Biography
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 prior to joining AR called “Better.” Based on this discovery, he attended a single show in Hoboken NJ, after which he immediately entered the dressing room and offered the road warriors a major label record deal. The investment paid off.
Flom’s unwavering commitment and belief in the band 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 when the music industry was much more accommodating to 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.”
In 2006, the women of AR gained national exposure in a print and television campaign for designer clothing company 7 Jeans. They appeared in commercials and all Conde-Nast publications for 6 months, including Cosmo, Elle, and Vanity Fair. They enjoyed sponsorships with Mustang and Motorola and in 2006 appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Year in Rock Calendar.”
VH1 aired a half-hour special featuring the band from its humble beginnings to its steady rise. CMT, Nashville’s #1 music video channel also embraced the band, playing the video of their single “Don’t Look Back” on heavy rotation and featured AR in various programs and on their website. Cassidy can also be seen on many of VH1’s “I Love...” series, as well as VH1’s Bad Girls special and were guests on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, A&E’s “Breakfast With The Arts,” local morning programs and radio stations across the U.S. AR continued touring across the country and expanded their east coast fan base to a countrywide following. In 2007, Jason Flom was fired from his position as Atlantic Records president, and although AR was invited to stay at the newly forming label, they declined the offer and were amicably released from their contract.
Cassidy has written songs with legendary and Grammy winning songwriters such as Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty, Santana), Annie Roboff and Beth Nielson Chapman (Faith Hill), Darrell Scott (Dixie Chicks). She has been invited several times by the NFL to sing the national anthem at NY Giants Stadium and the Philadelphia Eagles Veterans Stadium and also can be heard on multiple tracks on Rob Thomas #1 solo album Something to Be including the title track Something to Be, the hit single “This is How a Heart Breaks,” and “My My My.”
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, 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.
The upcoming film titled The Skeptic (slated for 2008 release) presents Cassidy in her acting debut. In addition she was commissioned by the director to write, produce, and perform the only song in this full-length feature. The song is aptly titled “Proof.” Cassidy is currently represented by world class booking agency William Morris for both music and acting and has her sights set on Broadway and film.