Café-nation

Fair Trade or not Starbuck's lead group to kick off their Hear Music enterprise earlier this year seems to have been a fully caffeinated breakout, if not for the coffee retailer at least for the group Antigone Rising.

Lead singer Cassidy, whose voice and stage presence evoke the cock-of-the walk style of Jagger and with the richly detailed southern bones of the likes of Janice Joplin make a powerful and savory girl group revival; where sex and sensitivity remix to create an album with steel magnolia grace, genuine musical roots and ever-luvin' American rock-a-billie style.

The group itself has been performing on and off for a few years in various incarnations but with limited success until this summer when they made a deal with Starbuck's muse exec Kenneth Lombard to be the first exclusive release for the famous coffee retailer's music house debut.

Caffeine heads and fans come together in a serendipitous setting that reveals as much about the music industry today as it does about the ability of retailers to market related obsessions. Hear Music's deal: you can get half caf latted and burn a CD of your own mix for about $10 all B4 you get to work; perfect for a society of junkies, musical and otherwise.

Antigone Rising is:

• Cathy Henderson- Lead Guitar
• Cassidy- Lead Vocals
• Dina Tauriello- Drums
• Kristen Henderson- Rhythm Guitars/ Percussion
• Jen Zielenbach- Bass