DENINZONEWS
All the news that’s fit to print about violinist/composer/singer
Joe Deninzon
Greetings, beautiful people of the Earth!
Happy Spring!
Joe D here coming atcha. It’s that time of year when the weather up here in NJ is teasing us. One week, it’s in the 80s, next week it’s in the 40’s. You blink, and summer has turned back to spring again. It’s easy to fuck up and not dress for the weather. Oh well, it’ll get blazing hot and stay blazing hot before we know it, so I’m trying to enjoy the chilly weather while I can.
Anyway, lot’s cooking in my world, as always. Here’s where I’ve been and where I’m going.
Recent Happenings
Stratospheerius & Jane Getter rocked the Iridium
On March 1st, Stratospheerius returned to the legendary Iridium Club in NYC for the third time!
This time, we co-billed with the great guitarist/songwriter Jane Getter. Joining our band was Neil “Nail” Alexander on keys and Jeff Koch on bass. The place was packed, and the audience also included our friend Derek Schulman, the legendary singer of Gentle Giant and label executive who discovered Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, Nickelback, and Pantera, to name a few. Here are some photos from that gig. Because of my busy summer with Kansas, Stratospheerius will hit the stage again in the fall.
Joe Deninzon returns to Fiddle Hell
Those of you who know me well know that I love to teach. Fiddle Hell is a twice-a-year event where a bunch of fiddleheads spend three days in a hotel in Western Massachusetts gaming and taking classes on e very style imaginable from over 30 faculty members! I have always been one of the rock guys, and have taught at the camp twice in person. This year the regular hotel was undergoing renovations, so Fiddle Hell was virtual, which allowed me to teach from my hotel room on the road. I had a blast teaching “Rock 101” and “How to Play the Solo from Stairway to Heaven.” The first class focused on the building blocks of rock & roll for people new to the style, namely power chords and blues scales. The second focused on internalizing great solos in order to build your own vocabulary of riffs. Thanks to founder Dave Reiner for having me back!
Kansas on the 70’s Rock & Romance Cruise
In late March, Kansas finally got to headline the 70’s Rock and Romance Cruise, after our singer Ronnie Platt’s thyroid cancer diagnosis last year forced us to cancel. It was a blast playing alongside artists like Jeff Skunk Baxter, Alan Parsons, Leonid and Friends, and America, to name a few. Here is an interview the whole band did on the cruise.
Kansas on SNL!
It never ceases to amaze me how much Kansas music has become a part of our culture’s tapestry and how timeless the music is!
On April 4th, Jack Black hosted SNL. A segment aired titled “Husbands.” In the segment, a bunch of married girlfriends get together to socialize. Their husbands, who seemingly have nothing in common, are stuck in the basement trying to awkwardly start a conversation. All of a sudden, Jack Black’s character starts singing “Carry on Wayward Son,” ripping off his clothes to reveal a skintight jump suit. One by one, each guy knows the song and joins in, also ripping off their clothes to reveal the jump suit underneath. It’s a hilarious segment and ALWAYS great advertising for the band, introducing our music to new generations! You can watch the segment below. A fan made this hilarious photo where they inserted our faces over the SNL cast from the segment.
Upcoming and New
Kansas Tours with Deep Purple and Jefferson Starship this Summer!
Deep Purple is one of mine and Yulia’s favorite bands of all time! Yulia grew up listening to Deep Purple in Soviet Russia, which was technically illegal. I also had the pleasure to record with Ritchie Blackmore (original DP guitarist and the man who wrote “Smoke on the Water”) back in 2006 for his Blackmore’s Knight album “Ghost of a Rose.”
It will be an unforgettable experience touring with Deep Purple and our friends Jefferson Stasrship this summer from August-mid September. We are also kicking off the summer once again co-headlining with 38 Special!
You can see all of Kansas’ upcoming shows and ticket links at KANSASBAND.COM
Phil Ehart, drummer and manager of Kansas, releases his memoirs
Just got my copy of “I Am Phil,” the new memoir by my boss, Phil Ehart. Phil has played drums on every song Kansas has ever recorded and has managed the band for 40 years! He has navigated numerous personnel changes and weathered all kinds of storms. If it wasn’t for this man, Kansas would not be touring today. I had the honor of sharing the stage with Phil every night from May of 2023 when I joined the band to early February of ‘24 when a near fatal heat attack forced him to step back from touring and run the band from his home. It’s still always a blast when Phil comes back and sits in with us.
My gratitude and respect for this man knows no bounds. I’m excited to dig into this book and read about his journey. You can get the book HERE!
Phil also gave a nice shoutout to me and Stratospheerius on page 309!
Joe Deninzon Interview for Lazie Indy Magazine
This was a fun interview where I literally got to think about my answers and write the out, so the possibility of inserting my foot in my mouth was entirely eliminated. I talked about all the things.
May 5th, NJCU Grand Finale
It’s been a blast teaching adjunct at the NJCU Multi-Styles Strings program. Thank you to Martha Mooke for her passion and foresight and for helping develop some ground-breaking young musicians.
On May 5th, the program will celebrate its grand finale with an all-star concert, tying in with my friend Noah Gruenberg’s Master’s project; “Currents: In Search of Electric Violin Concertos.”
The program includes two movements from my Concerto (performers by me and Matt Bell), and performances by Rudolf Haken, Chuck Bontrager, Scifi Ensemble, and more!!
More information available HERE!
Introducing: AriannaD!
Ladies and gents,
Arianna’s debut single & video is now live! This was a father-daughter project during one of her school breaks last year. She wrote this song herself at age 12. Music and lyrics! I gave her some guidance, but it’s entirely her creation. This is the first song she ever wrote!
We laid down some tracks and she sang all the vocals and played acoustic guitar. I played everything else.
Jason Gianni laid down a drum track.
Zak Rizvi (guitarist/producer from Kansas) mixed and mastered it.
Video filmed and directed by David P. Levin.
Hair & Makeup by Cheryl Esposito.
Photography by Yolanda Perez.
Thank you to everyone who worked on this project! Here’s more about the song:
“I Can’t Take it Anymore,” is the debut single from 13-year-old singer-songwriter Arianna D. The track is an emotionally-driven pop breakup anthem that tells the story of a relationship unraveling in real time. The song balances raw vulnerability with self-worth; the space where heartbreak and empowerment collide .The first chapter of what promises to be a long and remarkable musical journey.
Here is a link where you can stream the song on your favorite platform!
You can follow her on Instagram. @ariannadmusic
….AAAAND Here’s the video!
Thank you for watching & listening.
More to come…
Stratospheerius New Mugs for Sale
Enjoy a cup of Joe……..Deninzon & Stratospheerius!
Our new mugs, featuring the “Impostor!” Album cover art by Jody Gianni, are available now on our Bandcamp Page!
Hope that’s enough for you, cause if it ain’t… I don’t know what else you people want from me. You vey!
Rock on and hope to see you down the road!
Cheers,
-JD
