Renowned
electric violinist & his band joining innovative Prog & Art Rock Label
New album due out October 11th.
7D Media is pleased to announce
the signing of Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius to its progressive and art
rock, instrumental roster. Kansas violinist/guitarist Joe Deninzon is
also the frontman and lead singer of Stratospheerius, which features bandmates;
guitarist Michelangelo Quirinale (Thrilldriver), keyboardist Bill Hubauer (Neal
Morse Band, Crack the Sky), bassist Paul Ranieri (Mark Wood, Riot Act), and
drummer Jason Gianni (The Ultimate Queen Celebration, Trans-Siberian
Orchestra, Rock of Ages, Neal Morse Band).
7D Media will be releasing the
band’s 6th album, “Impostor!” on October 11. The
album features favorite prog rock musicians including Michael Sadler (Saga),
Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree), Fernando Perdomo (Jacob Dylan), Chloe Lowry
(Trans Siberian Orchestra), Val Vigoda (Groovelilly), and multi-instrumentalist
Rachel Flowers. Produced by Joe Deninzon, “Impostor!” was
mixed and mastered by Rich Mouser (Neal Morse, Dream Theater, Tears for Fears).
Progressive Rock
Central’s Angel Romero has described Joe as “Perhaps the finest electric
violinist of his generation.”
Label head Trey Gunn says, "I am super excited to have Joe joining our
field of innovating artists here at 7D.He
is a perfect fit."
7D Media is an independent
record label founded by musician Trey Gunn, known for his work with the progressive
rock band King Crimson. Established to provide a platform for innovative and
boundary-pushing artists, 7D Media focuses on producing and distributing
high-quality music that defies genre limitations. The label supports a diverse
range of musicians and composers, emphasizing creativity and artistic freedom.
With Gunn's extensive experience in the music industry, 7D Media has cultivated
a reputation for excellence and a commitment to fostering unique musical
voices.
Beloved
ProgRock Band Keeps “Climbing,” Hitting The Number 8 Slot
Joe
Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ “Behind the Curtain (Live at
ProgStock)” box set (Melodic Revolution Records (Amplified
Distribution) has broken the top ten at Number 8 on the Jam Band/ Relix Radio
Charts. During the summer, in July the group was also in the top ten, and began
to sink to 29. But then the students came back, and liked what they heard
in the band’s music.
Radio promoter David Avery at Powderfinger Promo says the value of
the placement is career-empowering for musician-oriented rock bands, “The
high-profile monthly radio chart published by Relix and Jambands.com is the chart of record for music that
falls under the Jamband music category. With regular releases coming out by
Gov't Mule, Phish, Leftover Salmon, The Wood Brother, et al, it is also a very
competitive chart that bookers, managers, and record labels keep a close
eye on.”
Part of
the reconnection came about through music people’s awareness of Joe joining
classic prog rock band Kansas this past May, and all the work and promotion Joe
Deninzon & Stratospheerius and his record label Melodic Revolution/Amplified Distribution has done through the years, including playing festivals, and the
group working in education. Joe’s authored the violin instruction book,
“Pluggin’ In” and has taught in schools and music camps all over the
world.
The media
is playing a role, too. “Behind The Curtain (Live at ProgStock)” received
major support:
Prog UK: “two spirited sets packed with hooks
and chops, and delivered with decidedly American zeal.”
ProgArchives: "this collection is just
stunning"
Powerplay: “…all top talent musicians, who
show exactly what they can do but always in service of the song. And these
songs deserve all the servicing they can get.”
Goldmine:
“The band, is outstanding — drummer Jason Gianni, guitarist Michelangelo
Quirinale, and bassist Paul Ranieri are all strong players, and are
collectively a very tight and well-rehearsed unit. And with the way Deninzon
swoops, chops, and coaxes all manner of noises out of his violin, he certainly
lives up to the “Jimi Hendrix of violin” label he’s gotten from the
press.”
Strings: “I noticed the audience seems to be very
attentive, unlike what you hear in live recordings of other rock ’n’ roll
shows.
The group will be releasing a to-be-announced music video
soon.
The boxset (2 CDs/DVD/Blu-Ray) “Behind the Curtain
(Live at ProgStock)” is three years in the making; the collection is
made up of Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ 2019 and 2021 live performances
at the ultimate Northeast progressive rock festival, ProgStock.
Joe is
the new violinist with legendary rockers Kansas, now on tour celebrating their
50th anniversary. He has played violin for the Who, Bruce Springsteen, 50Cent,
Sheryl Crow, and as the concertmaster for Renaissance. The other Stratospheerius bandmembers have a great heritage, as
well: Jason Gianni-drums (The Ultimate Queen Celebration, Trans-Siberian
Orchestra, Rock of Ages, Neal Morse Band), Michelangelo Quirinale-guitar
(Thrilldriver), and Paul Ranieri-bass (Mark Wood, Riot Act).
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius are
celebrating the release of their long awaited new double live CD/Blu-ray box
set, “Behind the Curtain (Live at ProgStock)” with their first headline
show at the Iridium on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Bill Hubauer, who has been playing keyboards for
the group’s next studio album, will be sitting in with the band.
Guitarist/singer/songwiter Randy McStine is
opening the show with a solo set.
Composers Now are co-sponsoring this concert and
celebration of the release of Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ upcoming
CD/ Blu-ray, “Behind the Curtain (Live at ProgStock)” due out
May 19 on Melodic Revolution Records. “(Live at ProgStock)”features
live performances of Stratospheerius at ProgStock’s 2019 and 2021 music
festival, which is the top progressive rock event of the year in the Northeast.
The band performs songs that will be on their 2024 release, “Impostor” as well
as songs from his previous 5 albums. The new live record includes covers of
King Crimson’s “Frame by Frame, muse’s "Hysteria,” and Chick Corea’s
“Spain” with guests pianist/flutist Rachel Flowers and guitarist Alex Skolnick
(Testament) who was a member of the band in their earlier
incarnations.
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ most recent
album, “Guilty of Innocence” reached #4 on the Jamband/Relix charts in
North America, and broke the European Top 200 Indy releases at 72. The
group, which has 5 albums out, are signed to Melodic Revolution
Records.
Joe and his bandmembers (Jason Gianni-drums (The
Ultimate Queen Celebration, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rock of Ages, Neal
Morse Band), Michaelangelo Quirinale-guitar (Thrilldriver), and Paul
Ranieri-bass (Mark Wood, Riot Act), have streamed over 3 million times on
Spotify and other streaming services.
A multi-instrumentalist hailing from Western
Pennsylvania, Bill is most well known for his work with The Neal Morse Band
(NMB) and in particular, for his keyboard, writing, and vocal contributions for
their two landmark albums “The Similitude of a Dream”, and “The Great
Adventure”. More recently Bill’s Prog/Pop band We Came From
Space is starting to get a lot of attention with their release “Overlords”.
Randy McStine is a multi-instrumentalist,
vocalist, songwriter and producer whose diverse career as a solo artist and
side-man has led to collaborations with members of King Crimson, Joe Satriani,
UFO, Tears For Fears, Miles Davis, King’s X and many more.
Randy’s solo work embraces genres such as Rock, Progressive, Blues,
Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Pop, and Ambient music. In 2020, he formed McStine
& Minnemann with acclaimed drummer and composer, Marco Minnemann. The duo
has recorded and released two albums, and made their live debut in 2022.
Randy is currently working on new solo music, while serving as a touring
member of Porcupine Tree, who returned in 2022 with a new
album and world tour after a 12-year hiatus.
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius are releasing “Cognitive
Dissonance,” their first song of the year, on January 30th, 2021, with a video
to follow in late February. The video is a clay-mation collaboration with
Patrick Carmichael, who has subbed on drums for the band through the
years.
“Cognitive Dissonance”’s first verse deals with the confusion we
go through, when elders and leaders influence us to change our minds with their
negative feelings on those we care about. “We are all born innocent, free of
prejudice and hatred, but our elders make us carry a heavy burden, which can last
our whole lives. Hatred is taught, we are not born with it,” explains Joe. “We
all see children that are terrified by friends that are their same ages,
because their parents have taught them negative things about other religions,
ethnicities, genders, skin colors, political ideologies….” He says prejudicial
teachings “can create “cognitive dissonance” in anyone’s mind when they’re told
their friends are ‘evil’ because they have different roots.”
The second verse deals with political and ideological intolerance.
“There’s rising extremism, and it’s been this way for decades. People are
prisoners of fake news, social media echo chamber bubbles, and politicians who
reinforce conspiracy theories and retweet them to their followers. The line ‘No
one can touch us now’ refers to people hiding behind their screens, spewing the
deep-rooted hatred without fear of physical retaliation. Even though I wrote
the song a year ago, I think it eerily speaks to recent events.”
“It’s easy to write about our high ideals and our wishes for world
peace, but when you have a gun pointed to your head or your business is burning
down, it’s a rude awakening about how nasty the world really is. The big
collective guitar/electric violin solo at the end represents two sides screaming
at each other, full of hatred, fading out screaming, never reaching an
understanding or resolving anything.”
Multi-instrumentalist Randy McStine, who has subbed in
Stratospheerius on guitar, bass, and drums, has played on a few of the band’s
songs: “Soul Food” and “Impostor.” His voice blends with Joe’s, that “we
thought it’d be cool to have him sing lead on the second version of ‘Cognitive
Dissonance.’”
The group’s influences include Yes, Spock’s Beard, Muse, Frank
Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and King Crimson. Stratospheerius was a winner of
the John Lennon International Songwriting Competition the Musicians Atlas
Independent Music Awards. They have been featured in Progression, Relix,
Downbeat, and Jazziz, among other publications. Their last album on Melodic
Revolution Records, “Guilty of Innocence,” has been widely acclaimed by
critics and fans. Joe has played violin in orchestras for Bruce
Springsteen, the Who, Sheryl Crow, 50 Cent, and Renaissance, for whom he’s
their concert master.
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE lyrics
I had a childhood friend
Sworn together til the end
Playing tag and wrestling
Talking about the birds and bees
He asks if I believe in God
And then I tell him what’s my story
He says I’m gonna burn in hell
Because that’s what his parents told him
Hatred is taught
truth just can’t be bought
All of our lives
We think that we’re so wise
But It cuts you down size
When it’s staring in your eyes
We’re born with open hearts
And a blank slate on our souls
Old grudges we are forced to bear
poison the water
& put-up the walls
Safely behind our screens
Spewing trolling scapegoating
No one can touch us now
Lets start a fire and burn this whole place to the
ground
