Joe Deninzon

who: The Levin Brothers w/ Stratospheerius
http://www.thelevinbrothers.com | http://stratospheerius.com/
when: Saturday, March 21st 2015 | 8:00PM Show | 7:00PM Doors
where: Roxy & Dukes | 745 Bound Brook Rd, Dunellen, NJ (map)
cost: Online Presale $32 (includes $2 processing fee)

The internet presale has ended..Walk-ups Day of Show $40 (Cash Only) Beginning at 7PM

Save $5 at the door ($35 total) Cash Only by mentioning the phrase “Live Prog”

The Levin Brothers

http://www.thelevinbrothers.com

PETE LEVIN – piano, organ
TONY LEVIN – upright bass
ERIK LAWRENCE – sax
JEFF SIEGEL – drums

“We grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, where we were trained in Classical music from a young age. But we also loved the 1950’s recordings by jazz bassist Oscar Pettiford and jazz French horn player Julius Watkins; and those have remained influential, even as we went on to other playing. The catchy melodies, deep grooves, and tight solos made that music memorable, and it’s been percolating for years for us to do an album of our own in that style.

“The two of us have crossed musical paths many times over the last decades, having toured together with Paul Simon, and played in each others groups and albums; but we’ve never done a Levin Brothers album ’til now, and it’s pretty special for us.

“After writing material for it over the last few years, we invited outstanding players familiar with the musical territory to join in – guitaristDavid Spinozza, sax player Erik Lawrence and drummer Jeff “Siege” Siegel. Steve Gadd appears as a special guest on the album, playing drums on two songs, “Bassics” and “Fishy Takes A Walk.” (* Tony and Steve’s history dates back to their days in school together, followed by a lot of albums and tours.)

“The sessions took place at Scott Petito’s NRS Studio, in the Woodstock area where we live. The material is all our own, all new compositions except the lovely King Crimson song, “Matte Kudasai.”Because we kept the songs short, there was room for a lot of material on this release; the CD has 14 tracks plus 2 exclusive bonus tracks.

“Another long time wish that’s come true with this release – a vinyl LP version of the music. We’re told that ‘Vinyl is coming back’ and we’re ready for that. In pre-orders, we’re offering a special limited edition LP (1,000) with unique colored vinyl, each signed and numbered by us. The LP has 12 tracks, with a card enclosed to digitally download the CD’s 14 tracks. We’ll also be autographing the first 1,000 CD’s ordered.

“And, to show our appreciation for the support by those of you who help us out by pre-ordering, we’ve asked our friends at Lazy Bones Recordings to share an extra download track with everyone as those pre-orders come in. It’s titled “Azalea” a beautiful song recorded for the project that doesn’t appear anywhere else.”

http://www.thelevinbrothers.com
http://lazybones.com/bands/levin-brothers

Stratospheerius

http://stratospheerius.com/

Stratospheerius members are Joe Deninzon-electric violin/mandolin/vocals), French guitarist Aurelien Budynek (Cindy Blackman, Vernon Reid), bassist Jamie Bishop (The Syn, Francis Dunnery), and drummer Lucianna Padmore (Primordial Jazz Funktet).

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius are releasing four singles throughout 2015, culminating in a full-length album in 2016. The songs will be available for downloads and streaming.

First song is “Behind the Curtain” written by Joe Deninzon.

Stratospheerius’ musical range combines progressive hard rock with elements of jazz, “fiddle funk,” and Gypsy influences. The group was a winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, won the Online People’s Choice Awards in the Cornucopia Festival, and was named “Best Jam Band” in Musician’s Atlas Independent Music Awards. The band has recently been profiled in both PROGRESSION (the Bible of progressive rock) and DOWNBEAT ONLINE.

BLOGCRITICS compares Deninzon to “Jeff Beck (as a) “fiddlemaster with a streak of humor.”

Binghamton’s PRESS & SUN BULLETIN calls the group “innovative.”

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER praises Stratospheerius for its “funky electric violins, driving guitar rhythms, and fevered drumming layered in an explosive fashion.”

The band is on the soundtrack of the Will Ferrell/Adam McKay-produced movie, VIRGINITY HIT.

Joe has written the book on Electric Violin–literally; Mel Bay books has released his “PLUGGING IN: A Guide To Gear and New Techniques for the 21st Century Violinist.” Joe has been called “The Jimi Hendrix of the Electric Violin,” because of his innovative performances on the electric seven-string violin. While leading Stratospheerius since 2001, Joe has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Les Paul, Phoebe Snow, and Ritchie Blackmore, and perfrmed for President Clinton. He can be heard on over 100 recordings and jingles as a violinist and string arranger. He is writing his first electric violin concerto to premiere September, 2015 with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

“Plugging In” by Joe Deninzon available now from Mel Bay Publications

All music and merch available at http://stratospheerius.com/store/
and http://www.joedeninzon.com/discography/

Click here for upcoming performances
www.joedeninzon.com
www.stratospheerius.com
www.facebook.com/stratospheerius
www.reverbnation.com/stratospheerius

Ray Weston

I have been performing live since 1977. The last 25 with echolyn. I know my way around the piano, the guitar and bass, but most of my contributions have been through words and melodies.

I am a cup half empty, waiting for the next bad thing to happen kind of guy. I write from the heart and I’m never afraid to discuss my prior drug use, bouts of depression and the loss of family and friends.

I take these dark subjects and put them over simple chords, then put them to a light hummable melody. I love telling the stories behind all that mess. It’s liberating for myself, as well as the listener. In the end, I think it brings us closer as friends and turns us into one big extended family.

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ fifth album, THE NEXT WORLD charted on the Relix/Jam Band charts at #10, and stayed there for two months. The band recently had a feature story in PROGRESSION magazine in 2013.

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ new album, THE NEXT WORLD celebrates its acclaimed sound–a melodic mixture of progressive hard rock with jam band, funk, jazz, and Gypsy influences. The unique merging of these sounds can be heard in the fiery “Gods,” the energetic power clash in “The Missing Link” and the glorious intro, “Release.” As usual there are wide ranging instrumentals–the superfast “Road Rage” and the soulful “Ballad for Ding Bang,” as well as the post-apocolyptic “Fleshbot.” And Joe & his band bend genres in the electronic/ska-inspired “Tech Support,” the country rock ballad “Climbing,” and the bluesy “The House Always Wins.”

THE NEXT WORLD is chockful of dynamic musicianship, and creative energies of bandmates–leader Joe Deninzon on electric violin and lead vocals, 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.”

The album is dedicated to the memory of Bob Bowen, the bassist in both Stratospheerius and the Joe Deninzon Trio. Bob was killed in a bicycle accident in Manhattan in 2010. Bob’s bass playing can be heard on “The House Always Wins.” He was also a talented visual artist and drew the cover artwork for the album.

Stratospheerius has played at colleges, festivals, and clubs throughout the US. The New York-based group has opened for Tim Reynolds, Mickey Hart, The Slip, Ekoostik Hookah, and John Scofield. The group was a winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, won the Online People’s Choice Awards in the Cornucopia Festival, and was named “Best Jam Band” in Musician’s Atlas Independent Music Awards.

Joe Deninzon is the music world’s expert on alternative violin techniques and has been called the “Jimi Hendrix of the electric violin.” His song “Scarlett’s Waltz” is in the soundtrack of the Will Ferrell-produced movie, VIRGINITY HIT. In January 2012, Mel Bay books published his “PLUGGING IN: A Guide To Gear and New Techniques for the 21st Century Violinist.” A musician who transcends many genres, he has recorded and performed with a variety of artists including Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Everclear, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Les Paul, Phoebe Snow, Jane Monheit, and Robert Bonfiglio among others.

Joe has appeared as a soloist with the New York City Ballet, has performed on MTV and at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, and has played for former President Clinton. His music has been featured on CMT, VH1, ABC, Comedy Central, the Travel Channel, History Channel, Food Network, and National Geographic. An active clinician, Joe has taught at Mark O’Connor’s renowned String Camp and Mark Wood’s Rock Orchestra Camp.

The Levin Brothers w/ Stratospheerius: March 21, 2015

The Levin Brothers

Stratospheerius

Ray Weston | Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius (February 1, 2014)

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Ray Weston

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius