Mona Tavakoli was crowned Little Miss San Jose in 1984, (for her riveting Persian dance performance) and since then, she has been on the fast track to stardom. Playing the drums since she was 11 years old, Mona now incorporates the cajon, jangley ankles, vocals, and wisecracks into her performances, along with her drum kit. 

After a two-year stint playing Josie Bruin, UCLA's official mascot, she helped form the Los Angeles-based band Raining Jane in 1999, releasing three studio albums since 2001 and touring relentlessly, averaging over 120 shows a year since 2004.

With Raining Jane, Mona has toured with the likes of Sara Bareilles, Rachael Yamagata and Willy Porter. Raining Jane co-wrote the song "A Beautiful Mess" with Jason Mraz which appears on Mraz's full-length album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things and was recently featured on ABC's So You Think You Can Dance. "Prelude," a song from Raining Jane's 2008 album, Paper Nest, was featured in a particular weepy, melodramatic scene on the fifth season of Grey's Anatomy.