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New York, NY—2008 – Antigone Rising, the all female rock quintet known for their grass roots indie ethic and non-stop touring schedule, may have lost sight of their course back in 2004. That's when head of then Lava Records Jason Flom offered the road warriors best known for their energetic live shows and on stage antics, a major label record deal and a chance to make a living off of hit records versus ticket sales in packed & sweaty nightclubs. "We debated the offer seriously. We didn't jump at it, but there was no question at that point in our careers we were exhausted and needed to try a different path to push things to the next level," lead singer Cassidy explains. The gamble paid off. Jason Flom's unwavering commitment and belief in the band led to a partnership with the mammoth coffee chain Starbucks, and Antigone Rising became the first artist in the company's "Hear Music Debut" series. The album, "From The Ground Up," released in May, 2005, came out at a time when the climate in the music industry was much more ripe for a rap or hip hop act than an all female classic rock band. Yet the album, which was recorded in front of a live studio audience, debuted on Billboard's top 100 comprehensive chart at 92, and went on to sell upwards of 15,000 copies a week through the summer of 2005. That's when the girls got a phone call in their hotel room in Boston, MA. Jason Flom, the band's mentor and beacon in an otherwise devastated music industry, had been let go from Warner Music Group. And so the story goes… While several Lava Records artists were quickly released from their label deals, Antigone Rising instead was adopted by another WMG label, Atlantic Records. And while many of the upper executives remained involved in the progress and development of what was to be the band's second album, there was confusion and a lack of vision and commitment on the part of the label. That's when rhythm guitarist Kristen Henderson and Cassidy asked to take a meeting with Craig Kallman, head of Atlantic Records. "We stood outside the building that afternoon and pinky swore that neither one of us would back down with our request. And neither one of us did. We didn't flinch" says Cassidy. That request, it turns out, was for Atlantic Records to release the band from their major label record deal, a deal that for most bands is the brass ring. Kallman refused and asked the girls to continue writing with various songwriters in Nashville, TN, an exercise that Kristen and Cassidy had been carrying on now for the past year with fruitful results. But the girls and their management felt they had the material to begin recording the new album, while Atlantic Records heard singles, they didn't necessarily hear the "first single." A few weeks later the band's manager, Scooter Weintraub, placed a call to Kallman's office and reiterated the band's request to be let go. After a few more weeks Kalllman and Atlantic Records finally returned the call and agreed to let the band go in what turned out to be a very amicable split. Upon being released from their major label deal, Weintraub immediately placed a phone call to the people at Starbucks and began negotiating a partnership for Antigone Rising's next release. Starbucks was not only interested, but extremely enthusiastic about the prospect. So in the winter of 2007, Antigone Rising moved to Nashville, TN and began recording "Tales From Wonderland" in producer Jay Joyce's home studio. "Tales" is a natural progression of the band's signature sound; 70's songwriting sensibility mixed with 3 part harmonies and southern rock guitars. "Jay Joyce captured an energy in the recordings that always eluded us in the recording studio," says Drummer Dena Tauriello. "We were much less methodical to our approach on these recordings. We did a song a day every day until the album was done. Some days were longer than others, but nothing took more than one day to complete." Adds rhythm guitarist Kristen Henderson, "it's the best studio album we've ever made. I've never heard a studio recording of us that I liked better than our live recordings. Jay managed to change that for us." The people at Starbucks never heard any of the songs on "Tales From Wonderland" until the album was completely recorded and mixed. "It was really nice to be able to work in that way" comments lead singer Cassidy. "Having any type of presence in the studio other than the band and the producer and engineer can shift the energy. It's best to create in a bubble and stay in it with those people through the entire process without too many outside opinions shifting focus. Starbucks allowed us that freedom and we're grateful to them for it." But the burning question still remains. When will this studio album known as "Tales From Wonderland" ever come out? "I think there is a misconception, and understandably, that we've signed a record deal with Starbucks, and that's not the case." Adds Kristen Henderson. "Starbucks is on board with us as a distributor leaving all of the typical record label promotion in our hands. We've been busy researching the best way to put this record out without completely compromising our business. If we partner up with another major we run the risk of losing the control we finally gained by leaving Warner Music Group, yet not giving the album the proper marketing dollars doesn't serve us either. So we're meeting with major labels and indie labels and we're in discussions with various companies that are offering us alternate solutions to the mainstream record label way of doing things." Cassidy adds, "We're narrowing down our options as we speak and have some really exciting prospects. We've gone against our instincts enough times to know that it may get us further in the short term, but in the long term we're no better off. So we will wait until we're satisfied that this album will be released the way we want it released." In the meantime, Antigone Rising has made a collective decision to get back to what they've been known for all along; Great live shows and relentless tour schedules. "2008 promises to be full of traveling from city to city," says lead guitarist Cathy Henderson. Hot off the success of a 2 night stand in Teaneck, NJ at Mexicali Blues, Antigone Rising took the control back and came up with a mastermind plan that will enable them to tour and bring their music directly to their fans. "We've started a series called InstAntigone Live where we record the show and immediately afterward sell a CD of the performance to the fans" adds Cathy. While it's not a new idea by any stretch, many touring bands have partnered with companies like Instant Live to handle live recording and sales of their shows. Unlike other artists, Antigone Rising is doing it all themselves. "We've invested in the equipment and are doing it all on our own, so finally the only people taking a cut of our record sales is us!" Be sure to visit Antigone Rising's website and Myspace page where you can download an evening's performance the following day or purchase a CD of any of the live shows in the band's online merchandise store. And keep a close eye on the band's tour schedule where you can now leave the show with that night's performance in hand.
