March 18 & 19, 2016. The Fifth Annual Law Rocks LA was our biggest show yet and an absolute blast! A record 12 bands rocked the Whisky over two sold-out nights, battling it out for local nonprofits and raising over $150,000. We were thrilled to have KROQ's Stryker emcee both nights.
NIGHT ONE:
Winner: Run DLA of DLA Piper and eHarmony for Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation
Judges' Choice Award: Big Dicta of Doll Amir Eley for Cheer for Children
NIGHT TWO
Winner: Privileged Communications of Perkins Coie for City of Hope
Judges' Choice Award: TIE between Attractive Nuisance of Allen Matkins; Payne & Fears for Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice and Jimmy's Brother of Winston Strawn; Farell Braun + Martel for Chrysalis
BANDS
Featuring talented legal professionals from Doll Amir & Eley
Rocked for Cheer for Children
Last year's Night One champs, BIG DICTA, are back and ready to rock! Doll Amir & Eley lawyers, Sunset Strip veterans -- the danger of rocking too hard is indeed present. This year, all amps will be set at 11.5 and more cowbell is guaranteed.
Featuring talented legal professionals from Allen Matkins and Payne & Fears
Rocked for Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice
Attractive Nuisance roared onto the Whisky stage for its inaugural Law Rocks! set in 2014. Law Rocks is thrilled that the Nuisance is bringing back its mosh-inspiring sound for 2016, in support of the LACLJ. The Nuisance is: Eric Kennedy, David Ellis, David Iba, Carla Betz, and Chuck Jarrell.
Featuring talented legal professionals from Morrison & Foerster; Strumwasser & Woocher; and Littler Mendelson
Rocked for PATH - People Assisting the Homeless
Band Morrison, two-time champion of the Family Violence Appellate Project's annual Los Angeles Battle of the Bands, is excited to make its LawRocks and Whiskey a Go Go debut. In its latest incarnation, the band features lawyers from Morrison & Foerster, Strumwasser & Woocher, and Littler Mendelson. Rocking out with songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 00s, the band is proudly raising funds for PATH, a wonderful organization housing L.A.'s homeless at an astonishing rate.
Featuring talented legal professionals from Reed Smith and Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete
Rocked for LACBA Counsel for Justice
As hard-core devotees of the Starland Vocal Band, we first met at the Annual SVB Convention in Dubuque in 2012. Upon realizing that we that we all worked for the same law firm, we spontaneously broke into a 4 and a half-part harmony of “Afternoon Delight.” After that, we knew that we had to form our own band to make awesome music together. Our motto: OBOS!
Featuring talented legal professionals from Norton Rose Fulbright and Case Knowlson
Rocked for United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties
Hostile Witness is the love child of Norton Rose Fulbright US and Case Knowlson. Hostile Witness’s rock roots run deep, which is reflected in the mix of classic rock tunes the band features at area bars, charity gigs, and summer BBQs. Hostile Witness is excited to be supporting the excellent folks at UCPLA, an organization committed to advancing the independence, productivity and full citizenship of children and adults with developmental disabilities and those with similar service requirements. UCPLA is near and dear to the hearts of Hostile Witness, and the band is dedicating this performance to all of the residents at UCP in Chatsworth.
Featuring talented legal professionals from Winston & Strawn and Farella Braun + Martel
Rocked for Chrysalis
Jimmy’s Brother is an LA-based rock n’ roll band. No gimmicks, no nonsense. Formed in 2009 after a chance meeting around an old hotel piano in downtown LA, the band is known for its high energy mix of originals and cover songs, late night impromptu concerts at the Omni, and a legendary 45-minute show at Casey’s on the final night of the band’s 2014 “Don’t Make this Weird” tour.
Featuring talented legal professionals from NBCUniversal
Rocking for Big Sunday
The Lowdown (featuring legal talent from NBCUniversal) will rock for Big Sunday, a nonprofit organization that works to build community through community service. Volunteers come from all kinds of neighborhoods, and work in all sorts of neighborhoods, too. The idea is that everyone has some way that they can help somebody else. The Lowdown was formed in 2013 by lead singer Lisa McCormick and guitar/sax player David Burg, and they play an eclectic mix of covers from the greatest eras and artists in rock music. David is Senior Vice President & Associate General Counsel of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and he’s long been moonlighting as a business and entertainment litigator in L.A. Lisa and David last played together on the Whiskey stage about 35 years ago in a local new wave/ska band called The Boxboys, and they’re excited to be returning to their old stomping grounds for Law Rocks with their musical co-conspirators:
Gabriel Rotello – Keyboard
Raymond Esparza – Bass
Dave Gillespie – Lead guitar
Mick Napoli – Drums
The Lowdown is grateful to be sponsored by NBCUniversal.
Featuring legal talent from Spertus Landes & Umhofer
Rocked for The Associates' Committee
The artist presently known as Matthew Umhofer is a former federal prosecutor who probably should stick to the law. He is a partner at the intergalactic mega-firm of Spertus, Landes & Umhofer, a civil and criminal litigation juggernaut that has been called the “Skadden Arps of Olympic and Bundy.” The artist is best known for “performing” several songs that deserved better in years past at Law Rocks LA, after which his mortified guitar left to pursue a solo career gathering dust in the corner of his man-cave. Guitar and artist have patched things up and reunited for a “world tour,” which will likely include a totally-not-awkward gig next to the bouncy house at your neighbor’s kid’s birthday party and several poorly produced Facebook videos that will be “liked” by his mother and that dude from junior high who enthusiastically comments on every single one of his posts. The artist suggests that his set at Law Rocks would be a perfect time for audience members to use the restroom, endorse friends on LinkedIn for some obscure skill, or step outside to vape.
Unlike, Matthew, his charity actually rocks. The Associates’ Committee is a grant foundation that pools annual contributions from attorneys at the nation’s top law firms and awards funds to the most promising and deserving public interest organizations in the country. The Committee’s supports organizations at the cutting edge of public advocacy, and encourages philanthropy and civic engagement among young corporate lawyers.
Featuring talented legal professionals from Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp
Rocked for Mental Health Advocacy Services
Admit it: if you’re surfing channels and Pretty in Pink or The Breakfast Club comes on, you’re missing bedtime and watching all the way to the end. When you hear “Take on Me,” you sing along all the way up to the falsetto part, no matter where you are. Even those of you with your Guns ‘n Roses t-shirts in 7th grade, you secretly had a soft spot for The Cure. There’s a picture of you somewhere with really teased hair; you might even have used a crimping iron.
We understand. We here at MSK remember Richard Blade on KROQ playing The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, and New Order like it was yesterday. And we’re ready to take you back there.
Come see MSKROQ of the 80’s! You’ll think you’ve traveled back to 1985 (or at least tuned in to KROQ’s HD2 channel…) And at the same time, you’ll be helping to support Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS), a local organization that has spent nearly 40 years providing legal and other assistance to folks with mental health issues, and championing those who otherwise would fall through the cracks in our society. Visit www.mhas-la.org to learn more about this important organization, then throw on your Madonna gloves and get out that hairspray (or at least dig out your old Depeche Mode t-shirt), and come out to support MHAS, hear some great 80’s tunes (played passably), and have a good time.
MSKROQ of the 80’s is Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp’s Matt Beasley (drums/percussion), Steve Bevins (guitar), Chris Elliott (drums/percussion), and Andrew Spitser (vocals/guitar), along with their friends Dave Marchese (bass) and Charlie Ragins (keyboards).
Featuring talented legal professionals from Raines Feldman
Rocked for Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children
Ocean Park Sound System is a soul/funk reggae party. Featuring members of Raines Feldman LLP, Ocean Park Sound System came together out in the surf lineup and create a live groove mix of soul, reggae, funk, surf, and rock. The band plays around town and at fundraisers to keep the soul shakedown going!
Featuring talented legal professionals from Perkins Coie
Rocked for City of Hope
Privileged Communications formed in early 2013 to represent Perkins Coie in the Law Rocks! competition in Hollywood, California against other firms such as Latham & Watkins and DLA Piper. Privileged Communications comprises partner Michael Wise on lead vocals, partner Joe Hamilton on guitar, counsel Lara Dueppen and associate Oliver Gold on keyboards and drums, respectively, and non-Perkins attorney Niall Fordyce on bass. While Privileged Communications does not have any available recordings currently, the group is in contract discussions with several large record labels and expects to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show within the next few years.
Featuring talented legal professionals from DLA Piper, eHarmony, and Wolf Rifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin
Rocked for Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation
Run DLA, winner of the 2013 Law Rocks Los Angeles, is back to rock, roll, rap, dance, and funkify your minds. Not to be mistaken for your typical law-firm-charity-classic-rock-cover band, Run DLA has discovered its musical destiny by covering artists like Run DMC, Tina Turner, Coldplay, Janis Joplin, Adele, Def Leppard, and Justin Timberlake. The band is known to bring sexy back, roll in the deep, and pour some sugar on you, while curing fevers with the only prescription – more cowbell.
NONPROFITS
The mission of The Associate's Committee is two-fold: to support organizations at the cutting edge of public interest advocacy, and to encourage philanthropy and civic engagement among young corporate lawyers.
Big Sunday works to build community through community service. Volunteers come from all kinds of neighborhoods, and work in all sorts of neighborhoods, too. The idea is that everyone has some way that they can help somebody else.
Chrysalis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a pathway to self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income individuals by providing the resources and support needed to find and retain employment.
City of Hope is a leading nonprofit research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
The Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation supports children in need primarily in three target areas: low socio-economic backgrounds, mentally and/or physically challenged children and children at risk. We strive to empower children through our outreach programs as well as to lend support to children’s charities through monetary grants and partnerships.
Counsel for Justice brings together law firms, foundations, corporations, donors and volunteers in support of a more just LA. Together, we stand at the forefront of providing equal access to legal services in our community by raising funds and directly contributing at the frontlines of justice, in five key areas: domestic violence, legal support of our veterans, immigration legal assistance, AIDS legal services and civic mediation.
Good Shepherd Center offers the core programs of shelter, food, case management and employment services, all of which are designed to help guide homeless women toward lives of independence.
We fight for the rights of vulnerable families and advocate for a more just legal system.
Our vision is a strong community where families are safe, stable and free from injustice.
Mental Health Advocacy Services, Inc. (MHAS) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1977 to provide free legal services to people with mental disabilities. MHAS assists both children and adults, with an emphasis on obtaining government benefits and services, protecting rights, and fighting discrimination.
Founded in 1945, United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties has become the largest nonprofit direct care provider of services in Southern California for persons with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Serving over 1100 children and adults daily, our mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of children and adults with developmental disabilities and those with similar service needs.
Cheer for Children is a non profit completely run by volunteers since 1984. They bring joy to orthopedically handicapped children thru events at their schools. They support the Child Life deptartment at Harbor UCLA County Hospital.
ROCK PANEL OF JUDGES
Since 1999, Ted Stryker has been a staple at KROQ and millions of Southern Californians are familiar with his voice as the drive-time DJ on The World Famous KROQ weekdays from 2pm to 6pm and his popular “4:20” feature that provides exposure for the best new artists. During his tenure at KROQ, Stryker has interviewed virtually every top rock musician in the world.
Outside of KROQ, Stryker works in front of the camera as a co-host on Red Bull TV during their worldwide broadcasts of popular music festivals such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, etc. as well as hosting shows on AXS TV, MTV, VH1, Fox Sports, Fuse, Direct TV, AMA Red Carpet pre-show, and the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. Stryker has appeared in the movies “Grandma’s Boy”, “Out Cold”, “The Sweetest Thing”, and was part of the incredible ensemble cast in the action/thriller “Sushi Girl”.
Debbie White, partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP, has decades of music industry experience representing established and developing recording artists, songwriters, producers, managers, record companies, and publishing companies. Her clients include Carly Simon, Duran Duran, Regina Spektor and Stephan Moccio, as well as The Swon Brothers and Melanie Martinez, former contestants of The Voice.
Debbie’s primary emphasis is music negotiation and she regularly negotiates multimillion-dollar recording contracts, as well as publishing, live touring on a worldwide basis, film soundtrack and Broadway cast albums, and merchandising and sponsorship agreements. Artists and bands count on her to expand their interests beyond music through ventures such as book publishing, fragrance and cosmetic licensing agreements, non-scripted television deals, and infomercials.
She also represents a number of major brands and advertising agencies in music-related deals. Her recent experience includes licensing transactions and other agreements for brands such as Bank of America, Casio (G-Shock) and Citibank that involved deals with Eminem, The Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Katy Perry and Billy Idol, among others.
Debbie was named to Variety Magazine’s 2014 “New York Women’s Impact Report,” which recognized her as one of the most influential women in New York’s entertainment and media industry. She was one of just three attorneys recognized in the issue, which profiled influential women in the entertainment industry across a variety of disciplines. Debbie is also a member of the Board of Governors for the New York chapter of The Recording Academy.
Carla Betz is an actress and musician. She currently plays bass with The Trainwrecks and Attractive Nuisance. The Trainwrecks have rocked the punk scene for the past 10 years, playing all over Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and the world famous Cavern Club (home of the Beatles) in England. Past projects include Fireball Johnson and all girl AC/DC tribute band Girls Got Rhythm. She has played bass on episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Beverly Hills, 90210 and is endorsed by Daisy Rock Guitars. Carla has worked on numerous indie films, TV shows, commercials and theatre. She can be seen next month in the role of Angie Katz on Criminal Minds.
Todd Sullivan is the VP of Music Supervision and Business Development at proTunes, a tech firm providing innovative search and licensing capabilities to artists, publishers, music supervisors and agencies. His work as a music supervisor for film and television industries was instrumental in the development of proTunes’ MusicLink, which serves as the exclusive music licensing platform for the Omnicom Group.
Prior to joining proTunes, Todd was an A&R executive at Virgin Records and Geffen Records, signing and developing artists like Weezer, Drivin N Cryin’, Southern Culture on the Skids, Ted Hawkins, Jackyl and Sloan, as well as working with artists like Guns N’ Roses. Todd also served as chairperson of the Grammy’s Alternative Music committee for more than ten years. Before his work at major labels, Todd began as a DJ and music director at KCSN and playing in bands in across the Los Angeles indie club scene.
Joe Trofino is the Vice President of Legal Affairs at ICM Partners, one of the world’s largest talent and literary agencies with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London, where he focuses on general corporate legal matters including litigation, corporate contracts, regulatory compliance, insurance matters, real estate, employment, and legal policy matters. The agency represents creative and technical talent in the fields of motion picture, television, books, music, live performance, branded entertainment, and new media. ICM was formed in 1975 through the merger of Creative Management Associates and International Famous Agency. In 2005, the company raised equity financing from Rizvi Traverse and institutional investors to fund strategic growth, and in 2006, ICM acquired the literary agency Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann. In 2012, the agency completed a management buyout and formed a partnership with the new name, ICM Partners. Mr. Trofino joined ICM Partners in 2008.
Mr. Trofino graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh and received his J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law. A Johnstown, Pennsylvania native, Mr. Trofino lives in Los Angeles with his wife Melissa and son Crosby.
Tony Sauza is the Los Angeles Program Director for Little Kids Rock, where he is supporting teachers in developing their programs across the southern California area. Tony has been working with Little Kids Rock since 2007 and is a firm believer in recreational music making and music therapy.
Tony received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Ethnomusicology with a minor in Chicana/o Studies. He received his master’s degree in Afro-Latin Music from California State University Los Angeles in 2012. He has been playing guitar for over 20 years and currently tours nationally as a performer and recording artist with his group, Cuicani. He is an avid supporter of music from around the world and has a deep passion for Afro-Caribbean music.
Andrew H. Radden currently works as an Account Executive for KROQ-FM 106.7 and serves as a Board Manager for the Stuart M. Ketchum Downtown YMCA. Andrew received his undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Business at Claremont Graduate University. He is married to Patrice and has two sons - Davis (7) and Hudson (5).
SPONSORS
PHOTOS
You can see all the awesome photos taken by Lauren Pressey right here on Dropbox.
VIDEO
The playlist below has all 12 sets from both nights of Law Rocks LA!
PATH is a family of agencies working together to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities by prioritizing housing while providing customized supportive services for people in need.