bees

There have been several bands with the name The Bees. 1. The Bees (known as A Band of Bees in America, owing to a rights conflict over their name) are a UK band from the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. Formed in 2000, the band members are Aaron 'Fletch' Fletcher (bass), Paul Butler (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Kris Birkin (guitar), Tim Parkin (trumpet), Michael Clevett (drums) and Warren Hampshire (keyboards). Known for harking back to the 60s and 70s, with cheery pop and trips into the psychedelic, The Bees record their albums in analog, notably recording their debut album in a garden shed. To quote an Amazon review: "The best word to describe the music is bouncy -- the Bees call on snappy drums and cheery basslines and guitar riffs for their sound, as well as some deeply moving Hammond organ. To finish off the sound, they inject some harmonies that would make the Zombies wipe away a tear of pride." Their influences cover soul, reggae, funk and Motown, with artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Burt Bacharach, Up the Junction era Manfred Mann, The Kinks and Small Faces. In the USA The Bees are known as "A Band of Bees" to avoid confusion with two local bands of the same name (see below): 2. The Silver Seas, formerly the Bees, are a pop-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, formed by producer-musician Jason Lehning and singer-songwriter Daniel Tashian. They played their first show as the Bees in 1999 and toured as an opening act for Guster in 2004 after the independent release of their debut album, Starry Gazey Pie. Their second indie release, High Society followed in May 2006. On May 2, 2007, the Los Angeles-based label Cheap Lullaby announced that it had signed the Bees and intended to reissue High Society.