On 10/1/18 I underwent an unexpected surgical procedure to repair herniated and ruptured discs in my cervical spine. The good news is I am moving slowly and steadily in the right direction and getting better everyday.
Unfortunately, I have not been cleared to perform at this Friday night’s (sold out, btw) show at City Winery in NYC. That being said, the show will go on as scheduled. I just won’t be on stage and am waiting until Friday to see if I can make the trip into the city to view this once in a lifetime performance! I can tell you we’ve planned to have a few friends join us on stage, and when I say us I mean Antigone Rising - even if I’m not on stage I’m still there with my teammates in spirit.
On a brighter note, I do plan to perform at our upcoming shows with Dar Williams at City Winery in DC on 11/2 and 11/3. We are putting finishing touches on our new EP that should be ready this winter. In early 2019 we will be doing a special Girls Rising outreach at LA LGBT Center with guest panelists Carnie Wilson and Melissa Etheridge (date and ticket information coming soon but early February is the plan), and of course we will be setting sail on The Melissa Etheridge Cruise with Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, Joan Osborne, and many others from 3/31-4/7/19!
Thank you to everyone for all the well wishes thus far and for continuing to support Antigone Rising and the work we are doing with our nonprofit, Girls Rising. It’s impossible to express my gratitude in words.
Our mainstage sponsor believes Girls Rising’s mission and BeachFest’s celebration of that mission should be spotlighted first and foremost while we promote our event far and wide.
For the past four year’s our Girls Rising BeachFest MainStage was sponsored by Capital One Bank. While Girls Rising is grateful to them for our years of partnership, this year they were unable to come on board with us. We worried that our BeachFest event would not be able to go on without their financial support. But then some angels descended from within our town. They’ve asked us to stay silent until BeachFest before announcing they’ve come on board to help us present BeachFest 5. They believe Girls Rising’s mission and BeachFest’s celebration of that mission should be spotlighted first and foremost while we promote our event far and wide. While we appreciate our “angels” for this, we couldn’t let it go unmentioned. So join us at BeachFest 5 and find out who the angels are who made this year’s event possible, as well as much of the work we will be able to accomplish in the coming year because of them. #SeeYouOnTheBeach
Try to guess which one of these Backyardi-g-angels is sponsoring the BeachFest 5 Mainstage! There's only one way to find out for sure.... #Hendo
There's a certain time and place to ask someone something. Timing is really everything. But sometimes, when an opportunity presents itself, you have to strike.
For example, say you're at a dinner party. The person sitting next to you is Joan Jett, or say, Melissa Etheridge. You happen to run a nonprofit to empower and inspire young girls. Your nonprofit may or may not be honoring Carnie Wilson with an award in a few weeks. Let's just say for the sake of this story, your nonprofit IS awarding Carnie Wilson in a few weeks. So you ever so GENTLY shove it into the conversation.
You tell the rock icon sitting to your left or right side, depending on the table arrangements of course, that your nonprofit also awards grants and scholarships from time to time and wouldn't it be so cool if...
The rock icon LOVES the idea. So, you quickly text your other bandmates who happen to be at another dinner party sitting next to the other rock icon. This particular rock icon is sitting to your bandmates' right AND left, really the jackpot of seating arrangements. Your bandmates' mention to the rock icon that the other rock icon has started a grant award through your nonprofit. So now your rock icon agrees to start a grant as well.
That's how you get shit done.
We are proud to announce that we will be awarding the Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Girls Rising Grant Awards to two girls who have been empowered and inspired by a Girls Rising Outreach during the past school year. We've asked teachers to submit students that serve their school community, work hard, have strong leadership qualities and generally do good things, whom they feel were genuinely motivated by (key criteria) attending our Girls Rising Outreach Event at their school.
If you'd like to have a Girls Rising event at your school or local community center, or have us meet with your Girl Scout troops or soccer teams, or lacrosse or softball or swim team, really any team, gymnastics, fencing, you name it, let's book an event. We will come and talk to the kids. And then maybe they can win a grant award in 2019.
The Girls Rising Game Changer Awards are being held Friday night - June 29 at The Glenwood Landing Firehouse - 72 Schoolhouse Hill Road, Glenwood Landing, NY 11547, 7-10PM
We will honor Carnie Wilson with the Girls Rising Game Changer Award and present two young students with the Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Girls Rising Grant Awards.
Then join us the following day on Sea Cliff Beach for BeachFest 5 - 12 noon-10pm. Free (with a suggested donation at the entrance)! Girls Rising All-Star Panel Discussion at 3PM, moderated by Carnie Wilson, with US Hockey Gold Medalist Angela Ruggiero, WNBA All-Star Sue Wicks, Grammy winning songwriter Julie Gold, and comedian and BeachFest 5 emcee Suzanne Westenhoefer. Antigone Rising hits the stage at 8:30pm.
___________________________________________________ So here's the deal. If you buy your tickets to our Game Changer Awards today or tomorrow, we will send you a free Girls Rising t shirt of your choice. And for every four tickets you buy, we will send you another t shirt. You have until Monday night, June 4th at midnight to buy your tickets and get your free tshirt.
BUY TICKETS NOW! (you missed the t shirt promotion. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't buy your Game Changer tickets IMMEDIATELY)
One of the nice things about being a small business owner is that you can wake up on Sunday morning with an idea, blog about it, and it's happening. No conference calls or meeting nonsense. Just me, in my bed, punching out a blog with an opportunity that can change your life. Or, at least your t-shirt drawer.
One of the other nice things about being a small business owner is that I have partners like Cathy and Nini. We are used to each others nonsense. And they don't read my blog. At least Cathy definitely doesn't.
Plus, what I am about to discuss in the following paragraphs pertains to tickets and t-shirts. I'm not trying to solve any world crisis'...Or. Am. I?
When you form a band and start touring around you learn quickly that making music is about 10% of what you do. Seriously. Non-professional musicians might play their guitars more than we do. In fact, I'm certain of it.
When you decide to make music full time, you spend most of your time trying to keep the van running, updating websites and all your socials, debating with bandmates about logos and t shirts and hats or stickers, no....hats AND stickers...but we can't afford both....yes we can a**hole.
You spend a lot of time telling managers and agents you got a better deal booking that show on your own, and that pizza is NOT an acceptable form of dinner in the contract, and that you don't want to go on at 11pm. You want to go on at 8pm. Even though ten years ago you said you wanted to go on at 11pm when you were told you were going on at 8pm. Feelings change.
And then you start a nonprofit. As. If. You. Weren't. Already. A. Non. Profit.
Our major annual fund raising event is this month. We hold it every year the Friday night before BeachFest. This is when we raise the most money to continue the work we are doing with Girls Rising.
And we have big plans coming up for the next year. In October we are doing an amazing outreach at the LA LGBT Center in Los Angeles. There's a possibility of traveling to India in the spring. We are hoping to be part of a major CASA event (Coalition Against Substance Abuse, amen) here in our own front yard in September.
None of this stuff, ya know, happens for free, unfortunately. Though we try really hard to make it happen for free. We do ask. At least Nini does. Cathy's good at it too. They're both better than me at asking things like that. So be assured. At least one of us does ask.
Things are usually as free as they possibly can be, but not always totally free. So we raise money. Then it can be more free for the youth centers or the schools or the refugee camps. We try really hard to keep costs down for those outreaches. As you can imagine.
So. We have a friend. Her name is Carnie Wilson (oops, watch your toes). The beauty and magic of Carnie is an entirely different blog of it's own. She's just a genuinely kind person. See, Carnie would have been famous even if she didn't get famous because her dad is, ya know, a BEACH BOY.
Carnie was born famous. Then she became famous on her own. And then Kristen Wiig put her song into her movie. #MicDrop.
So. We are honoring Carnie with our Inaugural Girls Rising Game Changer Award. She lives her truth. And she talks about it out loud. Her words inspire. And her words empower. We need that now more than ever. We need strong, positive, powerful women. Our kids need this. #MeToo is upon us. All genders need to thank god for this. And lock arms.
So, buy 1-4 tickets, get one shirt. Buy 5-8 tickets, get a second shirt. Buy 9-12 tickets, get a third shirt. And so on.
Seriously not a joke.
If you do this today or tomorrow, we will see that you did and we will send you an email asking you what size shirt(s) you want. We will mail you the shirt(s).
Your names will appear at the door at the Glenwood Landing Firehouse on Friday night - June 29th.
You can even wear your shirt to the event. It's up to you. Because it's a free country...still. But we need to stay on top of it, people. Hence the reason for the event. #Following?
#Hendo PS-At the Friday night Game Changer Awards, All BeachFest 5 artists will perform unique collaborations together, Julie Gold will perform her grammy winning song, From A Distance, both silent and live auction items will be available, there will be light apps and finger food from our good friend Rob at Grassroots, wine will be provided by our good friends at Bedell Cellars, beer is coming too, and Antigone Rising. All this, plus a free t-shirt for the next 48 hours. So go on. Get it done.
And in an attempt to reverse the cultural norm, we use mostly male models to display our t-shirts. All five styles come in unisex sizes, and the navy blue GRL PWR shirt also comes in ladies sizes. You have until Monday night, June 4th at midnight to buy your tickets and get your free tshirt. So get on it.
GRL POWER (Navy), GAME CHANGER (heather maroon, heather light blue)
White Girls Rising logo t shirt, 3/4 grey/red Girls Rising logo
It occurred to me while reading over some of my past blogs that I should post a disclaimer. Anything I write on this blog is based on a true story. In other words, usually, factually, within reason. But none of it is science.
I'm more of a right brain gal, as anyone who knows me can attest. In fact, I may not even have a left brain. The fact that I do have motion on my right side is the only proof it exists. Apparently the left brain controls all that. So, I guess, factually, I do have a left brain.
I posted a blog a while back called Make Better Choices. In it, I refer to an aunt who told us to make better choices. And I say she is one of my least favorite aunts. For the record, I don't have a least favorite aunt. I genuinely do not. They're all my favorite aunt, tied for first. I have no idea which aunt I am referring to in that blog. It's actually a little upsetting and definitely one of my more egregious stretches of reality.
I like periods after every word to drive a point home. #NotFactuallyAccurate Kristen has a #RightBrain
I am going to assume it was someone who was Aunt-like to me. Even though I still can't place who it was. And on a positive note, I do believe the message to Make Better Choices is a worthy one, conveyed with a genuine desire to help others, and still right brain valid.
Just the part about the aunt saying it to me is alluding me four years after writing it.
Here's the thing. Reading my blog is optional. If you choose to do it, you should understand that I am not afraid to sacrifice a few facts to drive the point of the story home.
It's. Up. To. You. If you still want to hang with... #Hendo
Our best and favorite baby sitter lives 3 doors down from us. She is also my daughter Kate's flute teacher. She's a junior in high school and the type of kid you want your kid to grow up to be. She wants to go to school down south, but I am trying to talk her into going to Bucknell. I told her I would write her a recommendation, like I have any yank in that area (I don't). But still. She feels like a Bucknell kid to me.
Our favorite baby sitter has a dad who is probably around my age...or even younger, cause that happens a lot these days too. He owns an audio company. Do you see where this is going? The best connections throughout my entire career were through people I either went to school with, or my manager went to school with, or because we got to talking on the playground, or because their kid babysits my kids. It's the best way to do business.
So Chris' company does all our audio when we are in the area. We usually ask HUGE favors and he ALWAYS SAYS YES.
A sample conversation:
Us: "Chris, can you do this?" Chris: "Yes." Us: "How about this?" Chris: "Sure, we'll add it." Us: "How about the night before. We need an entire sound system for that too." Chris: "Yep, we'll do it." Us: "And lights and a screen and a projector and someone to run it?" Chris: "Not a problem." Me: "And I need Gabi to babysit the kids while all this is happening." Chris: "I'll send her over."
Minerva Audio has been with Girls Rising since the very first BeachFest back in 19...I mean 2013. We love Chris and the whole crew that comes for the ride every year. Be sure to say hi to them Friday night at the Game Changer Awards and Saturday on the beach!
Sea Cliff, NY - June 30, 2018 - All female rock band Antigone Rising will present their 5th annual BeachFest at Sea Cliff Beach Pavilion on Saturday June 30th from 12 noon - 10pm. BeachFest celebrates the work of the band's nonprofit, Girls Rising, which was officially formed in 2014.
The centerpiece of the day revolves around a Girls Rising outreach panel discussion, much like the panel discussion the band presents at schools, universities, community centers, refugee camps, embassies and corporations around the globe. The only difference with this panel is that the women of Antigone Rising will step aside and let some of their friends take a turn sharing their stories of their paths to success.
The All-Star panel consists of moderator, Carnie Wilson (5x Grammy nominee, member of Wilson Phillips, talk show host and Co-Founder/Entrepreneur of Love Bites by Carnie), with panelists, US Hockey Olympian Angela Ruggiero, WNBA All Star Sue Wicks, Grammy Winning Songwriter Julie Gold, and Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer (Letterman/HBO/Logo).
These game changing women will inspire everyone in attendance and empower the kids in the crowd to be anything they want to be.
The panel discussion will take place at Sea Cliff Beach Pavilion, 52 The Blvd, Sea Cliff, NY at 3PM on Saturday, June 30, 2018. BeachFest 5 opens at 12 noon and is free to the public with a suggested donation at the entrance. Music begins at 12:30 with an all-star line up of female artists and vendors lining the beach. Antigone Rising will close the evening with a set of music scheduled to start around 8:15pm that evening.
I've decided it's time to start blogging again on a regular basis because there's just so much to blog about. As many of you know, the band has created our own nonprofit called Girls Rising. You can find out more information about it by going to our website: GirlsRising.org.
In the meantime, I am going to continually post information on the work we are doing on a regular basis. I am also going to share information that I find interesting or snippets of intel that people send me because they know about the work we are doing with Girls Rising.
My friend Amy forwarded this video to me. It's the graduation speech Abby Wambach gave to the graduating women of Barnard this year. Abby is a former member of the United States Soccer Team. Some of you actually don't know that. But we all know who Peyton Manning is. And Kobe Bryant. I'm going to leave it at that. Just watch the video.
So. We have a friend. Her name is Carnie Wilson (oops, watch your toes). The beauty and magic of Carnie is an entirely different blog of it's own. She's just a genuinely kind person. See, Carnie would have been famous even if she didn't get famous because her dad is, ya know, a BEACH BOY.
