Music Beat: Antigone Rising

Antigone Rising is an all-female, country/rock band that will be playing Patchogue this weekend as part of the Great South Bay Music Festival. Half of the band's members are from Long Island, and band guitarist Cathy Henderson took time to answer a few of Patch's questions for this spotlight.

Patch: What are the names of the members of the band and what are your hometowns?

Henderson: Cathy Henderson and Kristen Henderson – originally from Glen Cove, NY. Cathy now lives in Locust Valley, NY. Kristen now lives in Sea Cliff, NY.
Nini Camps – original from Miami, FL. Nini now lives in Sea Cliff, NY
Dena Tauriello – currently in Morristown, NJ, originally from…..Jersey :-)

Patch: How would you describe your sound?

Henderson: Antigone Rising’s sound is still rooted around a pop sensibility with our signature three-part harmony vocals, however we are tending towards a more “country-rock” feel nowadays versus the more “arena-rock” sound from the mid-2000’s. Think Fleetwood Mac meets the Dixie Chicks, or the Eagles meet Sheryl Crow.

Patch: What are your performances usually like?

Henderson: Entertaining and unique! Because we love performing and playing as a band together, our fans have commented on how this really comes across and is actually infectious when they see us live. We like to joke around and interact with each other as well as with the crowd, which adds to the fun and makes each show a different, interactive experience. Not to mention, we do a lot of musical improvisation during our performances which keeps it fresh for us as well as for our core following who likes to come to multiple shows. 

Patch: What is the future for the group?

Henderson: Our future will always include writing, recording and touring our music. That’s just in us, and we will never stop that. In the near future, we will be touring the US over the next year (with a primary focus on the east coast). We’ve got a few ideas brewing for the longer term (can’t spill them yet!), including the possibility of touring internationally.

Patch: What has your experience been like working on the current EP?

Henderson: Fantastic. This is the first set of recordings done in “our own studio!". Essentially, Nini has built a studio in her house where we have been recording all the new tracks. It’s a great place – relaxed and inspiring (with an endless coffee supply!). Not to mention it’s extremely close to where we live so it’s super convenient, allowing us more time to really dive into the tracks and to experiment a bit more with sounds and instrumentation. The mixing will be done by the talented Gary Phillips, who produced our last CD “23 Red” and is just pleasure to work with!

Patch: How can people reach you?

Henderson: People can always reach us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/antigonerising). We love when people stop by and comment on whatever’s going on at the moment. We can also be contacted through our website antigonerising.com.

Are you part of a local Patchogue or Medford-based band? Or playing in the Patchogue or Medford area soon? Have Patch interview you in Music Beat by emailing patchogue@patch.com or medford-ny@patch.com.