
Steve Mayone and Kristina Stykos were living parallel lives as songwriters, producer and independent artists. And they were second cousins, but they didn’t know that until 2006 when they met by chance and discovered their grandparents were siblings. In the first half of the 20th century, the Mayone family were busy brick makers, shipping bricks down the Hudson river where they were used to build such iconic structures in New York City as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Then the company collapsed, and families scattered.

Making up for lost time, Steve and Kristina began playing music together, resulting in their debut 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. As Steve said “making the album was a way to spend time together and get to know each other, musically and personally”.
An album of quiet beauty and marvellous moments.
Jeremy Searle, Maverick Country UK