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 last tuesday 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 hope to have this video edited in May and will definitely notify you all as soon as it’s finished.
Upcoming events for violinist Joe Deninzon (www.joedeninzon.com) and Stratospheerius (www.stratospheerius.com) February/March, 2013
Hello there!
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:
Friday, February 15th 9:00 P.M.
Cyber Café West
176 Main St.,
Binghamton, NY 13905
(607) 723-2456
NO COVER!
Friday, March 22nd, 10:00 P.M.
Olive’s
118 Main St.
Nyack, NY 10960
845-353-4377
Stratospheerius is:
Joe Deninzon: electric violin/vocals/mandolin
Lucianna Padmore-drums
Jamie Bishop -bass/vocals
Aurelien Budynek-guitar/vocals
STRATOSPHEERIUS T-SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE!
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: http://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
Stratospheerius explores ‘Next World’ tonight at Sherlock’s
BY DAVE RICHARDS, Erie Times-News
Staff writer
Growing up, Joe Deninzon worshipped great guitarists such as Steve Vai and Jimi Hendrix, which doesn’t sound unusual except for this: He plays violin.
“From a writing standpoint and a performance standpoint, I was listening to guys like (Vai), even as a violinist, more than Itzhak Perlman or Jascha Heifetz,” Deninzon said. “I liked great guitar players like that who were also great showmen and entertainers. That’s what I strive for.”
With Joe Deninzon and Stratospheerius, he pulls off the unthinkable — leading a rock band with supercharged violin work that is — to his pleasure — signed to Vai’s record label.
“The Next World,” Stratospheerius’ latest CD, showcases a virtuoso band that dazzles technically and relishes stylistic diversity. The CD dives into progressive rock, fusion, hard rock, blues and, on “Tech Support,” electronica.
It’s all over the place, yet rocks with such conviction and impressive chops that it hardly matters.
“I always like a lot of different flavors every time I go to get a bagel or any kind of flavor of ice cream,” Deninzon said. “I’m always a guy who hates making up his mind.”
So he tries everything, though “Next World” finds the band especially diving into progressive rock.
“It’s a natural progression,” Deninzon said. “I started writing more songs with lyrics and singing more in the band. I’ve always been a fan of bands like Rush and Yes, bands with really great instrumental prowess but also great vocals and lyrics. So, its something I wanted to incorporate. Try to find a way to do it in cool way musically that works.”
“The Prism,” a CD highlight, features a Zeppelinesque feel.
“It’s kind of got a ‘Kashmir’ meets ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ meets whatever else feel,” Deninzon said, with a laugh. “I imagined it to be one of those epic songs. For that, I overdubbed a lot of strings. I have an octave violin tuned like a cello, so I cover cello, viola and violin parts. I wanted it to sound like a huge string (section).”
“Release” races with a Muse-like approach, while “Gods” features a crushing hook. Deninzon spent three years on the CD, which is nominated for best progressive rock album of 2012 by ProgressiveRockCentral.com, alongside works by Ian Anderson and Steve Hackett.
At Sherlock’s, Deninzon will rely on his trusty Viper, a seven-string violin that he can tune down to cello and lower, and an acoustic one. And while his kinetic playing is the focal point, don’t overlook his powerhouse band with drummer Lucianna Padmore, guitarist Aurelian Budynek and bassist Jamie Bishop. They have more chops than a black belt. They couldn’t do punk if they tried.
“Any time you have a rock band full of music nerds, you’re going to get crazy time signatures and modulation and a lot of different stuff you can dig around,” Deninzon said. “If I wanted to form a punk band, it’d be hard for me stay in character, as much as I love the Sex Pistols, Ramones and Clash. You gotta be who you are. If you’re not honest with yourself and your music, people feel it. You got to accept who you are and go with it.”
