Cassidy is the former lead singer, main songwriter, and driving force for the all female rock quintet, Antigone Rising. Known for their grass roots indie ethic and non-stop touring schedule, AR released 4 independent albums between 2000 and 2003. In 2004, then president of Lava/Atlantic Records, Jason Flom (Matchbox Twenty, Jewel, Kid Rock) heard a song Cassidy had written 4 years earlier called “Better”. Based on this discovery, he attended a single AR show in Hoboken, NJ, after which he immediately entered the dressing room and offered the band a major label record deal. The investment paid off.
Flom’s unwavering commitment and belief in the group lead to a partnership with 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 in the music industry when it was more common to see 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 at the famed Sony Studios in NYC, 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. Reportedly, AR showed the highest sales for any artist within the entire Warner Music Group during those weeks.
Due in large part to their loyal fan base and reputation as a great live band, AR toured with The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Rob Thomas, The Dead, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, The Allman’s, Joe Jackson, Perry Ferrel, Macy Gray, moe, and Norah Jones. As well as performed at prestigious festivals such as Bonaroo and South By Southwest, where veteran Rolling Stone Magazine rock journalist David Fricke wrote, “Antigone Rising turned in the big rock show of the festival…(with) the country gospel harmonies….and a Janis Joplin-esque vocal dynamo named Cassidy.” The Chicago Sun Times reported, “Opening for The Rolling Stones….Cassidy took the stage as if she was born there.”
Cassidy has written songs with such legendary and Grammy winning songwriters as Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty, Santana), Annie Roboff and Beth Nielson Chapman (Faith Hill), Darrell Scott (Dixie Chicks). She has been invited multiple times by the NFL to sing the national anthem at NY Giants Stadium and the Philadelphia Eagles Veterans Stadium.
In 2008, after almost a decade together, Antigone Rising decided to pursue individual projects. In the months following the amicable split, with fresh perspective Cassidy formed an exciting new super group, aptly titled, THE CASSIDY PROJECT.
Featuring an all-star line-up of musicians (Matt Beck of Matchbox 20, Lee Nadel of Matt White’s band, Rich Mercurio drummer for Chris Whitley and Jewel, as well as NYC producer, world beat musician and award winner Duke Mushroom. And occasionally others who have played with Alicia Keyes and more) Cassidy has taken her music to new heights. Some of the old favorite songs sound more organic and rhythm focused, while the new writing reveals a more seasoned Cassidy at the top of her game, not jaded by the disappointments of the past, and ready to conquer the next phase of her climbing career. Lyrically and vocally she is stronger than ever, most certainly the Cassidy we have come to know and love, but with experience and a sense of self rarely seen in artists today.
