with Friends—his band Stratospheerius, Randy McStine, The Tea Club, and Dave Bainbridge—Dec. 15 online and in person from Rutherford, NJ
Kansas violinist Joe Deninzon & his band Stratospheerius celebrate the release of their new album, “Impostor!” & Joe’s 50th Birthday!
With very special guests:
The Tea Club (featuring Kansas bassist Dan McGowan)
Dave Bainbridge (The Strawbs, Lifesigns)
Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson)
The ProgStock-sponsored celebration and event takes place on Sunday, December 15th, at 6:30 PM, at the Black Box Theater at the Williams Center, 15 Sylvan Street, in Rutherford, NJ 07070.
For more information, please call 973-886-6077.
This very special concert-celebration will be streamed worldwide on StageIt at 6:30 PM ET /3:30 PM PT /and Monday morning at 12:30 AM Amsterdam time as its happening on Sunday December 15th. StageIt tickets are available for $10 at ProgStock Festival is on StageItIn-person tickets range from $32.08-$47.56 (service fees included in these prices) and are available at progstock.simpletix.com The Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1NC5Cb4wvh
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius
Stratospheerius is Joe Deninzon (Electric violin/lead vocal), Jason Gianni (drums/background vocals), Michelangelo Quirinale (guitar/background vocals), Bill Hubuaer (keys/background vocals), Dan Asher (bass). The group’s new album, “Impostor!” (on Trey Gunn’s 7d Media) is on over 100 radio stations across world, with more plays than ever on streaming media, acclaim, and still growing.
Thankful for this 50th birthday celebration, Joe is looking forward to connecting with fans and friends on December 15. He says, “With my crazy Kansas touring schedule, my band Stratospheerius only gets to do a handful of shows during the year. I’m psyched to celebrate my birthday and the release of our new album at the Williams Center alongside some of my favorite artists on the planet! The audience is in for a treat!”
Dave Bainbridge
Dave Bainbridge is musician, composer, artist, and producer who co-formed the Celtic Prog Band Iona, who were popular from 1989 through 2015. He joined the Strawbs and Lifesigns. He and Sally Minnear (daughter of Gentle Giant keyboardist Kerry Minnear) released a recent collaboration, “Live in the Studio.” Dave has been in the Top 4 of Prog Magazine’s Top Ten Guitarist in their annual readers poll every year since 2021.Dave sat in with Stratospheerius in Baltimore; and we hear that he’ll play guitar on one of the band’s classic songs in Rutherford!
Randy McStine
Most known as a great collaborator, including as a member of Porcupine Tree, McStine and Minnemann, and Dave Kerzner’s prog/symphonic group In Continuum, the multi-instrumentalist Randy is also working solo artist. Currently on tour, opening for the Pineapple Thief, his three solo albums have featured special guests including Nick D’Virgilio (notably of Spock’s Bear), Kings’ X’s Doug Pinnick, and Porcupine Tree’s Gavin Harrison and Colin Edwin.
Randy’s played every notable rock instrument (guitar, bass, drums) as a substitute in Stratospheerius through the years. Quips Joe, “If he learns violin, he’ll fill in for me!”
The Tea Club
The Tea Club is fronted by the songwriting team of brothers Patrick and Dan McGowan whose unorthodox guitar playing and fervent singing form the core of the group’s unique art-rock, folk, electronica, and romanticism style. Bassist Jamie Wolff and drummer Dan Monda draw upon their shared love of dynamics and melody to create a raucously sophisticated rhythm section. Joe Dorsey helms the keyboards and brings boundless energy, virtuosity, and a forward-thinking approach to the compositions.
Their latest record If / When is daringly personal, exploring themes of death, failure, new life, and hope. Dan McGowan and Joe share the stage most every weekend in Kansas, but it was originally at ProgStock Festivals that Joe and Dan, and the rest of their bands fell in love with each other’s music!
The first single “Outrage Olympics” is now streaming on all digital platforms. Plus the album Impostor! is available for pre-order on Bandcamp and the 7D Media website.
Led by the remarkable Kansas violinist/guitarist Joe Deninzon, who also serves as the frontman and lead singer, Stratospheerius boasts a talented lineup including guitarist Michelangelo Quirinale (Thrilldriver), keyboardist Bill Hubauer (Neal Morse Band, Crack the Sky), bassist Paul Ranieri (Mark Wood, Riot Act), and drummer Jason Gianni (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rock of Ages, Neal Morse Band).
The band’s sixth album “Impostor!” will be released on October 11 by 7d Media. Their album features an impressive array of guest musicians from the prog rock world, such as Michael Sadler (Saga), Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree), Fernando Perdomo (Jacob Dylan), Chloe Lowery (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Val Vigoda (Groovelilly), and multi instrumentalist Rachel Flowers.
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.
Joe Deninzon has been hailed by critics as “The Jimi Hendrix of the Violin,” because of his innovative style on the “Viper” seven-string electric violin. Joe is the lead singer and violinist for the progressive rock band, Stratospheerius, which has just released their 6th album, “Behind the Curtain (Live at ProgStock).” He can be heard on over a hundred albums and jingles as a violinist and string arranger.
Deninzon has performed and/or recorded with the Who, Bruce Springsteen, 50 Cent, Sheryl Crow, Ritchie Blackmore, Alex Skolnick, Smokey Robinson, Les Paul, Peter Criss from KISS, Michael Sadler, Renaissance with Annie Haslam, Kurt Elling, and as a soloist with Jazz at Lincoln Center and the New York City Ballet. A BMI Composer’s Grant recipient and winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, he has written solo works for violinist Rachel Barton Pine, and in 2015, premiered his Electric Violin Concerto with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.
Joe holds a Bachelors degree in Violin Performance from Indiana University and a Masters in Jazz Violin From Manhattan School of music.
KANSAS original member and drummer Phil Ehart comments, “We are extremely excited for Joe Deninzon to be the newest member of KANSAS. We believe KANSAS fans will enjoy what Joe will bring to the band. We are excited to kick off the KANSAS 50th Anniversary Tour. As the paragraph in the band’s first album said, ‘KANSAS IS A BAND’ and we remain so to this day.”
Deninzon adds, “As a lifelong fan of Kansas, I am overwhelmed and humbled to have been invited to join this legendary band! I have the deepest respect for Robby and David and will do my best to honor and build on their musical legacy.”
Joe Deninzon’s first performance with the band will be in Pittsburgh, PA on June 2 at the Benedum Center during the premier date of the KANSAS 50th Anniversary Tour – Another Fork in the Road.
A complete list of KANSAS 50th Anniversary Tour – Another Fork in the Road is below. Ticket and VIP Package information can be found at KansasBand.com.
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius have launched an IndieGoGo campaign to fund two new releases; a live box set and a new studio album, both due out in 2023.
All the rewards are related to Stratospheerius’ music, starting with a $10 pledge that grants the fans project updates and early mixes, to $2000 for the band to play a concert anywhere in the United States. (Out-of-country performances, please email us).
Melodic Revolution Records will be releasing the live double CD/DVD& Blu-Ray box set in early 2023. The box set is called “Behind the Curtain: Live at ProgStock.”
Later in the year, the band will release their next studio release, the working title “Impostor,” which features many guest stars including Saga’s Michael Sadler, Porcupine Tree’s Randy McStine, Bill Hubauer (Neal Morse Band), multi-instrumentalist Rachel Flowers, cellist Ruti Celli, singer Chloe Lowry (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), and Echo in the Canyon’s Fernando Perdomo.
Along with social media, live shows, and appearances and workshops at music events, Joe says crowdfunding is a way he and the fans have connected through the years. “These days, artists have more creative control and can bypass the middleman and build a beautiful relationship directly with their fans. We are beholden to no one but the people that love and support our music. I love the fact that fans get a chance to follow an album as it is being written, recorded, and mixed. They feel more vested in the project and it becomes a collaboration between the band and the fans.
“The band is grateful for the love and support they have received for their music in recent years, especially in the progressive rock community, and is very excited to release the new projects.”
Led by electric violinist/vocalist Joe Deninzon, who has been called “The Jimi Hendrix of the violin,” Stratospheerius has showcased their “frenzied mélange of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and funkabilly” throughout the world.
Band members are Joe Deninzon-electric violin/vocals (Bruce Springsteen, Renaissance, The Who, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Jason Gianni-drums (The Ultimate Queen Celebration, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rock of Ages, Neil Morse Band), Michaelangelo Quirinale-guitar (Thrilldriver), and Paul Ranieri-bass (Mark Wood, Circuline, Riot Act).
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