Antigone Rising Take 23 Red to Israel, By James Bresnahan

Antigone Rising, or AR as they are known to fans, has long been known for its “grass roots” touring. They shed this reputation recently when they were chosen by the US State Department to be Arts Envoys in Israel from February 18-28, 2012. They brought to Israel and the West Bank the hope of good will and peace through their brand of American Rock. Their latest studio release, 23 Red, was an excellent choice of songs to share with new fans in the Middle East.

After shaking off jet lag, AR had a very full performing and instructional schedule. First up on Feb 21 was an 11:00 am concert at Kaye College, in the city of Beer Sheva, for 2,500 Jewish and Arab high school students. The ladies of AR may be up at 11:00 am, but they usually don’t perform so early. After playing to the enthusiastic students during the day, AR had another nighttime show in Jerusalem at 10:00 pm. Talk about a busy first day!

From Feb 22 through Feb 26, AR had a late morning workshop which included either instructional drumming or singing as well as nightly concerts. At each show the ladies of AR connected with the audience thru their well written, sung and performed songs, mostly from ’23 Red’. At some concerts the audience certainly had not heard of Antigone Rising, or seen an all female Rock band, nor even heard American Rock, yet through the power of AR’s live performance, political, religious and cultural borders were temporarily removed to the delight of both audience and band. This was truly the healing power of music. AR’s final Israeli show was an evening concert on Feb 27, 2012 and they flew home the next day.

Please visit AR’s website; www.antigonerising.com, and also request your favorite songs from AR’s, ’23 Red’, at your local radio station. ’23 Red’ is available for sale thru their website, iTunes, Amazon.com, bandcamp.com, and at gigs.

– James Bresnahan

Here are two links to Antigone Rising’s experiences while performing in Israel: