The Cousins Project – Beautiful Blood

Steve Mayone and Kristina Stykos are second cousins, but they didn’t know that until a few years ago. They lived parallel lives: songwriters, producers, independent artists. In 2006 they met by chance when Steve was playing a gig in Vermont (where Kristina lives). Upon hearing Steve’s last name announced from the stage, Kristina introduced herself and they discovered their grandparents were siblings.

Making up for lost time, Steve and Kristina began playing music together, resulting in their new album Beautiful Blood. Recorded in their home studios (Kristina’s Pepperbox Studio and Steve’s Proofbox Studio), Beautiful Blood combines their different styles into one voice: Americana, folk/rock, ballads, blues, all woven into a single tapestry. With years of writing, performing and production experience under their belts, the making of Beautiful Blood was a joyful culmination of professional compatibility and family time.

 Steve Mayone

Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., Steve Mayone is a songwriter and performer. As a writer, he’s had his songs and instrumentals placed in independent films and TV shows. Steve’s four solo CDs, Bedroom Rockstar, Unfortunate Son, Understories and Long Play Record have garnered excellent reviews. As a performer, Steve plays up and down the Northeast as a solo performer and accompanist, and has shared the stage with Levon Helm, Donald Fagan and Kate Taylor.

 Kristina Stykos

Kristina Stykos is a songwriter, musician, producer and recording engineer. She runs Pepperbox Studios, specializing in acoustic music, located at the end of a dirt road in Chelsea, Vermont. Kristina has released three solo albums; In The Earth’s Fading Light, Raven and the recently released Wyoming Territory. As a producer, she has created albums for fellow Vermont artists Bow Thayer, Robert Resnick, Wagtail and Erin McDermott, to name a few.