AB+Positive
Saint Petersburg, FL | Established. Jan 01, 2015
Music
Press
As always at Heatwave, some of the best performances were the ones you might not’ve seen coming… And at Cigar City Cider and Mead’s early-evening ‘teen showcase’ stage, young acts like Francesca and AB+ displayed pop songwriting and performance chops well beyond their years, offering hope WMNF needn’t fret about filling out its Heatwave schedule a decade from now. - Tampa Bay Times
This teenage folksy duo followed the keep it simple method. On acoustic guitar, Alex Bonyata sounds like a veteran player who’s grown up on the mean streets of soul. On vocals was Bella Beyer, with a stage presence and a voice well beyond her years. Her voice – tender, breathy and a tad sultry, reminded me of a young combination of Jewel and Sarah McLachlan. My favorite moment of their set was their rendition of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire”. Normally a fast tempo and– upbeat song, they gave it their own spin turning it into a sweet melody that left me impressed. - Libro Musica
Alex Bonyata studies music at the Music Industry Recording Arts program at St. Petersburg College. My Way was released 30 years before his birth. He's 15.
While he appreciates the story of the song, it's the melody that drew him in, from the dramatic swells and ebbs of its arrangement to the minor-key accidentals that build tension in each measure. He heard in My Way a song that suited the eclectic style of himself and his vocal partner, 13-year-old Bella Beyer. The challenge was drawing it out.
"With a whole band, you can knock it out pretty easily: Let's do a funk cover. Let's do a reggae cover," Alex says. "But with just an acoustic guitar and vocals, it's not as obvious."
Alex and Bella, who perform together as AB+, tried a few different arrangements. A bossa nova version. A mandolin version. A Hendrix-style version with lots of distorted guitars.
They settled on an upbeat folk arrangement: Alex plucking each verse finger style, Bella warbling the lyrics with a vintage, soulful lilt. When the song hits the chorus, it speeds up, almost like bluegrass.
"It's sort of the same setup as a lot of punk songs — you have a quiet, driving verse, and then it gets loud for the chorus," Alex says.
Punk. Soul. Bluegrass. It was all there in My Way all along. - Tampa Bay Times
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Alex Bonyata (16) and Bella Beyer (14) are AB+Positive, a folk pop duo based in St. Petersburg, Florida. They started performing and songwriting together while attending the Grammy Museum’s Music Revolution Project during the summer of 2015. While Alex’s main instrument is guitar, he enjoys playing “any instrument you don’t blow or bow,” so you might hear him playing anything from piano and mandolin to psychedelic electric ukulele. Bella’s distinctive vocals pair beautifully with Alex’s instrumental stylings, and leave you wanting to hear more.
Alex and Bella draw songwriting inspiration from many different sources. Alex is primarily inspired by artists with a relaxed, “clean” sound, such as The Lumineers, Andrew McMahon, and Trevor Hall. Bella has slightly darker tastes in music, and is inspired by artists such as Amy Winehouse, Melanie Martinez, and Sia.
AB+Positive enjoys playing any type of musical venue, and can entertain you with up to 2 hours of original songs, along with another three hours of cover songs.
They are currently working on their second EP, due to be released this summer.
Band Members
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