Cassidy (musician)
Encyclopedia
Cassidy now professionally known as akaCassidy and most recently Bohème was the lead singer for the band Antigone Rising
from 1999 through 2008. Born January 15, 1979, in Tom's River, New Jersey to a young single mother who gave her up for adoption to the Catanzaro family from Garfield, NJ. There is no known record of her biological father.
, Fleetwood Mac
, and Southern Rock and soul from the 1970s.
After a difficult childhood that Cassidy rarely talks about publicly, she dropped out of high school and received her G.E.D. soon she began a lucrative small business as a nail technician doing the fingernails of wealthy women in her town. Cassidy sang in local bands learning the ropes from local hero Jim Kilby and when she was 18 she moved to New York City
, where she worked for a short time as a waitress. When she was not working she often performed solo or with a band. She stayed in New York for about a year and then moved to Los Angeles where she got her first paying job as a singer and dancer in stage reviews written and produced by Emmy Award-Winning Anita Mann. It was around this time that Cassidy traveled through the US, South America and Europe, spending two summers in Alaska.
In 1997 Cassidy moved to London, England where she found work singing jazz four nights a week and session singing for London's premiere jingle house Hobson's. Cassidy also sang with Robert Palmer, The Bucketheads, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Luciana Caporaso and could be heard as the voice in Barbie commercials in the UK.
It was there that Cassidy began writing songs on guitar and to this day credits her time in England with informing the way she writes a melody.
The band released four independent albums with Cassidy singing lead vocals. They built a dedicated fanbase, known for following them along their East Coast tour stops. Their major label debut From the Ground Up produced by Neil Dorfsman was released exclusively through Starbucks
coffee shops, in conjunction with Starbucks
' Hear Music
series and Lava/Atlantic Records. A second album was never released. AR enjoyed multiple features in Rolling Stone magazine veteran writer David Fricke calling Cassidy "A vocal dynamo" and hailing their show as the "big rock show of the SxSW festival". They were featured in national commercials for 7 Jeans and appeared in all Conde Nast magazines in the Spring of 2006. Although AR received very little radio play the band has sold close to 700,000 copies of FTGU to date. Vh1 aired a half hour special featuring the band from its humble beginnings to its steady rise and Cassidy can still be seen as a regular commentator in Vh1's "I love.." series and "Bad Girls" Special. The band toured with The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Dave Mathews, and Rob Thomas and appeared on late night and morning television. The Matchbox 20 singer also co-wrote and produced tracks for the band. Cassidy has been invited to sing with Diane Warren, Steven Tyler, Moe, O.A.R. and appears on multiple tracks on Rob Thomas' first solo album "Something To Be." Including the title track, "Something to Be', "This is How A Heart Breaks", and "My My My". After Jason Flom's firing from Atlantic Records in 2007 AR asked to be released from their contract. The band continued to tour for another year but lost their momentum and Cassidy left the band in 2008. After spending two years out of A.R. acting and appearing in a National 'Gap campaign Born to Fit (Cassidy's segment was titled "Born to Inspire") she found a passion for writing and editing for multiple online magazines including, NewYorkPudding.com, Lost at E Minor.com and her own magazine TheBeer Sessions.com started along with her partner Andrew and brother Eugene.
. She has studied acting at The New School and Stella Adler in New York City, improvisational comedy at Upright Citizen's Brigade in Los Angeles, voice with Katie Agresta and dance with Anita Mann Studios in Los Angeles.
Antigone Rising
Antigone Rising is an all-female New York City based rock band. Their music is influenced by classic rock from the 1970s such as The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, mixed with pop overtones and at times folk and country elements...
from 1999 through 2008. Born January 15, 1979, in Tom's River, New Jersey to a young single mother who gave her up for adoption to the Catanzaro family from Garfield, NJ. There is no known record of her biological father.
Early life
Cassidy grew up in Sparta, New Jersey, a small rural town in Sussex County. She has one younger brother Eugene. Cassidy says that growing up near the Pennsylvania border amongst the farms and lakes influenced her as a person developing her love of nature and free spirit. She began attending a small gospel church with her Father at a young age, and that's where Cassidy began singing. Her mother's taste in music also influenced her: Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, and Southern Rock and soul from the 1970s.
After a difficult childhood that Cassidy rarely talks about publicly, she dropped out of high school and received her G.E.D. soon she began a lucrative small business as a nail technician doing the fingernails of wealthy women in her town. Cassidy sang in local bands learning the ropes from local hero Jim Kilby and when she was 18 she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she worked for a short time as a waitress. When she was not working she often performed solo or with a band. She stayed in New York for about a year and then moved to Los Angeles where she got her first paying job as a singer and dancer in stage reviews written and produced by Emmy Award-Winning Anita Mann. It was around this time that Cassidy traveled through the US, South America and Europe, spending two summers in Alaska.
In 1997 Cassidy moved to London, England where she found work singing jazz four nights a week and session singing for London's premiere jingle house Hobson's. Cassidy also sang with Robert Palmer, The Bucketheads, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Luciana Caporaso and could be heard as the voice in Barbie commercials in the UK.
It was there that Cassidy began writing songs on guitar and to this day credits her time in England with informing the way she writes a melody.
Antigone Rising
In 1999 and living again in Los Angeles, she was approached by Antigone Rising who was looking for a new lead singer. She sent the band a demo tape. And after a face to face meeting she was asked to join. Cassidy provided A.R. with songs she had written while spending time in Los Angeles, and it was ultimately these songs that inspired Lava/Atlantic executive Jason Flom to sign the all female band to a record deal.The band released four independent albums with Cassidy singing lead vocals. They built a dedicated fanbase, known for following them along their East Coast tour stops. Their major label debut From the Ground Up produced by Neil Dorfsman was released exclusively through Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
coffee shops, in conjunction with Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
' Hear Music
Hear Music
Hear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
series and Lava/Atlantic Records. A second album was never released. AR enjoyed multiple features in Rolling Stone magazine veteran writer David Fricke calling Cassidy "A vocal dynamo" and hailing their show as the "big rock show of the SxSW festival". They were featured in national commercials for 7 Jeans and appeared in all Conde Nast magazines in the Spring of 2006. Although AR received very little radio play the band has sold close to 700,000 copies of FTGU to date. Vh1 aired a half hour special featuring the band from its humble beginnings to its steady rise and Cassidy can still be seen as a regular commentator in Vh1's "I love.." series and "Bad Girls" Special. The band toured with The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Dave Mathews, and Rob Thomas and appeared on late night and morning television. The Matchbox 20 singer also co-wrote and produced tracks for the band. Cassidy has been invited to sing with Diane Warren, Steven Tyler, Moe, O.A.R. and appears on multiple tracks on Rob Thomas' first solo album "Something To Be." Including the title track, "Something to Be', "This is How A Heart Breaks", and "My My My". After Jason Flom's firing from Atlantic Records in 2007 AR asked to be released from their contract. The band continued to tour for another year but lost their momentum and Cassidy left the band in 2008. After spending two years out of A.R. acting and appearing in a National 'Gap campaign Born to Fit (Cassidy's segment was titled "Born to Inspire") she found a passion for writing and editing for multiple online magazines including, NewYorkPudding.com, Lost at E Minor.com and her own magazine TheBeer Sessions.com started along with her partner Andrew and brother Eugene.
Bohème
In 2010 Cassidy was approached by a private investor to launch her own own record label and release a solo album. She decided to take this rare opportunity to do it her own way. Her record label Band and Mountain was launched and subsequently Cassidy wrote and produced her debut album Follow The Freedom under the moniker Bohème. The album's title track features reclusive frontman Steve Perry of the band Journey, who is a friend and fan of Cassidy's new project. Member's of her team include musicians who have toured with Michael Jackson, Colby Caillait, Orianthi, as well as the powerhouse management and publicity team of Ron Shapiro Management and Plan A Media out of New York City. Television appearances began in October 2011 to promote Follow The Freedom and the album has already received rave reviews. www.bohemeartist.comActing
After many parts regional theater and being hired to perform multiple Broadway workshops including Clueless The Musical and Dangerous Beauty Cassidy made her film acting debut in the 2009 film The Skeptic starring Zoe Saldana and written and directed by Tennyson BardwellTennyson Bardwell
Tennyson Bardwell is an American film and TV commercial director and screenwriter.-Biography:Tennyson Bardwell received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting and writing from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. She has studied acting at The New School and Stella Adler in New York City, improvisational comedy at Upright Citizen's Brigade in Los Angeles, voice with Katie Agresta and dance with Anita Mann Studios in Los Angeles.