto with hip hop beats and lyrics).
Sweet Plantain would like to thank D’Addario Strings for sponsoring this clinic.
For more information about the clinic, please visit this link:
The Westin Providence
One West Exchange Street
Providence, RI 02903
1-888-627-8449
Sweet Plantain is:
Joe Deninzon-violin/mandolin/vocals
Eddie Venegas-violin/trombone/vocals
David Gotay-cello/rap
Orlando Wells-viola
Other Joe Deninzon Performances
Performing with the Hahnbone Band
Friday, March 15th
9:30 P.M.-12:30 A.M.
12 Grapes Peekskill
12 North Division Street · Peekskill, NY 10566 · 914.737.6624
Joe Deninzon appears as special guest with
The Hahnbone Band, featuring trombonist John Hahn, guitarist Mick Gaffney, drummer Adam Snyder, keyboardist Ken Levinsky, bassist Ivan Bodley, and vocalist Tom Bowes from Tower of Power!
Stratospheerius is proud to finally have the opportunity to take the fashion industry by storm!
Our super soft and comfortable shirt feature artwork from our latest CD, “The Next World.” Comes in 2 varieties: With and without ringers. Available in M, L, XL, XXL. Order your shirt today and be the envy of all your friends! Any order Includes immediate download of our song The Prism in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire!
After numerous delays related to scheduling and insurance issues, we are finally set to film our video for “One Foot in the Next World” on Feb 27th (weather permitting, of course) at Bethlehem Steelstax. We will keep you posted on the filming progress of the video. Thanks again for all those who donated and helped make our kickstarter campaign a success! We are sending out prizes. You can still donate to help the project and receive tons of great prizes, like free CD’s, t-shirts, books, DVD’s, signed posters, personal concerts and music lessons, and more…
JOE DENINZON TRIO APPEARING ON RADIOHEAD TRIBUTE ALBUM
My jazz trio’s version of Radiohead’s classic, “The Tourist,” from our 2010 “Exuberance” CD has been featured on a compilation album of Radiohead covers, released on ESC records. We are honored to be included alongside some incredible artists. To order or download the CD, please visit the links below: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/head-radio-retransmissions/id572548849
I had the privilege of laying down some electric violin tracks on the new release, “Chalk Lines,” by guitarist/vocalist Randy McStine and his band, LoFi Resistance. Randy is an incredibly talented musician who has been subbing with Stratospheerius and recently joined us on our Midwest tour Dec 13-15. The new album also features the bass playing of Dug Pinnick from one of my all-time favorite bands, “Kings X” (http://www.kingsxrocks.com).
Buy the album here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/chalk-lines/id586076551 www.lofiresistance.com
Help our Friend and get a Free CD!
Our dear friend, manager, and publicist, Anne Leighton has lived an incredible life (so far) in the music business, with some legendary clients like Jethro Tull, Grand Funk Railroad, Tower of Power, Steve Morse, and more. She is also an incredible poet and is putting together a book of poetry and prose to document some of her experiences. If you donate to her campaign, we will send you a free copy of our CD, “The Next World,’ and you will get some great prizes from MS. Leighton herself. For more information, please visit this link:
Our latest CD, “The Next World,” reached number 10 on the national Jamband charts and has been continuously receiving nationwide airplay and rave reviews. Here is the latest from the prog rock website www.seaoftranquility.org
Here is what other critics have been saying about the “The Next World”:
“(Stratospheerius) once again shows the world that Russians and Americans can make beautiful and exciting music together …A thrilling array of songs that run the gamut from complex prog tunes to simple ballads. “The Next World” is an electrifying album, guaranteed to take you into the stratosphere and beyond…”
-Wildman Steve www.thecornernews.com
Read more… http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/music_n_movies/comments/out-of-this-world-album/
“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!”
-G.W Hill
Read more… http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=103508
“Every member plays with passion and invention. Budynek is tight and bright in rhythm mode and soars when the song calls for it. Bishop is a flat out low-end monster and perfectly matched with the fiery Padmore. She is that drummer every musician wants in their ensemble: a player that can blow your mind one moment, then tenderly hold your hand the next. As for Deninzon – the sounds he gets out of that violin are inhuman. His speed, precision, color, and character are just off the charts!”
-Jon Wilcox
Read more… http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/cdrz.html
“A leading contender for the best rock album of 2012… Joe Deninzon’s dazzling violin solos, creative loops and effects are
clearly spectacular and demonstrate that he is one of the most talented instrumentalists in the current rock scene. ”
-Angel Romero
Read more… http://progressiverockcentral.com/2012/05/04/a-superbly-gifted-violinist/
“It’s in STRATOSPHEERIUS that the violinist holds the richest palette to take colors from….a fabulous vibe goes down the listener’s spine.”
Read more…
www.dmme.net (http://dmme.net/reviews/reviews49.html#spheer12)
Visit The Next World homepage on the Digital Nations website
SPIDER DANCE Debuts in New Haven,
