Above: Antigone Rising in 2012 Kristen Henderson, Dena Tauriello, Cathy Henderson, Nini Camps
Antigone Rising
Antigone Rising is an all-female alt-country rock band. Their 2005 album From the Ground Up was the first to be promoted in Starbucks’ Hear Music Series, created to discover and spotlight new music.
The band originally met at Bucknell University and was formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, with sisters Cathy (guitar) and Kristen Henderson (guitar/drums), Penelope “Peppy” Kokines as lead vocalist and Suzanne Obolsky on vocals and percussion.
In 1999 the band recruited Cassidy as lead singer.
Their first four albums were recorded mostly with independent labels and financed through fan donations. In 2003, they signed up with Lava Records, a label personally run by Atlantic Records Chairman/ CEO Jason Flom.
In 2005, they became the first artists to be promoted in Starbucks’ Hear Music Series, created to discover and spotlight new music. The high visibility, exclusive sale, in-store promotion and airplay at Starbucks across the USA helped the band’s acoustic album, From the Ground Up, sell over 450,000 copies by the end of 2005. The album’s single, “Don’t Look Back”, gained popularity among country audiences after its video received heavy airplay on CMT.
Flom departed Lava in 2005. The band’s deal with the label continued, but ended in 2008. A new album, Tales From Wonderland was recorded in 2007, but not released.
In 2008 Cassidy left the band to go solo. In 2009, she released Tales From Wonderland as Sink Or Swim under the name The Cassidy Project. Other Antigone Rising band members were not happy about this, with Kristin Henderson publicly voicing their displeasure. Cassidy herself later referred to this episode as “pooping” – so she could move on creatively
Bass guitarist, Jen Zielenbach, also eventually left. In 2009 Nini Camps, having made several guest appearances with the band, officially joined as lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Kristin Henderson, now known as Kristin Ellis-Henderson, shifted from rhythm guitar to bass. Also in 2009 both Ellis-Henderson and Camps become mothers.
A studio CD 23 Red was released in 2011, distributed through Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records Group.
The band line up as of 2013 was Kristen Ellis-Henderson on bass guitar and backing vocals, Cathy Henderson on lead guitar and backing vocals, Dena Tauriello on drums and Nini Camps on rhythm guitar and lead vocals.
The band’s 2013 single, “That Was The Whiskey”, was co-written with the Nashville songwriter Lori McKenna.
In 2014, the band released an EP, Whiskey & Wine Vol. I.
In 2015, the band released another EP, Whiskey & Wine Vol. II.
Members
Nini Camps – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Kristen Henderson – bass guitar, vocals
Cathy Henderson – lead guitar, vocals
Dena Tauriello – drums
Discography
Albums
She’s Gone A Little Mad (1996)
Snapshot (1998)
New and Used (1999)
Rock Album (2000)
SaY iT! an-TIG-uh-nee (2002) (live)
Antigone Rising’s Traveling Circus (2003) (live)
From the Ground Up (2005) (Hear Music)
Tales from Wonderland (released as Sink or Swim – The Cassidy Project in 2009)
Live From NYC (EP) (2010) (recorded live at The Bitter End in NYC, includes 1 studio track)
This Christmas (2010) (download only single)
23 Red (Rising Shine Records) (August 2011)
Whiskey & Wine, Vol. 1 (EP) (2014)
Whiskey & Wine, Vol. 2 (EP) (2015)
Singles
“Don’t Look Back” (from From The Ground Up, May 11, 2005)
“This Christmas” (2010)
“Everywhere Is Home” (from 23 Red, August 5, 2011)
“That Was The Whiskey” (from Whiskey & Wine, Vol. 1 EP, 2014)
Compilation
“Fat Bottomed Girls”, from the album Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen (2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
