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Thursday, September 12, 2024
9:30 Club
$140,229 fundraised

Overall Winner and Hustle & Heart Award: Night Work (Akin) for Legal Aid DC
Judges’ Choice Award: Noise in the Basement (Venable; Dickinson Wright) for Friends of ROAM

Seven bands of legal rock stars took the stage at the 9:30 Club stage this Thursday for the Ninth Annual Law Rocks Washington DC. With nostalgic set lists and expressive performances, bands gave the crowd a night full of the magic every concertgoer hopes to experience. The evening raised over $140,000 benefitting deserving nonprofit organizations, and served as a reminder of what can be accomplished when the legal community comes together to rock for a good cause!

The Precedents opened the show strong, setting quite a precedent for the following acts. Dual lead singers showed off their pipes on tunes ranging from a sultry cover of “Black Velvet” (complete with sax solo) to a high intensity rendition of “Power of Love” that got the audience moving and grooving. Not to mention some seriously impressive baton twirlingl! It was Just What We Needed.

Next up, Amperband was back again after making their debut Law Rocks performance last year in NYC. They brought verve and intensity to the stage, engaging with each other as well as working the crowd. Highlights included a moody, powerful cover of “Zombie” and energy-filled throwbacks like “Inside Out” that had the audience enthusiastically singing along; but it was their passionate performance of “Everlong” that truly brought the house down.

Harmful Interference started off with an electrifying opening cover of “Where the Streets Have No Name.” These previous Law Rocks champions rocked in sync as they made their way through an impressively varied set including standout versions of “Seether” and “Closer to Fine”, which showed off their tight harmonies. Their keyboardist even pulled double duty, hopping on vocals for the band’s standout cover of “Ironic.”

2023 Overall Champions Noise in the Basement took the stage next and showed the crowd why they are the judges’ choice. They had the crowd shaking the floor with iconic pop songs, from “Hello” to “Watermelon Sugar.” The band’s killer stage presence and tight transitions kept everyone engaged, and the audience harmonized along on 90s classic “Teenage Dirtbag.” They kept us young!

Night Work came out ready to rock in their own customized merch, and man did they work hard all night! All 7 band members bought razzle dazzle to the stage and captivated the crowd with a groovy rendition of “Dreams,” a unique mash-up of “7 Nation Army” and “Sweet Dreams,” and their standout cover of “Love Shack.” They highlighted their talent with three vocalists, tight bass solos, and impressive keyboard work. It was a winning performance!

Law Rocks newcomers Lex Loco nailed their debut with a powerhouse set. The lead singer had charisma to spare: flirting with the audience, changing costumes mid-set, and delivering vocals to back up the swagger. The bands’ cohesive performance included killer renditions of “Love on the Brain” and “Dancing on my Own”, and ended with a crowd-pleasing take on "Fat-Bottomed Girls

Rounding out the night, Morgan & The Missed Opportunity took the stage and didn’t miss the opportunity to wow the crowd with their fantastic cover of “Valerie,” which had the audience dancing along. The band’s setlist was unique and highlighted the band’s artistic chops. Their cover of “Runaway Train” was a standout as their lead vocalist hopped on guitar and rocked in sync with the groovy bass guitar. It was a great way to end an incredible night.

Law Rocks wouldn't exist without the support of all the bands and firms - major thanks to every participating band! Thanks also to the 9:30 Club team; the Rock Panel of Judges: Daniel Gomez, Eric Liley, Evan Moses, Stacy Puente, Chris Reardon, and Gregory K. Wells; our host Valerie Ojeda; and our nonprofit guests. None of this would be possible without our Hall of Fame sponsor, Venable; tour sponsor Secretariat; top sponsors Akin; Somos; Verizon; Wilkinson Barker Knaur; and Willkie Farr & Gallagher; and the additional generous sponsors who helped make the night possible: Amperband; AT&T; Barrister Digital Solutions; Kator Parks Weiser & Wright; USTelecom; and Wiley Rein. We are incredibly grateful for your support!

Next year will be our tenth time rocking with the DC legal community and we can’t wait to come back and celebrate!

Please consider making a contribution to support Law Rocks World Tour and ensure we keep rocking the globe for years to come!

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Featured

Amperband

Featuring legal talent from McCarter & English
Rocking for SOUL (Student-Athletes Organized to Understand Leadership)

Meet Amperband, the legal & musical legends from McCarter & English who are as equally in tune with each other as they are with their clients! Why are we called Amperband? It's our tribute to the mighty '&' symbol, the unsung hero that connects words & phrases, like we connect legal arguments & our Amperfans to chart topping hits from the greatest eras of music.

Amperband was formed in 2023 when the band debuted at Johnny Cash Bar & BBQ in Nashville, where we rocked so hard, we made sure even the Man in Black himself would've demanded an encore. Since then, Amperband has graced stages in NYC & Florida with our distinctive three guitar sound. We're now taking our talents to DC because nothing says "fight for your right to party" like an Amperfamily reunion.

Amperband boasts as much expertise in riffs & rhythms as we do in regulations & rulings. Our ensemble includes seven members from five offices & a whole lot of legal wit & musical talent. So, if you think you are Amperfan material, welcome to the Amperfamily! We got the moves like Jagger & maybe even a few legal puns that are so bad, they're criminal!

Instagram

Harmful Interference

Featuring legal talent from Federal Communications Commission; USTelecom; Wireless Infrastructure Association; Meta; Verizon; Somos
Rocking for Miriam's Kitchen

Harmful interference was formed in the Spring of 2019 with the quickly achieved goal of becoming the world’s greatest telecom lawyer rock band. The band presently includes telecom industry legends Kelly Donohue, vocals/keyboard/gong/80s flair (Meta, formerly FCC, Wilkinson Barker Knauer); Joel Bernstein, bass/definitely not vocals/next-level conversation skills (Somos, formerly Temple Strategies); Randy Clarke, drums/practice space purveyor/smoldering intensity (Verizon, formerly FCC, Lumen); Patrick Halley, guitar/vocals/off-color humor (Wireless Infrastructure Association, formerly FCC, USTelecom, Wilkinson Barker Knauer); Kristi Thompson, vocals/percussion/robocall cop (FCC), Brandon Heiner, vocals/guitar/gear master (USTelecom, formerly Hill staff, Lumen), along with telecom outsider Jozsef Szamosfalvi (Interlink Capital Strategies, highest scoring scrabble name in the history of Law Rocks DC with 53 points).

Website

Lex Loco

Featuring legal talent from Maryland Office of the Attorney General; Kator, Parks, Weiser & Wright; Lutzker & Lutzker
Rocking for Young Artists of America

Forged from the remains of a law school band, Lex Loco is DC’s most original up-and-coming cover act. From The Beatles to Britney, these attorneys-by-day, rock-stars-by-night deliver banger after banger to a boisterous bunch of beloved followers. In fact, the only thing more dangerous than Lex Loco on stage is Lex Loco in legal practice.

Lex Loco is Lexi Pozonsky (lead vocals), John McWhorter (lead guitar), Ethan Barr (guitar and keys), Derek Fischer (bass, not the basketball player), and Will Elman (drums). The band will be raising money for Young Artists of America, which offers orchestral and musical theater training for elementary through high school aged students in the DC area.

Website
Instagram

Morgan & The Missed Opportunity

Featuring legal talent from Mintz; Verizon; The Author’s Guild
Rocking for Guitars For Vets

Morgan & The Missed Opportunity is a collection of legal and other DC policy professionals who deliver advice and counsel on vexing communications, copyright, and defense policy questions by day and turn up the volume on Americana and classic rock after dark.

Instagram

Night Work

Featuring legal talent from Akin
Rocking for Legal Aid DC

Night Work consists mostly of attorneys from the DC office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, now simply known as Akin. The name Night Work was devised by a broader group of Akin musicians across the firm’s many offices in honor of the firm’s founder, Bob Strauss. Mr. Strauss famously said to a client that “You’ve given us your night work; now can we have your day work?” The DC band’s genesis dates back to the 1980s, when trade partners Steve Kho and Tom McCarthy starred in their high school rock band No Outlet. Steve and Tom have since toured the country with their own bands, and Tom continues to record and play with his bands No Second Troy and the Reserves (those names are included to encourage you to look for them on streaming services). They reunited at Akin and secretly added rock ’n roll musical talent to the lateral partner recruiting criteria for the DC office. Drummer Scott Alberino, a leader in Akin’s Financial Restructuring practice, is routinely selected as one the greats by himself and his bandmates. Top DC lobbyist Brian Pomper, who normally plays guitar, found his purpose in life playing bass for the band. Lead vocalists Jennifer Richter (Telecom) and Matt Nicely (Trade) are regularly compared to Fleetwood Mac by associates at the firm looking for bonuses.

Akin Website

Noise In The Basement

Featuring legal talent from Venable; Dickinson Wright
Rocking for Friends of ROAM

What’s that Noise?! Once upon a time in the early 2010s, a group of friends set forth on a musical odyssey, insistent on keeping theelectrifying soul of alternative rock alive. United by their passion for the genre’s rebellious spirit and groundbreaking melodies, Noise in the Basement was born – a tributed to the legends of thelast few decades whose songs you passionately sing along to today. NITB shows take you on a thrilling musical rollercoaster, blasting your favorite alt anthems, while slinging genre-bending curveballs – swinging between old and new tunes with finesse, keeping audiences on their toes. So, slip into your Chuck Taylors, Doc Martins or Vans, and let NITB remind you why alt rock has owned the airwaves and possessed your very soul.

Website
Instagram
Facebook

The Precedents

Featuring legal talent from Willkie Farr & Gallagher; Interactive Brokers; McGuireWoods; IRS Appellate Division; Shulman Rogers
Rocking for Gifts For The Homeless

The Precedents have been together for 18 years. We are the band that all others must follow.

Law Rocks' Music Matters grant is an extension of our mission to promote music education for underserved youth - and support the next generation of rock stars! We are excited to announce our 2024 Washington DC recipient of the Music Matters grant: Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education (FAME)!

Read our Nonprofit Spotlight on FAME to find out more about the organization.

Photo by Ana Tantaros | Side A Photography | courtesy of FAME

We are proud that Law Rocks DC 2024 bands raised funds for the following organizations.

Featured

SOUL (Student-Athletes Organized to Understand Leadership)

Featured

Host - Valerie Ojeda

This proud Chicago native is best known for her vocal versatility, boundless energy and magnetic charisma on stage.

During the week, Valerie Ojeda travels the country, working as an On-Camera Host, Event Emcee, Trade Show Presenter and Automotive Product Specialist, representing top companies like Panasonic, Microsoft and 3M and Honda, just to name a few.

On weekends, she manages and sings lead vocals for the wildly successful cover band, “Anthem Road,” playing in casinos, resorts, conventions, wineries, private parties and outdoor festivals, throughout the country. Anthem Road has shared the stage with such iconic 80’s bands as Berlin and Warrant, as well as some of the top tribute bands in the world. Valerie’s favorite musical moments to date were meeting rock legends Pat Benatar, Kip Winger, Jerry Dixon and Billy Ocean, as well as singing with Terri Nunn at The Canyon Club and singing the National Anthem before a Slaughter concert.

For Valerie, being of service is the highest form of consciousness, so being able to give back to the local community, by being a part of Law Rocks, is an absolute dream come true!

https://www.atradeshowpresenter.com

https://www.anthemroadband.com

Featured

Judge - Daniel Gomez

Daniel "Dan" Alexander Gomez is an accomplished singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Caracas, Venezuela, and currently based in the Washington DC area. He is also the founder and director of Distrito Music Fest, a philanthropic effort committed to supporting and showcasing the rich talent of Hispanic American artists in the DMV region.

Judge - Eric Liley

Eric Liley, Executive Director and CEO for The Musicianship, is a seasoned Marketing and Communications executive with over 25 years of experience in the Entertainment and Media industries, including work in the for-profit and non–profit arenas. His breadth of expertise includes TV programming, music licensing, multicultural marketing, branding, event production, talent relations, business affairs, youth advocacy, social impact, and diversity & inclusion.

Over the years, Eric has held a variety of management positions in marketing at Fortune 500 media/broadcast companies as well as leading non-profit category leaders. His experience includes roles at Gannett/USA Today, Showtime Networks Inc, BMI Music, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In 1995, he served as the President of the NY Chapter of The National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC), the organization’s largest chapter at the time. His extensive media experience included time abroad when, in 1999, he assumed the role of Senior Vice President Global Sales & Marketing for Net4Music Inc., an award-winning digital music company. Net4Music, headquartered in Paris, France, was ultimately acquired by Minnesota-based Coda Music Technology in 2001, one of the industry’s leaders of innovative digital products songwriters, composers, and producers.

Judge - Evan Moses

Evan is a trademark lawyer, the founder of the local community concert series "Live in Rose Park," and most notably, a four-time Law Rocks veteran and former Judge’s Choice award winner with his band Rock Creek Kings. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Evan is of-counsel to the Boutique IP and litigation law firms the Concept Law Group and FL Patel Law on trademark, patent and copyright prosecution and litigation matters and holds an LL.M. in intellectual property law from the George Washington University School of Law. His band’s newest single FOOL was just released on all platforms and you may just recognize him from the cover of the Washington Post’s Weekend Section.

Judge - Stacy Puente

Stacy Puente is, in no particular order, a mediocre multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, a student of humanity, and, at times, a regulatory lawyer for the federal government. A three-year Law Rocks veteran and two-time Law Rocks judge, you can catch her and her band in and around the DMV area.

Judge - Chris Reardon

Chris Reardon is a singer/songwriter/producer and music industry veteran who has been working steadily, both touring the world and in the studio since the early ’90’s. He signed his first record deal with Blackheart, Joan Jett’s indie label in 1993. From there, he went on to play with 4 different major label artists: Earth To Andy (Warner Bros), Lucy Woodward (Atlantic), Ebo (Maverick) and the Pat McGee Band (Warner Bros), touring and recording non-stop from the mid ’90’s straight through to 2010. Along the way he shared the stage with every different type of performer and band, from Stone Temple Pilots and Foo Fighters all the way to Sherly Crow and Dave Mathews. In fact, his band Earth To Andy was managed by Dave Mathews’ management company, Red Light.

In his capacity as a producer, Chris has worked with some legendary talent, including Nick Launay (Sting, Eric Clapton, Talking Heads to name just a few) and mixing greats Chris and Tom Lord Alge. If you’ve heard any multi-platinum rock band from the past 3 decades, you’ve heard their work.

As a songwriter, Chris has worked with his longtime partner in crime, DC legend and Sony ATV writer Andy Waldeck (Earth To Andy, Egypt). Together, they’ve had the honor to write songs for a plethora of artists from all genres, including 3 prominent American Idol stars: David Cook, Chris Daughtry and Constantine Maroulis, with David even performing their song “Laying Me Low” live on the show to close out season 12 with a bang. Chris has had song placements in multiple TV shows (Beverly Hills 90210, Charmed) and several national ad campaigns including Coors Light and Pizzeria Uno.

Chris has come off the road and for the past 10 years or so he has been performing on and off with his old partner Andy Waldeck in the retro-soul 9 piece combo Killer DeLuxe and also with local singer/songwriter/producer extraordinaire Todd Wright in the power pop 4 piece, Getaway Car. He’s based mostly in the studio these days, collaborating with Todd Wright (Ryan Wright, Getaway Car) and Ethan Mentzer (Atomic Tom, Click Five) on commercial music/sync licensing using his wide array of vocal talents, from voice-over to soulful crooning and everything in between.

Judge - Gregory K. Wells

Gregory K. Wells, a trial lawyer, focuses on Plaintiff’s medical malpractice, serious personal injury and wrongful death cases. He is also a highly sought-after Mediator. Greg is listed in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Product Liability and Professional Malpractice Law; the Maryland Lawyers and Washington, D.C. “Super Lawyers” and in Washingtonian Magazine’s “Washington D.C.’s Top Lawyers “Hall of Fame”. Greg has been recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” in numerous occasions in the area of Professional Malpractice by Best Lawyers in America.

Greg is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, where he currently serves as the Regent for Washington, D.C. and Maryland, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has maintained the coveted “AV” rating, the rating for the highest level of professional excellence for legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards, from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell publication.

A Board member of F.A.M.E., the Foundation for the Advancement of Music and Education, Greg, a life-long music lover, is an avid guitar-player whose ability to gig has been, unfortunately, been curtailed by his busy law practice.