September 22, 2016. The second Law Rocks DC is also the biggest concert in Law Rocks history with fourteen bands competing! A special event at the Annual Conference of the International Bar Association and our second DC concert, a huge crowd of locals and conference attendees turned out to rock the night away for charity.
Winner: Noise in the Basement of Venable and LexisNexis for Together We Bake
Judges' Choice Award: IM Beats of Irwin Mitchell for Epilepsy Society
BANDS
The event starred legal professionals from:
AFL-CIO
Alliance for Green Heat
Ashurst
Baker & McKenzie
Blank Rome
Boies, Schiller & Flexner
Columbus School of Law
Dentons Rodyk
Finnegan
Hogan Lovells
Howard Kennedy
Ince & Co
Irwin Mitchell
Jorquiera & Rozas
Kenealy Vaidya
Law Offices of Peter C. Hansen
LexisNexis
McKool Smith
Perkins Coie
Polaris Project
Shulman Rogers
Skadden
Steptoe & Johnson
Thomas Miller Americas
US Government
Venable
Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh
Click on a band to learn more!
Featuring legal professionals from Steptoe & Johnson
Rocking for Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation - Donate now!
Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s band ATTRACTIVE NUISANCE was formed in 2011 with two goals, rock out, and raise money for DC-area charities. The band specializes in classic rock and funk covers and features talented instrumentalists and singers.
Featuring legal professionals from McKool Smith; U.S. Government; Law Offices of Peter C. Hansen, LLC; Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP; Polaris Project
Rocking for Central Union Mission - Donate now!
Buzzard Point Caucus: as a local secret society of lawyers who rock, Buzzard Point Caucus emerges from the shadows to proudly participate in Law Rocks DC. Buzzard Point Caucus joins this epic rock battle to support and raise funds for the Central Union Mission in D.C., an organization dedicated to providing shelter, food, education, and other assistance to people in need. Come out on September 22 to the legendary 9:30 Club, a venue Rolling Stone ranked as the best music club in the country. Donate, buy tickets, and join us to rock -- secret handshake not required.
Buzzard Point Caucus features Ben Christoff (guitar, vocals), Jon Knight (guitar, vocals), Corban Teague (bass), Justin Heminger (keyboards, vocals), and Mike King (drums).
Featuring legal professionals from Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker
Rocking for Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless - Donate now!
Law Professionals by day, song slingers by night. Shulman Rogers attorneys from local bar bands Film at Eleven and South Glen have combined to create a one night powerhouse for charity. The lawyers at Shulman Rogers have performed with a diverse roster of Grammy award-winning and nominated musicians, including Jeff Peterson (Slack Key Guitarist), Ambrosia, Marty Balin (Jefferson Airplane) and others.
Featuring legal professionals from Irwin Mitchell LLP
Rocking for Epilepsy Society - Donate now!
IM Beats are an all-female acoustic duo who play covers with a funky twist. With Katie Stephenson on the drums and Nikki Link on guitar, the duo combine soaring harmonies with rhythmic arrangements for a musical treat guaranteed to keep you singing along and tapping your feet!
As 2015 winners of Law Rocks at the IBA (Vienna) IM Beats will be returning to defend their crown and raise money for the Epilepsy Society, the UK’s leading provider of epilepsy services providing cutting edge research, awareness campaigns, information resources and expert care to work for everyone affected by epilepsy in the UK.
Featuring legal professionals from Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, & Walsh, PC
Rocking for HomeAid Northern Virginia - Donate now!
Featuring legal talent from Ashurst LLP
Rocking for London Air Ambulance - Donate now!
No effects - just pure vocals and tight strings. Neil & Niall is an acoustic act that sprung from Ashurst in London. The band revels in the beauty of pure-tonal simplicity - and between them they've got a growing list of premiere venue performances under their belt: from Abbey Road Studios, Heron Tower, The 100 Club, Sky Gardens, the V&A to even Buckingham Palace! And it doesn't stop there: the lads are two-time champions of the LawRocks! London battle of the bands competitions and have kicked off their world tour in full force with performances in Japan, Vienna and France. Neil & Niall will be joined by a special guest vocalist for their performance at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. Expect some seriously close-knit harmonies and stunning cello lines from a world-class cellist. Neil & Niall are fundraising for London's Air Ambulance, a life-saving charity that treats on average five critically injured people in London every day.
Featuring legal professionals from Venable LLP; LexisNexis
Rocking for Together We Bake - Donate now!
Before earning capital letters befitting a true band, we were simply “noise in the basement” – the sound of a random collection of white-collar professionals dabbling with music in the dank, subterranean confines of our homes. Braving the sunlight and testing the laws of nature, we formed a real band, Noise in the Basement, to entertain our friends and provide an escape from the daily DC grind. Our catalog of cover songs is rooted in alt-rock hits from the 80s thru today, but spans five decades of the best high-energy, popular and should-have-been-popular tunes.
Featuring legal professionals from Hogan Lovells US LLP; Kenealy Vaidya LLP
Rocking for Calvary Women's Services - Donate now!
Formed in 2015 by noted IP lawyer David Kenealy, the Porch Lights are the official house band of the Rosemont neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. The Porch Lights have played at bars and house parties around Alexandria, mixing originals, rock and alt-country classics and a few quirky current tunes aimed at making sure you’re paying attention. Think Midwest rock, corn-fed and working class. The line-up includes Max Keeler on lead guitar and vocals, David Kenealy on guitar, Keith Larson on drums and vocals, Stephen MacBride on vocals, bass, harmonica, utility infielder Ajit Vaidya and Jessica Wehrman on lead vocals.
![[redacted]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55bc0813e4b088b3844d40e5/1470677508830-SM4HJ7BT6WK7BZDJQN4P/DC16+Band+Photo+REDACTED.jpg)
Featuring legal professionals from Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP
Rocking for Children's Law Center - Donate now!
[redacted] IS BACK! Finnegan is proud and pumped up to be participating in the second annual Law Rocks DC fundraising event at the legendary 9:30 Club on Thursday, September 22! [redacted] will be rocking out to support the Children’s Law Center, a local organization that assists DC children who have been abused or neglected, caught in custody battles, live in poor housing, or have special education needs. By supporting [redacted] with your donation to the Children’s Law Center, you are advancing the band’s quest to win the battle of law firm bands, but, most importantly, EVERY dime you contribute will go to help these less fortunate children in our area. This is an awesome way to band together with our fellow law firms to support this and other worthy causes. In exchange for your vote of $$, we promise to play our hearts out and bring down the house! VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN! THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT!! Let’s ROCK!!
[redacted] features Forrest Jones and Moira Bogley, vocals; Brandon Korch, drums; Norm Lester, bass; J.P. Long, guitar; and Mike Flibbert, guitar.
Featuring legal professionals from Blank Rome; Dentons Rodyk; Ince & Co; Jorquiera & Rozas; Thomas Miller Americas
Rocking for Bridge of Books Foundation - Donate now!
Featuring legal professionals from Perkins Coie LLP; AFL-CIO; Alliance for Green Heat
Rocking for GoodWeave - Donate now!
Special guests from Columbus School of Law
Rocking for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Washington DC - Donate now!
The Tortious Tones began as innocently as any other band. Two friends, Christian Baron and Nic Zawarski got together to perform as a part of their first year class skit at the annual Columbus Awards Night at the Catholic University. Since that moment they have expanded into the iconic eclectic D.C. cover band that they are today. The Tones, as they like to be called, have performed at a host of different venues across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Some of the venues where the Tones have performed include Bayou DC, DC 9 Nightclub, and The Town Tavern DC to list a few.
Throughout all their success, the Tortious Tones never forgot where they came from and have become iconic as the Columbus School of Law’s in-house band . They have performed at numerous events hosted by the law school, providing quality entertainment with their classic rock and funk songs that span over a wide range of different artists.
Rocking for Doorways - Donate now!
X-Magnetics is a powerhouse rock machine featuring legal professionals from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP; Baker & McKenzie, LLP; and the U.S. Government.
X-Magnetics features a diverse group of musicians from popular NOVA bands (The Walkaways, Naked Grace, Dr. FU, Manther, and the Overcommitments) uniting to rock it out for Doorways for Women and Families.
NONPROFITS
The mission of Bridge of Books Foundation is to provide an ongoing source of books to underserved children throughout New Jersey in order to support the development of literacy skills and to encourage a love of reading.
Calvary Women’s Services offers housing, health, employment and education programs that empower homeless women in Washington, DC to change their lives.
Motivated by the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and guided by Catholic social and moral teaching, Catholic Charities strengthens the lives of all in need by giving help that empowers and hope that lasts.
The mission of Central Union Mission is to glorify God by proclaiming the Gospel and meeting the needs of hungry, hurting and homeless individuals and families in the Washington Metropolitan Area
Children's Law Center fights so every DC child can grow up with a loving family, good health and a quality education
Doorways for Women and Families an organization that creates pathways out of homelessness, domestic violence and sexual assault leading to safe, stable and empowered lives.
Epilepsy Society is the UK’s leading provider of epilepsy services. Through our cutting edge research, awareness campaigns, information resources and expert care, we work for everyone affected by epilepsy in the UK.
GoodWeave is a nonprofit organization devoted to ending child labor in global supply chains and replacing the tools in children’s hands with books
HomeAid Northern Virginia builds and renovates homeless shelters and other facilities that help those struggling with homelessness gain safe, stable housing where they can improve their circumstances and get back on their feet. HomeAid leverages the resources of the homebuilding industry to undertake the projects at a fraction of the cost so that shelter organizations can redirect those dollars back into programs and services for the homeless and not in construction costs.
The Foundation’s mission is to engage Lex Mundi’s global network of leading independent law firms to support and empower those working to bring about high impact and sustainable social change that improves communities and lives.
London’s Air Ambulance is the registered charity that delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London.
Working together, MCCH and Coalition Homes provide solutions in Mongomery County to ensure that homelessness is a rare, brief, and nonrecurring experience.
MQ stands for mental health and quality of life - two things we believe we can transform through research.
Founded in 2012, Together We Bake is an empowerment based job training program for women in need of a second chance within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
ROCK PANEL OF JUDGES
From the Opera House in Sydney to the bomb shelters in Israel to the Woody Guthrie Festival multiple first round Grammy nominated singer-songwriter SONiA disappear fear continues to inspire audiences in the USA and around the world. Performing with her SONiA Santa Cruz guitar, piano, harmonica or a full band she is frequently described as the ‘Female Dylan’. SONiA (Rutstein) sings and writes in Hebrew, Spanish, English and Arabic .Her songs are drawn from rock to blues to reggae to folk to Latin to Judaic to pop and country brimming with stories of passion and hope. She has recently shared the stage with some of her heroes including Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger and Chris Thiele. Two of her proudest moments were singing withPeter, Paul and Mary at the Lincoln Memorial in 2002 and in 2012 receiving the Coin of Honor from the United States Army for her humanitarian songs while on tour in Germany. SONiA has received the highest number of awards for her positively proud songs and more than any other Gay or Lesbian Musician including Female Artist of the Year by the Gay and Lesbian Music American Music Awards. She also has appeared with Idan Raichel, Arlo Gutherie, Indigo Girls, Emmy Lou Harris, John Fulbright, Moe, and many more. "One of the greatest interpreters of Phil Ochs," says Sonny Ochs about SONiA.
SONiA disappear fear has gained a devoted and growing fan base in over 20 countries. Selling more half a million units - because the honesty of her songs touches the hearts and minds of people from a wide spectrum of social and ethnic backgrounds based on the premise that when you disappear fear between people what you have is love. SONiA resides in Baltimore, Maryland with her partner and wife, Terry Irons.
Executive in Residence, Department of Management, Kogod School of Business, American University
John Simson has been in the music industry since his signing in 1971 as a recording artist and songwriter. Simson's career has included stints as a manager, handling the career of 5X Grammy winner, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, special advisor to Harry Belafonte for music and television projects, and a 30 year career as an entertainment lawyer advising clients on copyright and business issues in film, television, music and the visual arts. He most recently served as the Executive Director of SoundExchange from 2001-2010, an organization he helped launch in 2001. SoundExchange collects royalties from internet and satellite radio services on behalf of recording artists and record labels. The organization is now responsible for distributions greater than Two Billion Dollars since inception. Simson received an Emmy nomination for his music supervision of the PBS series, "American Roots Music" and was named the Outstanding Volunteer Lawyer by Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts on their 10th Anniversary celebration. Simson was at the forefront of the battle for artist's rights and their ability to be paid for their work online and has been featured on NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, WSJ, Marketplace, CNN and many other news outlets. He is a frequent lecturer on music industry and copyright issues and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, is Chairman of the D.C. Bar's Art, Entertainment, Media & Sports Law Committee, is a Board member of CINE, the Musicianship and the Music Manager's Forum. He is a 1994 Alumni of Nashville's Leadership Music Program and is a past President of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Grammy organization. Simson previously taught Entertainment Law at Washington College of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.
Engineer at Cue Recording & Producer of The Circus Life
Sean Russell is a multi-platinum engineer who’s worked with Damien Marley, Bruno Mars, India.Arie, KIX, ODESZA, among many others. Working out of Cue Recording in Falls Church, VA, Sean can be found on Instagram @seanrussell. He's also a producer on the podcast "The Circus Life" www.thecircuslife.com.
Founder of Davis Law, PLLC
Beverly Davis is the founder of Davis Law, PLLC, a Washington, D.C. media and entertainment law firm that helps clients elevate the entertainment experience. She represents television, film, digital, music, and event production companies, music and live event touring companies, and talent in D.C., California and Texas. Ms. Davis assists clients with media content review and compliance, contract drafting and negotiation, deal making, trademarks, copyrights, and labor and employment matters. She also serves as the Secretary of the Board for the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts. You may contact Ms. Davis through her website www.davis-lawfirm.com or by calling (202) 441-8278.
Owner & President, Bialek's Music LTD
1967-1969 Drummer in the Band "Heel & Soul"
1969-1996 Drummer and leader of the band "Confection", a leading wedding, corporate dance band that performed 2250 events.
1972-1975 Talent agent for Washington Talent Agency
1975-1978 Talent agent for Barry Rick Associates
1978-Present Owner of Bialek's Music LTD. A diverse entertainment agency serving the entire East Coast
1999-2000 President of The International Special Events Society
2011 Lifetime Achievement Award winner for Special Events Society Washington DC
2013 Elected to the Board of Sesma (Special Event Sights marketing Alliance)
2015 Elected to The "Knot" Hall of Fame for wedding contributions
Married with two daughters and five grandchildren
Golf handicap of 16
PHOTOS
View all the photos by from the concert here. Images by Jason Dixson Photography.
VIDEO
Enjoy all fourteen (!!) sets from the Second Annual Law Rocks DC below!
