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!
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NONPROFITS
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!