The album highlights include The smash hit “Hysteria,” a reimagined cover of a Muse classic plus 12-minute prog epic titled “Soul Food” which features many special guests also “Dream Diary Cadenza,” a solo electric violin extravaganza lifted from Joe’s electric violin concerto.
“Guilty of Innocence” features special appearances by Alex Skolnick (Testament), Rave Tesar (Renaissance) and Randy McStine (The Fringe).
GUILTY OF INNOCENCE features members: French guitarist Aurelien Budynek (Cindy Blackman, Vernon Reid), bassist Jamie Bishop (The Syn, Francis Dunnery), and drummer Lucianna Padmore, praised by Modern Drummer Magazine for her “Deep grooves and serious fusion chops.”
Track Listing 1. Behind The Curtain 03:34 2. Take Your Medicine 04:09 3. Guilty Of Innocence 03:15 4. Face 05:45 5. Hysteria 04:13 6. Affluenza 03:07 7. Parallel Reality 03:10 8. Game Of Chicken 05:03 9. Dream Diary Cadenza 04:06 10.Soul Food 12:46
What the critics have said. “Stratospheerius does not play what you want; it plays things you didn’t know you wanted.” – Dan Roth, Progression
“combines solid songwriting and tradition with extraordinary electric violin work and the sounds of the future.” – Angel Romero, Progressive Rock Central
“Think a bit of Zappa, the Dixie Dregs or Blues Traveler, with the violin being the focal point. Violinist & singer Joe Deninzon’s talents are flat out phenomenal, and the progressive rock tapestry he weaves around himself is carried out to perfection by his amazing band.” – Mark Waterbury, Music Morsels
“Memorable hooks, gravity-defying instrumental prowess, and a kitchen sink move toward rock If Bela Fleck and Frank Zappa had a love child in outer space, they might grow up to sound like these guys do.” – David Budin, CoolCleveland.com
Director and Videographer Bill Hamilton Brings His Unique Vision to the
First Single From The Next World, Stratospheerius’ Fifth and Most Eclectic
Album-To-Date
Joe Deninzon and Stratospheerius have a new music video, ONE FOOT IN THE NEXT WORLD. RIVEVIDEO will be promoting it. Says RiveVideo owner John Warden, "I really feel this song has all of the rock elements for their hardcore fans, but it also definitely has a Pop sensibility that we want to expose. I even made the target list ‘wider’ to accommodate the sound of the video and to push the envelope for the video of 'One Foot In The Next World.'"
Joe Deninzon and long time video collaborator Bill Hamilton created the video concept based on the band's song "One Foot in the Next World," which attacks politicians and preachers who’s philosophies and policies are not based on reality.
Director Bill Hamilton filmed the band -- Joe Deninzon on electric violin and lead vocals, Aurelien Budynek on guitar and vocals, Jamie Bishop on bass and drummer Lucianna Padmore – in front of an abandoned blast furnace at Bethlehem Steelstax and in Hamilton’s own studio (http://www.beelmedia.com) in Hoboken, NJ. By combining the Steelstax footage with images of a fire dancer (Bulgarian gymnastics star Silviya Taseva) and shots of Deninzon singing the song underwater, Hamilton created a clip that implies the endless struggle between fire and water, heaven and hell, creation and destruction, reality and fantasy.
Musically, “One Foot in the Next World” starts as a straight up rocker, slips into a raga-like interlude for guitar and violin, then features an improvised section that calls to mind the explorations of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Deninzon’s violin work is the thread that holds the tapestry together.
Stratospheerius songs, written by singer/bandleader/electric violinist Joe Deninzon, blend rock, funk, jazz, classical, fusion, singer-songwriter, metal and Eastern European gypsy influences. It’s a mix that makes the music of Stratospheerius hard to pin down. “I hate to use labels,” Joe says. “If we had to use just one, I would call us a progressive rock band, although there are elements of be-bop, ska, pop, bluegrass and everything else in our sound.”
Joe, who has been called “the Jimi Hendrix of the electric violin,” was born in Russia and raised in Cleveland, in a home full of classically trained musicians. He grew up playing classical violin and rock guitar, but hearing Jean-Luc Ponty inspired him to merge his interests. He began blending jazz, classical and rock into his own unique expression. He started playing a six-string Jensen electric violin in 1995, slowly developing his vision for Stratospheerius over the course of five outstanding albums: 1998’s Electric/Blue, credited solely to Deninzon; The Adventures of Stratospheerius (2002); the live set Live Wires (2004); Headspace (2007) and their latest outing The Next World (2012), which debuted on the Relix Jam Band Chart at #10, staying on the charts for the next two months.
“The Next World is moving in a slightly more mainstream direction,” Deninzon explains. “There is more emphasis on the lyrics and songwriting, a bit more rock and a lot of political commentary.” The band launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the video, the post-apocalyptic vision of “One Foot in the Next World.”
The Next World also features the fiery “Gods,” the energetic power clash of “The Missing Link” and the glorious “Release.” The album's instrumentals include the whiplash-inducing “Road Rage,” the soulful “Ballad for Ding Bang,” and “Fleshbot.” Stratospheerius does more genre bending on the electronic/ska of “Tech Support,” the country rock ballad “Climbing” and the bluesy “The House Always Wins.”
Joe is also busy promoting his first book, PLUGGING IN: A Guide To Gear and New Techniques for the 21st Century Violinist (Mel Bay Books, May 2012) http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?productid=22035SET He gives frequent workshops on electric violin technique. While leading Stratospheerius since 2001, he has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Les Paul, Phoebe Snow, Ritchie Blackmore, and Aretha Franklin. He can be heard on over 100 recordings and jingles as a violinist and string arranger, including the NIKE commercial that was repeatedly broadcast during the London Olympics in 2012.
