Antigone RisingReview and Photos by Anita Lande
The only thing confusing about this band is the correct pronunciation of their name. Antigone (say it as 'an-TIG-uh-nee') Rising is an all female, five-piece band from New York and once you see AR in action, you will beg for the show to never end. AR has a large receptive audience in the eastern states and an established college fan base, so as they tour the Midwest they will lure you with their musical leash and grab hold of more and more fans with their original style of pop/rock.
The girls are lead singer Cassidy, guitar sisters Cathy and Kristen Henderson, Anne-Marie Stehn on bass guitar and Dena Tauriello on drums. The girls walked onto the small stage dressed in ordinary jeans, sweatshirts, and t-shirts. Casual - yes, but their music was anything but. In fact, the only bit of glitter you could see sparkle was off of Cassidy's eye shadow. But once they pressed down on the gas pedal on their first song, the sparkles came off of Cassidy's eyes like mini shooting stars. The powerful voice of the curly, blond haired singer made you flash back to grainy TV images of Janis Joplin spilling her soul onto the stage. Cassidy moves with natural passion and sings with a raw emotion. Her ability to draw the audience into each song was remarkable. The current line-up has been together since 1999 and they have such unbelievable chemistry that you would've thought they've all been buddies since the first grade.
Songs like the edgy and forthright honesty of "Choke" and the winding electricity of "Storybook Romance" had the audience totally under it's control. The superb guitar playing of the Henderson sisters had the whole building happily rockin' and boppin' like teenagers lost in guiltless abandon. You can almost feel each note coarse through your body on Cathy's inspired guitar work. One of their new songs called "What?" was a sure winner. Currently AR has two albums out and they are working on a new album with Lava Records. The anticipation certainly grows after you witness their talents live.
Now, who really is Antigone? Lets go back some 3000 years or so. This powerful, hard-minded woman was a rebel and possibly the first recorded feminist, refusing to bow down to King Creon. Her story lives on and I have hunch AR's music will live on for quite a while also.
Check out the band's website at www.antigonerising.com.
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