Kalamazoo Gazette [April 2008]

Kalamazoo Gazette [April 2008]

by | Apr 29, 2008 | Articles

Ad Lib

by John Liberty

STRATOSPHEERIUS’ LOCAL DEBUT

Meet Joe Deninzon, the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the violin’

As a young man, Stratospheerius frontman Joe Deninzon played bass, guitar and violin.

There came a point when he had to pick an instrument, and he went with the violin because he was better at it. The Russian-born musician, who grew up in Cleveland and now lives in New York, was classically trained on the violin and listened to a lot of jazz, but echoing in his heart and mind was the music of Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa and Aerosmith, among others.

Deninzon found a balance between the two styles with an electric violin. Five years ago, he bought a Viper, a seven-string, solid-bodied wood violin shaped like a flying-V guitar. He bought it from Wood Violins, a New York-based manufacturer of electric violins, violas and cellos.

“I played violin, thinking like a guitar player,” Deninzon said during a phone interview from New York. “I was able to scratch both itches.”

Deninzon and the rest of the progressive-rock band Stratospheerius will make their local debut at 9:30 p.m. Friday at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave. Admission is $5.

The group — Deninzon, drummer Lucianna Padmore, bassist Jamie Bishop, percussionist Benny Koonyevsky and new guitarist Auerelien Budynek — released its latest CD, “Headspace,” last summer. The band blends rock, jazz, funk, R&B, hip-hop and freewheeling instrumentals. And, of course, there’s the Viper.

People tend to look at his instrument as a novelty, Deninzon said.

“I’m trying to get past that and just make music,” he said. “People kind of freak out because it’s different.”

The animated Deninzon — “I go nuts at live shows” — said “people have called me the Jimi Hendrix of the violin,” although he said he’s constantly looking to refine his sound — “It’s a journey, not a destination.” He also wants to revive a dying part of the live-concert experience by “bringing back the glory of the guitar solos, or, in my case, violin solos.”

 

Headspace: Cool Cleveland [2007]

Headspace: Cool Cleveland [2007]

by | Nov 29, 2007 | Headspace, Reviews

Headspace
Stratospheerius
Fiddlefunk

It’s familiar, but like absolutely nothing you’ve heard before. That’s about all this reviewer can muster as a lead for reviewing the latest Stratospheerius release, Headspace. Led by electric violinist/vocalist/mandolinist and former Clevelander Joe Deninzon, the quartet unleashes their fourth full-length effort with an assortment of songs that simply careen from your speakers. Following up their critically-acclaimed Live Wires disc, Headspace contains a frenzied mélange of alt-bluegrass, progressive rock, jazz fusion and funkabilly, with shades of the neo-hippie 90s and space rock for good measure. If Bela Fleck and Frank Zappa had a love child in outer space, it might grow up to sound like these guys do.

Band leader Deninzon brings it from the word go, channeling every bit of voracity through his 6 and 7-string Viper electric violin. No joke, he pushes bandmates Mack Price (guitars, vocals) Bob Bowen (electric and acoustic bass) and Lucianna Padmore (drums) into the stratosphere. You know their name is fitting after the set opener “New Material,” which pinballs through an array of time signatures and chord progressions that stop on a dime. In contrast, “Old Ghosts,” “Today is Tommorrow,” and the manic “Gutterpunk Blues” go for a bigger, louder and faster Jam Band ethos. Pay particular attention to the inimitable cover of The Police classic “Driven to Tears” and the set closer, “Heavy Shtettle II,” which you simply have to hear yourself to believe. Even I’m a bit lost for words about it. Memorable hooks, gravity-defying instrumental prowess and a kitchen sink move toward rock and Zappa-esque fusion fill Headspace. Let it fill yours.

Stratospheerius performs at the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Rd., next Wednesday, November 7 at 8PM. Singer/songwriter and former Clevelander Jann Klose opens the show and Ryan Montbleau headlines. Visit Stratospheerius at http://www.myspace.com/stratospheerius. Visit the Beachland at http://www.beachlandballroom.com/. Pick up the new Stratospheerius CD at http://www.cdbaby.com/.

Headspace: Blog Critics Music [2007]

Headspace: Blog Critics Music [2007]

by | Jul 31, 2007 | Headspace, Reviews

Stratospheerius, Headspace

by Jon Sobel

There’s so much going on on this CD that it could merit an “Indie Round-Up” column all on its own. Stratospheerius’s music can’t be pegged to one genre, but neither is it a simple hybrid of a couple of styles. For that reason, it’s exciting stuff.

Jazz fusion, Stingpop, progressive rock, classical strains, and jam-band spaceouts take turns running through the ten songs on this, the band’s fourth album. Leader Joe Deninzon’s devilish violin weaves the compositions together, and he lends his throaty vocals to some of the tunes, layering attractive melodies over odd time signatures and dynamic, unpredictable arrangements. Think of a much more adventurous version of the Dave Matthews Band, add Steely Dan precision and prog-rock inventiveness, and you’ll get an inkling. There’s also a Police influence that would be quite evident even without the revved-up cover of “Driven to Tears.” The crack musicians deserve mention individually: drummer Luciana Padmore, bassist Bob Bowen, and guitarist Mack Price.

These songs really do sidestep genre, yet one foot remains in accessible pop territory. “New Material” opens with a Celtic jam that flames into a lightspeed funk-rocker. The song is a funny take on creative inspiration and writer’s block: “I need a death threat deadline panic attack/I need a big bolt of lightning to strike me in the ass/Where’s my material/I need new material.” “Mental Floss” is an exciting odd-time instrumental jam, while “Gutterpunk Blues” begins with a delicate-punk (a new term I just made up) mandolin solo (Deninzon again) which leads into crashing heavy-metal riffage and then devolves into wild electric guitar and drum soloing. The jazz fusion elements come to the fore in the slower instrumental “Yulia,” while the pumped-up klezmer of “Heavy Shtettle Part II: Heavier Shtettle” closes the CD with a blast of technical prowess and ear-candy fun.

An interesting and spirited journey into outrageous creativity, this CD is highly recommended for anyone with an adventurous ear, including fans of fusion, progressive rock, the Police, the Kronos Quartet’s pop experiments and collaborations, and fiery fiddling. Sample the music at the Stratospheerius website and their Myspace page, and read a good interview with Joe Deninzon.

Jon Sobel reviews music and theater on a regular basis for Blogcritics, and occasionally comments on politics, world affairs, and life in New York City. He is also a computer professional, musician, and small-time concert promoter in New York City. (His band, Whisperado, can be criticized at will.)

Headspace: Sea of Tranquility [2007]

Headspace: Sea of Tranquility [2007]

by | Jul 31, 2007 | Headspace, Reviews

Hailed as champions of “psychojazz trip funk,” Stratospheerius leap deep into progdom withHeadspace — a smart and satsifying album in which a mandolin-powered instrumental called “Gutterpunk Blues” can straddle a frantic, spot-on cover of The Police’s “Driven to Tears,” and a Jewish heavy metal anthem (“Heavy Shtettle Part II: Heavier Shtettle”) and a solid, fiddle-fueled rocker about a songwriter pissed off because he can’t write a song (“New Material”) book-end a collection of 10 equally fascinating pieces.

Fronted by electric violinist (and guitarist, singer and mandolin man) Joe Deninzon, Stratospheerius veers more heavily from its instrumental past into vocal-based music influenced as much by Bruce Springsteen and Joni Mitchell as Frank Zappa and Bela Fleck, Kansas and The Flower Kings. Hence, these songs tell stories that, coupled with some intense instrumentation that the quartet makes sound way too easy, emerge as substantial pieces of ear candy. And the three instrumentals here improve significantly upon the band’s earlier work.

Despite the unusual shredding (mandolin rules, dude!) and virtuoso aspirations inherent in this music, Headspace resonates with an earthbound freshness that reflects a charming change of direction for a band that’s already established itself as critical darling. The possibilities just became seemingly endless.

Track Listing
1) New Material
2) Old Ghosts
3) Sold Out
4) Today Is Tomorrow
5) Mental Floss
6) Gutterpunk Blues
7) Driven to Tears
8) Yulia
9) Long Rd.
10) Heavy Shtettle Part II: Heavier Shtettle

Added: July 12th 2007
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score: 4 1/2 stars