We are psyched, overwhelmed with giddiness and excitement to share with you the official release of the new Stratospheerius double LIVE CD/DVD/BLU RAY: “Behind the Curtain (Live at ProgStock)!” We have almost 2 hrs of music taken from our 2019 and 2021 performance at our favorite music festival, ProgStock in Rahway, NJ. During the pandemic, I learned to edit videos, and this baby was. LOT of editing! The world changed during the pandemic, and these performances are a snapshot of where we were before, and after the world turned upside down. The 2021 performance features guest appearances by our good friend Alex Skolnick (guitarist from Testament and former guitarist from Stratospheerius) and Rachel Flowers , the blind multi-instrumental genius, who joins us on piano and flute. All these performances were completely spontaneous with little or no rehearsal, and we were able to capture lightning in a bottle! We want to thank our mixing engineer, Matt Vanacoro, mastering engineer Dave Kerzner, assistant editor David P. Levin, Melodic Revolution Records president Nick Katona, our manager Anne Leighton, and our graphics designer/DVD author Joel Barrios, for countless hours that they devoted to this project. Big thank you to Tom Palmieri and Ann Rinaldi for creating the festival and keeping it alive, and for all the volunteers who work there! This is the culmination of three years of work, and we’re very proud of it and can’t wait to share it with you! The official release date is May 19th! But you can pre-order it if you click on the graphic below!
Celebrate the CD Release with us on May 31st at the Iridium NYC!
Join us on Wednesday, May 31st for our live CD/DVD release party at NYC’s greatest rock/jazz/fusion venue, The Iridium!
Opening the night will be our good friend and longtime collaborator, guitarist/singer/songwriter Randy McStine from Porcupine Tree.
And joining us on stage will be our 5th member, keyboardist/vocalist Bill Hubauer, best known for his work with Neal Morse and his. band, “We Came from Space.”
Here are two of our favorite videos from the upcoming live release; “Game of Chicken,” and “Spain (Feat. Rachel Flowers & Alex Skolnick.”
Indiegogo THANK YOU!
Our Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the new Stratospheerius live and studio albums is officially over. We have surpassed our goal of raising $10k, and have had over 150 contributors from all over the United States, Canada, Germany, the UK, Belgium, and France! We are extremely grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support! If you are among the contributors, please know that we are in the process of organizing all the perks and will get them to you before the end of the month! Thank you for your patience an your support!
While I look forward to all the super cool performances, recordings, and other projects awaiting me in the coming months, I write this with a heavy heart. My family is from Russia. My grandparents and their ancestors on my father’s side were from Ukraine. We have many close friends from the Ukraine. Our hearts are breaking for the unprovoked invasion by the tyrant Putin and the unbelievable hardships the people of Ukraine are going through. We pray for peace and a swift end to this terrible war, for Putin to be removed from of power and punished for war crimes, and the Ukraine to be rebuilt and restored to the thriving democracy it deserves to be. We are also concerned that ignorant people in the United States and other countries do not blame Russian immigrants living among them for the invasion. People have to realize that we escaped this country decades ago because we distrusted its government and couldn’t see a future for our kids there. Most Russians I know, even the ones living in Russia who can’t speak openly about it, condemn this invasion and despise the many who started it.
If you want to help people in Ukraine, a good thing to do is reserve an Air BNB. While you don’t plan on traveling and staying in the Ukraine, you are supporting the folks that own the Air BNB and helping them provide for their families.
The Stratospheerius double live DVD/CD is moving forward. Expected release date is sometime in September, in the meantime, we’re dropping singles every few months just to tease ya! The next one, “The Prism,” is due out on April 8th.
In the meantime, please check out our last SINGLE (the first single form this album) and video “Game of Chicken!”
Saturday, April 17th: performing at ROSfest (Sarasota, Fla)
Joe Deninzon performs at ROSfest (www.rosfest.org)
ROSfest is one of the biggest progressive rock festivals in the world and takes place at the Sarasota Opera House
3 PM, I’ll be playing a solo set in the beer garden outside of the theater, as pat of the Minstrels in the Garden series.
8 PM, I’ll be on the main stage, performing with my friend keyboardist Dave Kerzner (Sound of Contact) and his all-star band, which includes:
Bill Sherwood-bass (Yes)
Fernando Perdomo-guitar (Jacob Dylan)
Durga McBroom-vocals (Pink Floyd)
Nick D’Virgilio-drums (Genesis, Spocks Beard, Big Big Train)
Stratospheerius is back on stage!!
We’ve been writing, recording, mixing, editing, and editing some more. But now, we are emerging from our musical manacles for a bit to perform for you all again! Two NY-area shows April 29th and May 12th.
Friday April 29th
9 PM-1 AM
Sonic Voyage Fest presents:
Brooklyn Raga Massive (celebrating the music of John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Shakti)
Joe Deninzon & Strastospheerius https://fb.me/e/3eucrqHdt
Olive’s
118 N. Main St.
Nyack, NY
Thursday, May 12th
Electric Violin Summit with
One More Once feat John Dinklage (Rush)
Stratospheerius feat Joe Deninzon
My wife, NY–Phil violinist Yulia Ziskel was recently interviewed by my old friend and former bandmate, legendary Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick for his awesome podcast, “Moods and Modes,” in conjunction with WQXR. The topic was “Heavy Classical,” turning rock and metal fans on to classical music and finding threads that connect the two genres. Here is the main link to hear the podcast.
If you join right now for as low as $5 per month, I’ll send you my complete digital music catalogue as a FREE gift! Furthermore, you’ll get monthly gig diaries, unreleased downloads, exclusive behind-the-scenes stuff, and early FREE access to anything I release, as a solo artist or with Stratospheerius. We’re hard at work putting the finish touches on our live album and DVD, as well as a new studio album. It’s gonna cost a LOT to manufacture and promote both of these projects, so any help from you, my friends would be greatly appreciated. In return, I will bring you into my crazy world and share my stories, my music, and my heart and soul.
Take care of yourselves and pay for peace on earth. See ya out there!!
Looking for some gifts and stocking stuffers?
We got em RIGHT HERE!
For a limited time, all the music and merch on the Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius Bandcamp pages is …..well…CHEAPER!
Downloads: 75¢
CD’s: Only $5!
T-shirts-15 (Marked down from $20
Mugs-$12
Vinyl-$15 (Marked down from $20)
Dec 3rd, Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius release first single/video from upcoming live DVD!
On Friday, December 3rd, I’m celebrating my birthday by releasing the first single off Stratospheerius upcoming “Live at Progstock” CD/DVD, titled “Game of Chicken.”
Join the viewing party at 9:00 P.M. EST THIS FRIDAY!
We’ll be premiering the live video on YouTube and dropping the single on Bandcamp and all streaming services.
Here’s the link for the Youtube premier!
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius news FALL 2021 All the news that’s fit to print about violinist/singer/composer Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius
For Your Consideration
To all our friends who are voting members of NARAS:
Stratospheerius released two singles in the past year that qualify for consideration; “Cognitive Dissonance” (featuring Rany McStine) and “Storm Surge” (featuring Michael Sadler, Rachel Flowers, Fernando Perdomo, and Ruti Celli.) Here is the info, with a link to the page on my website where you ca check out the songs and their videos. If you’re a member of NARAS, please review these songs when time allows. We humbly thank your your consideration. https://joedeninzon.com/for-your-consideration/
SHOWS, SHOWS AND MORE SHOWS!!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Stratospheerius is proud to announce that after a very long hiatus and barring unforeseen circumstances, we will be returning to the stage this fall! Three, count em, THREE NY-area shows!
Greetings and salutations, friends! It’s really hard to believe it’s been a year since this whole madness started. The other day, a friend told me that he has anxiety dreams where he left the house for work and he’s NOT wearing a mask! You know we’re in a messed up place where pandemic life is so normalized, that we’re having anxiety dreams about NORMAL times!
The good news is that gigs are getting booked, and people are starting to plan concerts again. Live music is gradually coming back! STAY TUNED…
What were YOU doing one year ago right before the world changed? I’ll tell you what I was doing.
I took my last flights to and from Orlando, FL for the annual ASTA (American String Teachers Association) National Conference. I’ve been involved with this organization for a decade now and have given presentations at the conference every year. Anyway, last year I was there to giver a masterclass and a workshop on “Live Looping and Arranging with your School Orchestra.” but the highlight for me was an unforgettable performance on Thursday Night organized by my good friend Jesus Florido. This was a night dedicated to featuring electric string players. Jesus recruited Al DiMeola’s rhythm section to be the house band, and the concert included him, myself, Martha Mooke, Tracy Silverman, Mark Wood, and we had special guests like cellist Greg Byers, legendary fiddler Mark O’Connor and his wife Maggie, and fiddle badass Vi Wikham jump on stage. It was truly an all-star cast and the vibe was magical, as was the hang with all the presenters and students that weekend. I also got to crash and hang out with the head of my label, Melodic Revolution Records, Nick Katonah and his lovely wife Jennifer.
As soon as I flew back, I did a 4-day regional tour in NY/NJ with Stratospheerius, Potter’s Daughter, and Dark Beauty. The final show we played was at Olive’s in Nyack, NY on Saturday, March 14th, just as it felt like the world was ending and everything was shutting down. Every night as attendance dwindled and attendance was sparse, all the bands took a vote whether to cancel the next concert. Each night, the majority voted to continue and get through the tour before going into quarantine. Talk about raging against the dying of the light! I joked that it felt like we were that string quartet playing on the Titanic as it was sinking. The love and camaraderie between the bands was so beautiful and those who attended the shows were really grateful that we played. Looking back one year later, I have no regrets. Here’s a group pic from our last show on March 14th, 2020.
We are sitting on some very exciting projects right now; a new live album and DVD due out later this year and a new studio album due out next year! We’ve released four singles from the album already, but wait until you hear the epic, gargantuan juggernaut of a song we are putting together as we speak! This is probably the most ambitious song this band has ever written or recorded. Just wait (hee hee hee. Rubs hands together ).
Stratospheerius is proud to release our new song, “Cognitive Dissonance.” The track features special guest vocalist, Randy McStine. Randy is a rising star in the prog world, having toured with Sound of Contact, Robben Ford, Stu Hamm, Jane Getter, and recently putting out two amazing albums with the great drummer Marco Minneman. Randy is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, having toured with our band on guitar, bass, and drums! He’s also an incredible singer/songwriter.
Cognitive Dissonance is tells the story of how we are born a blank slate. Over time, our elders teach us who we’re supposed to hate, whether on religious, racial,or politically ideological grounds.We wanted to use green and red claymation characters to represent two opposing sides. In the first verse, they’re kids playing soccer, then the mother shows up and breaks up the play, pointing at the red guy and staying he’s evil and not to be trusted.
Second verse, the characters get older and spew hate on social media on their cell phones. You see shit flying out of the phones and turning into little shit men fighting. The second verse also has imagery of abeating heart representing a ticking time bomb, a baby with innocent eyes, and a brief scene of a mob with torches on the line “let’s start a fire and burn this whole place to the ground.”
I wrote these lyrics a year ago but with recent events on January 6th, they were eerily prophetic.
The big jam at the end has the claymation characters don instruments and do battle in a fiery abyss, finally exploding into the along with the planet they inhabit, melting into the cosmos, eternal prisoners of their own hatred for each other, the memory of the innocent childhood playdate erased.
We interspersed the claymation with performance footage. All the footage was shot in quarantine but we wanted to spice it up with some visual effects to break up the monotony of the typical “quarantine” video.
Thanks to our good friend/drummer extraordinaire, Patrick Carmichael for the claymation.
Recorded by Rave Tesar. Mixed and mastered by Rich Mouser. Artwork by Nick Katona. Video editing by Joe Deninzon.
I am currently accepting new students. Sign up for lessons with me through www.stringmasters.com and get a complimentary 30 min introductory lesson!
Learn about fundamental techniques and repertoire, classical, rock, jazz, funk, chop and groove techniques, fiddle styles, gear, and more! Acoustic and electric players are welcome. Also, check out my new lesson series on the site, “Chop Til You Drop.”
If you want to be in the INNER CIRCLE. Get monthly unreleased bootlegs, song sketches, free swag, concert tickets, be privy to my innermost thoughts and secrets, please join my Patreon. For as little as $5, you’ll get a lot of free goodies and you’ll be helping me feed my music habit.
Finally, pleas visit my bandcamp page if you want downloads, vinyl, mugs, t-shirts, books, and more.
Also, I now have 114 string arrangements on sheet music plus of original material and covers. if you have a string duo, trio, quartet, or string orchestra, check out my selections. Much more to come….
Stay safe, get vaccinated, and I look forward to seeing all of you face to face and trading in the virtual hugs for some real ones.
