The Band

Persephone’s Dream (fondly known simply as “PD” by fans and members) began as just that: a dream, conceived by founders Rowen Poole and Chris Siegle in the early 1990′s.

After the initial release of Evening Mirage (1997), the original conception of PD as a studio band evolved into something far more: a fusion of the auditory, the intellectual, the sensual and…the visual. With the addition of new members and the successive releases of Moonspell (1999), Opposition (2001), and Pyre of Dreams (2007), the band retained its early penchant for creating original female-fronted, progressive music that is musically complex, thought-provoking (most often inspired by science, science-fiction, and mythological lore), and yet laced with subtle overtones of eroticism. To the mix, they added a solid emphasis on the theatrical and visual elements of performance.

Fueled by this combination, PD launched into the public sphere: appearing at festivals such as PowerMad, Progpower, and 3RP (Three Rivers Progressive Festival); gaining broad recognition and critical acclaim in the international Prog, Metal, and Goth communities; and winning over a cadre of fans with the sheer intensity and originality of its music and live shows.

In the Autumn of 2010, PD will deliver its fifth full-length CD: Pan: An Urban Pastoral. The new CD is a full-fledged concept album, not far removed from the “rock opera” genre an extension of PD’s earlier foray into concept-composition, Pyre of Dreams’ Arthurian “Temple in Time” quintology. Since its inception not quite twenty years ago, Persephone’s Dream has endeavored to create Music: music that speaks to a diverse audience; that transcends meter, the incidental, and the merely mediocre; that forges connections between themselves and their listeners; and that touches you on multiple levels  whether musical, intellectual, artistic, philosophical, spiritual, sensual, or any combination of the above. So for now, check out Pan: An Urban Pastoral 1) for your own pleasure, and if not for that, 2) to see how PD is wrapping up their second decade. And do check in again later… because the next decade is ripe with possibility, and full of the promise of new PD dreams yet to come.

Josie Crooks

Vocals

Josie grew up in the Philippines where Family and Jazz were powerful influences in her life from her earliest memories. Her brother Edgar began her training as a vocalist in her teens, sending her to music school where she studied both Jazz and Opera. After only one semester, Josie became the lead vocalist in the family band – Blood and Friends – a nine-piece band comprising six of Josie’s immediate family. Blood and Friends had a diverse range; jazz, fusion, rock, pop and even some top 40′s. Her early vocal influences were; The Manhattan Transfer, Angela Boffil, Marlena Shaw, Barbara Streisand, Aretha!, Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, Kuh Ledesma, Hotdog, Ella Fitzgerald, Leah Salonga, Sampaguita, and Janis Joplin – her favorite being The Manhattan Transfer.  In the United States, Josie debuted with Straight Up and remained with the band for four years until leaving for England for a year-long tour. After working in theatre for eight years, Josie sang with Dancing Queen. After having her baby, Josie returned to her singing career with the band Protégé. Fortunately, an ideal kismet fusion of talent has brought Josie to Persephone’s Dream where she is now a pillar of fine vocalic fire and dreamy lyrical passion.

Scot Harvey

Drums

Before joining Persephone’s Dream, Scot was the drummer in the Zappa-inspired prog-satire ensemble ESP, which both amazed and amused Pittsburgh audiences from 1994 to 2000. The acronym ESP is particularly apropos, since he still provides ESP in PD: an Extremely Solid Pulse from an Exceptionally Supportive Player. Scot began his drumming career at the tender age of 5, banging odd meter rhythms on any horizontal surface he could reach. He later studied drums, mallet percussion and piano at West Liberty State College. Thanks to his sensitivity and technical prowess, Scot makes even the most complex rhythms sound deceptively simple. A fan of King Crimson, FZ, Genesis and both jazz and folk artists too numerous to mention, Scot is one of the few people on earth who actually owns a Mellotron, but due to its size (think fridge) and weight (think sedan), he refuses to bring it to rehearsal.

Rowen Poole

- 6, 7, and 12 String Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Synths, Keyboards, Lyrics

As an astrophysics student and astronomy enthusiast, Rowen looks beyond the familiar to ponder the mysteries of space. As a musician, he goes beyond the expected to explore the complexities of time. Over the years, Rowen’s musical voice has found expression on a variety of instruments: first flute (for three years), then drums (five years) and later bass (15 years).  A college class in electronic music sparked an interest in playing synthesizers. But it was Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult, Alex Lifeson of Rush and both Walter Becker and Skunk Baxter of Steely Dan who got him to park the four string and pick up the six (and seven), while the inspirational playing of Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and Ozric Tentacles’ Ed Wynne continue to offer fresh ideas and new perspectives. In December of 1993, Rowen and Chris Siegle formed Persephone’s Dream as a studio project. But studio project became viable live band, which evolved into the current recording and performing colossus with a legion of fans worldwide. The exploration goes on…

Roman Prokopenko

4 and 5 string bass

Roman comes originally from Belarus, a former Soviet Union Repoublic. From childhood he was listening to western music and went all the way from the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple, to the Red Hot Chili Peppers , U2, and Nirvana. His music education comes from studying the classical acoustic guitar which eventually led him to bass. As a member of the very popular Belarusian band “Why Not” at the beginning of 90′s, they released the album “The Burning Tree”. After “Why Not” broke up, Roman joined another well known band; “The Bourgeoisie”. After coming to the U.S., Roman played gigs with a number of great musicians in the U.S. and Canada until he finally found himself a member of Persephone’s Dream. His favorite Rickenbacker 4001 still remains his signature sound of art-punk-rock bass lines.

John “JT” Tallent

Percussion, Bells, Whistles, Noises, Chimes, Birds, Odd Sounds

John (better known as JT) joined the band in 1998 and made his recording debut on the MoonSpell release. His presence has greatly enhanced the power and intensity of our music, and his vast array of instruments – from African hand drums tocastanets to tubular bells, gong, and much, much more – is truly something to behold when PD takes the stage. Whether he’s adding lush textures, augmenting a song’s main rhythm or introducing polyrhythms or counter rhythms, JT keeps things interesting while maintaining a solid pocket and laying down a massive groove. Early influences while still behind the drum kit included Ed Schaunessey, Dino Danelli and Jim Keltner, and it wasn’t long before JT was drawn tothe dynamism of such iconic progressive rock drummers as Bill Bruford and Phil Collins. But it was the intoxicating rhythms of distant lands like Morocco, Spain, Tangiers, Tibet, the Ivory Coast and others that encouraged him to start collectingworld percussion instruments in the mid-1970s. Today, fans travel far and wide to experience JT’s world, a world thatmust be seen, heard and felt to be believed.

Jim Waugaman

Keyboards, Pianos, Organs, Vocals, Backing Vocals

Sinuous, intimate, masterful, haunting, uplifting, unforgettable. All are adjectives that describe Jim’s piano, organ and synthesizer work in Persephone’s Dream. At Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Jim studied piano with Beverly Nero and Dave Budway and organ with Jean Raevens. Equally at home in classical, jazz, rock and pop genres, he also seeks and finds inspiration in the traditional music of China, Japan and India, was well as the folk music of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. From keyboard players in the vanguard of progressive rock (Keith Emerson of ELP, Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant, Flavio Premoli of PFM) to jazz giant Chick Corea, Santana’s Greg Rolie, the iconoclastic Thomas Dolby and international notables Akiko Yano, Masaji Watanabe, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Takashi Kako, Jim’s influences are as rich as they are varied. By turns atmospheric and exotic, provocative and evocative, Jim’s keys are the key to the latest PD sound.

Leah Martell

Backing vocals

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved music. She sang whenever she was able and constantly annoyed her family with Christmas music. When she got a little bit older, her mother decided to channel this love of music into the piano. The girl loved it dearly and, although she did not like practicing because she had to, she enjoyed learning new songs and music styles. Over the years, she learned to play other instruments, particularly the French horn and the cello, but above all the girl still loved to sing. She participated in choir all throughout her school years and when she was old enough, she was invited to sing in her church for the teen masses. One day, one of the women who sang with her for these masses approached her and asked if she wanted to sing harmony for the band she was in. The girl was not sure she would be good enough, but she promised she would try. And so, she joined the band Persephone’s Dream.

Production Team

Jonathan “Strobe” Fleischman

Lighting, visual effects, costumes, props, performance art design

Strobe discovered his talent for lighting in Middle Earth thanks to another Tallent: JT Tallent. Strobe was asked to do lighting for a live musical/theatrical show titled Rhythms of the Land, a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginary world written and performed by JT and former Persephone’s Dream drummer Ed Wiancko. Strobe and his wife Wendy collaborate on inventive prop ideas to accompany his dramatic lighting effects, and their mutual efforts have made PD’s stage show a memorable experience for audiences since 1999. Even though PD monopolizes as much of his time as he’ll allow, Strobe has also worked with such notables as DC Cooper and Silent Force, The Flower Kings, Land of Chocolate, Fuzzy Comets, The Red Masque, Church of Hed, Cheryl Ann Hawk, Izz, Brave, Harder Edge, The Igniters and others.

Kelly Fletcher

Lyrics

Kelly’s feelings about music are deeply held and fiercely passionate. Exhibit A: Kelly, age 9, threatens to set fire to the family piano if lessons don’t cease pronto. Exhibit B: Kelly, age 13, persuades her high school band director to slip her a key to the band room so she can cut class and practice drums, her real love, instead of clarinet, which she has been issued despite her protestations. (No threat to set the licorice stick ablaze, though. Evidently, even though they’re both made of wood, clarinets don’t burn nearly as well as pianos do.) She grew up listening to Queensryche, Deep Purple, Metallica and Testament, but her musical tastes at present are somewhat more mercurial (current favorites include The Gathering, Ozric Tentacles and Steely Dan). Kelly is a professional writer, having studied creative fiction writing and literature. She’s also a 1st Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, Hosin Jitsu. Given Kelly’s past, releasing a CD with the word “Pyre” in the title is something of a dicey proposition. Thankfully, however, the only fire she’s generating these days comes from her incendiary vocal and percussion performances with PD.