KGM - American Genral Media- Bakersfield, CA

Monday, May 29, 2023

Kansas Announce Addition Of Violinist/Guitarist Joe Deninzon

Kansas have announced that violinist/guitarist Joe Deninzon is joining the band to succeed the departing David Ragsdale.

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. He is the lead singer and violinist for the progressive rock band Stratospheerius and can be heard on over a hundred albums and jingles as a violinist and string arranger.

Deninzon has performed and/or recorded with a number of big bands and artists, 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.

Kansas drummer Phil Ehart said the band is extremely excited for Deninzon to be the newest member.

"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," he added.

"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," said Deninzon.

Deninzon will make his debut for Kansas at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 2, when the band kicks off their 50th Anniversary Tour - Another Fork in the Road.

(Photo: Kansas)

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Juliana Hatfield Announces ELO Covers Album, Shares 'Don't Bring Me Down'

American Laundromat Records has announced that the third installment from Juliana Hatfield's covers series, Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO, will be released on November 17.

Hatfield recently shard "Don't Bring Me Down," the first single from her upcoming ELO covers album.

"ELO's 'Don't Bring Me Down' is such a solid construction that trying to rework it initially felt like taking a sledgehammer to concrete," Hatfield said of the Herculean task of reworking a beloved classic to make it her own.

She added, "I didn't worry about matching all the original's exact sounds and parts, and we even dared a few cymbal crashes. This is not a radical reinvention but it is a little more bubbly."

The covers series aims "to go deep into covering artists that were important to me in my formative years," with each album and its celebrated artist thoughtfully chosen and curated.

Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John (2018) and Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police (2019) were the first two albums from her covers series.

Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO is available for pre-order on CD, cassette, LP (4 color options), and a limited edition 7-inch featuring 2 non-album tracks at https://www.alr-music.com/products/jhselo

(Photo: David Doobinin)

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Paul Simon Reveals He Suddenly Lost Most Of The Hearing In Left Ear

Legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon recently revealed that he has lost most of the hearing in his left ear.

In an interview with The Times, Simon revealed that the issue came up "quite suddenly."

"Quite suddenly I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it," Simon, who retired from touring in 2018, explained. "So everything became more difficult. My reaction to that was frustration and annoyance; not quite anger yet, because I thought it would pass, it would repair itself."

The former half of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel said he developed hearing loss while recording his latest album, Seven Psalms, which was released May 19.

Simon also admitted that there are some songs in his catalog - including some of his most famous hits - that he prefers not to perform these days.

"The songs of mine that I don't want to sing live, I don't sing them. Sometimes there are songs that I like and then at a certain point in a tour, I'll say, 'What the f--k are you doing, Paul?'" he said. "Quite often that would come during 'You Can Call Me Al.' I'd think, 'What are you doing? You're like a Paul Simon cover band. You should get off the road, go home."

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