Persephone's Bees

While growing up in Russia, Singer/songwriter Angelina Moysov was influenced by her mother who loved Russian Folk and Gypsy music, as well as her brother’s collection of British and American music and the underground punk and New Wave that helped Russian youth through hard times. Angelina came to America in 1993 and soon met guitarist Tom Ayres, who was immediately drawn to her strong melodies, lyrics and unusual songwriting style. Their first self produced LP, "City of Love" was nominated for the best debut album at the California Music Awards in 2002. The word of mouth buzz caused by their live shows earned them a 2001 SF Weekly Award for Best Pop Band, and led them to share bills with Cake, BRMC, Jonathan Richman, and many others. Persephone’s Bees have earned a reputation of not only being a strong live act, but one with a vast catalog of original songs due to Angelina Moysov's prolific songwriting. While winning over audiences with their live shows, they also caught the attention of producer Eric Valentine who had over 40 original songs to choose from in recording their latest album. Eric found the music so engaging that he ended up playing drums for the sessions. When asked what her influences are, rather than listing favorite records, Angelina replied "Some books, films, smells, colors, interaction with people and my observations of the human condition."