I fell in love with Persephone’s Bees more than ten years ago at what was once the greatest venue in the world, Albany’s Ivy Room. Queen Bee, Angelina, has the perfect mix of Russian chanteuse and Debbie Harry. She plays a fierce carnival keyboard with tremendous presence. Always at her side, Tom is everything you could ever want in a guitarist.

Once the Ivy Room sold out, it wasn’t long before my favorite local band hit the road for NYC. New York has been good to the Bees. Their energy is better than ever. They are born again. They have reworked some of the old songs to give them new life. They have added a killer cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “You Make Loving Fun”. They deserve your attention.

Sharing a very talented rhythm section, the show opened with NYC-based Christina Courtin. She possesses an amazing voice, boundless energy and extreme passion for what she is doing. She attended Julliard with her violin skills, but clearly has a lot more to offer. The songs sound simple at first but go deeper, and you find some seriously witty lyrics and a complex mix of styles. To watch her bouncing around the stage, giving it all she’s got, you can’t help but enjoy yourself. Check out her self titled release here and don’t miss a chance to see her live.