Stephanie began her professional music career as the drummer in The Aquanettas from 1989 to 1994. Their first record, “Love With the Proper Stranger,” came out on Nettwerk/IRS in 1990, and the band did a two-month US tour in support of the album. In 1991 and 1992, through Major Label Records in the US and Plastic Records in the UK, the band released two singles: “Whoa!” which was NME’s Song of the Week, and the “Super Absorbent Maxi Single,” which contained a few singles in one. Their “Roadhaus” EP came out on Rockville in 1993. “Mind Full of Worry” was featured on the soundtrack for Hal Hartley’s movie “Amateur,” and “Beach Party” was on the “Kissed” soundtrack.
In 1995, Stephanie joined Adam Roth’s wonderful four-part harmony pop band called Psychic Penguin. She says, “We all switched around on instruments. I played drums on some songs, but I also had a percussion setup and sang backup vocals on all of the songs.” The band had a dedicated following in the NYC area and also played shows up and down the east coast.
By 1997, Stephanie had written an album’s worth of her own material. As Psychic Penguin waned, she formed her own band called Birdy, which is when she became a lead singer. Birdy released two CDs on Cropduster Records in 1999 and 2002: “Supernominal Paraphernalia” and “Quarantine.” Cropduster was a collective, cooperative label. The musicians who owned the label were also on the label. During that time Stephanie met her husband Bob Perry, formerly of Winter Hours, who produced and played on her future albums/singles “Grand Isle,” “There Are Birds,” and “There Was a Time,” as well as Birdy’s “Quarantine.”
In 2004, Stephanie became interested in bird watching, a passion that soon dominated most of her time. She continued singing backup for many artists, such as Amanda Thorpe, AJ Lambert, and Julia Greenberg, but staying out late for gigs and getting up early for bird watching took its toll. By 2011, the birds won, and Stephanie took a hiatus from music. But in 2017, the death of a former bandmate brought her back to performing at the memorial concert at Webster Hall. She began singing backup for Sherryl Marshall’s band Sherita and The Girleens. In 2018, a musical lightning bolt struck. Stephanie decided to combine her love of birds with her love of music, and the idea for “There Are Birds” was born. The songs were completed in a matter of months, as she explains: “It was as if they had to be written; they simply flowed out of my head onto paper.” By mid-2019, “There Are Birds” was released and garnered much acclaim. Deep Roots magazine called it “glorious, supremely engaging music.” The Aquarian Weekly said the album “is phenomenal…it’s melodic, it’s poignant, it’s clever, and it’s storytelling at its finest.” Birding magazine stated, “Seymourʼs vocals are brilliant throughout [and her] harmonies [are] melodic and moving. It is haunting; you will never forget it.”
In 2022, Stephanie released the single “There Was a Time,” which Stereo Embers called “one of the most infectious songs of the year. This is East Coast soul at its very best, and Seymour captains this catchy ship with poise, depth, and jubilation.” Featuring Ira Elliot (Nada Surf) on drums and Bob Perry on guitar and bass, the song was played on over a hundred radio stations in the US and across the world, and was a favorite on Sirius XM’s Underground Garage.
With her new EP, “Grand Isle,” Stephanie has created songs with soaring melodies intertwined with layers of lush harmonies. The EP features a plethora of incredible musicians and is produced by her husband Bob Perry. In addition to the songs she wrote, Stephanie also felt a pull to cover some of her favorite songs. Three original songs mesh with three songs by artists Ron Sexsmith, Daniel Lanois, and Chris Harford. The lead track, “Harvest Time,” sets the tone for the EP and features drums by Ira Elliot from Nada Surf. That song inspired artist Brian Rusnica to create the beautiful cover artwork illustrating the boreal forest of northern Maine, where Stephanie’s mother hails from.
Stephanie has many musical influences, but when it comes down to it, she’s drawn to pop with a lot of harmony (“pop” in the sense of The Beach Boys, The Mamas and The Papas, Crowded House, and The Beatles). But she loves a variety of music, such as Elton John, The Police, Aimee Mann, U2, The Pretenders, The Go-Go’s, Fleetwood Mac, The Bangles, Linda Ronstadt, The Clash, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, Emmylou Harris, X, The Carpenters, Stetsasonic, Concrete Blonde, Mike Viola, Pat Benatar, Matthew Sweet, Wendy and Lisa, Steely Dan, Patsy Cline, Heart, and Todd Rundgren.
Stephanie is also a music industry veteran, having worked at Island Records and Virgin Records for a combined 16 years from 1986 until 2002.