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Support Law Rocks Tour

Thursday, April 20, 2023
The Chapel
$214,175 in total fundraising, a new single-night record!

Winner, Judges’ Choice, and Hustle and Heart Award: Morgan, Lewis & ROCKius for Child Advocates of Silicon Valley

Thank you, San Francisco! We witnessed a spectacular and record-breaking event last night at the 9th Annual Law Rocks San Francisco, with the most money ever raised in a single night. The evening raised an impressive $214,175, surpassing the previous record held by NYC in 2018.

The concert commenced with a riveting special performance by The Recusals, a band starring a jaw-dropping seven federal judges, who got the crowd on their feet with a lively rendition of hits from the 60s and 70s, including favorites by The Temptations and Etta James.

12th Root of Two maintained the high energy with their funky set of songs including ‘Sultans of Swing’ and Heart of Rock and Roll. The audience joyously sang along with the band who has been with Law Rocks SF since the very beginning.

The R-23s put on an impressive show, with their crowd-pleasing hits such as Valerie and Unchain My Heart, and their clever nod to the occasion with a cover of I Fought the Law.

Brothers and Sisters of Invention, a newcomer, took the stage with a big band and an even bigger sound, leaving the audience dancing along to their enjoyable set, with their powerful vocals during Gimme Shelter making the biggest impression.

Morgan, Lewis and ROCKius, the returning champs, brought a crew of talented musicians to the stage, delivering memorable performances of songs by powerful divas such as Tina Turner, Donna Summers, and Lizzo. They had the crowd dancing along their entire set.

Jimmy’s Brother showcased their musical talent by covering hits from Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, and White Stripes, bringing the audience back to our rock music roots.

Last year’s Judge’s Choice Award winners, The Latent Defects, wowed the crowd with their delightful set that showcased their musical talent and versatility. From rocking out to hits like "Hard to Handle" to delivering smooth vocals to songs such as Take Me to Church by Hozier, the band left a lasting impression on the audience.

Cov’R Band brought the night to a close with a dynamic set of fan favorites by No Doubt, Amy Winehouse, and Miley Cyrus, leaving the audience wanting more with their energetic and engaging performance.

The competition was fierce, and every band delivered an outstanding performance. However, with over 200 individual donations, $70K in total fundraising, and top marks from the judges, Morgan, Lewis & ROCKius took hom all three awards - the Judges’ Choice, Hustle and Heart awards, and the overall win.

We would like to express our gratitude to our host, Don Bleu, and our exceptional Rock Judges: Jack Friel, Morris Knight, Trixie Rasputin, Steve Savage, and Andrew Thomases. We also extend our appreciation to the Chapel SF team for their unwavering support. Last but not least, we would like to thank all the talented bands and their fans for the amazing energy they brought, making the night truly special.

We are grateful to our sponsors, including top sponsors Oracle, Live Nation Entertainment, Secretariat, HKA, Lieff Cabraser, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

We look forward to seeing you all next year to celebrate ten years of Law Rocks San Francisco!

OUR SPONSORS ROCK!

Featured

Special Guests, The Recusals

Special guests starring legal talent from The Northern District of California Federal Court

The only band in the country featuring 7 federal judges (along some other real musicians).

12th Root of Two

Starring legal talent from Hanson Bridgett; Peter Logan Law Offices
Rocking for Blue Bear School of Music and St. Anthony’s

We love to get people up and dancing. We cover some classic rock tunes, and a bit more.

Brothers and Sisters of Invention

Starring legal talent from Latham & Watkins; Levine Plotkin & Menin; Counsel LLP; Law Offices of Greg Anton
Rocking for San Geronimo Valley Community Center

The Brothers of Invention are both highly inventive - and brothers (with very essential sisters). Hailing from law firms ranging from a large international corporate firm to a solo practitioner in Sonoma, the Brothers (and sisters) will enthusiastically perform great music from the sixties and the seventies and have a fabulous time doing so.

Cov'r Band

Featuring legal talent from Covington & Burling LLP
Rocking for The LGBT Asylum Project

Cov'R Band is the house band of Covington & Burling LLP, and is comprised of attorneys and staff from the firm's San Francisco office. The band was formed in 2018 and plays an eclectic mix of rock, pop, and R&B songs, spanning across the past six decades. Cov’R Band consists of Nitin Subhedar on drums, Yurij Melnyk on bass, Sean Dongre on guitar and percussion, Stephen Green on guitar and vocals, Rik Jeffery on keyboards and vocals, Sabrina McGraw on saxophone, and Udit Sood, Bre Jones, and Khala James on vocals. This is Cov'R Band's second appearance at Law Rocks SF, and we are pleased to be supporting The LGBT Asylum Project.

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Jimmy's Brother

Featuring legal talent from Winston & Strawn
Rocking for The Gary Sinise Foundation (R.I.S.E. Program)

JIMMY'S BROTHER is an LA-based rock n’ roll band. No gimmicks, no nonsense. Just vocals, guitars, and attitude. 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 their legendary 2019 show at the Viper Room on Sunset Strip. Some boldly claim that Jimmy's Brother is one of the best acts to emerge from Winston & Strawn's Los Angeles office in recent years.

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The Latent Defects

Featuring legal talent from Greenberg Traurig; Baker Botts; K&L Gates; Perkins Coie
Rocking for Family Violence Appellate Project

Formed in 2017, The Latent Defects (f.k.a. Attractive Nuisance) are proud to return at Law Rocks for the fourth time! The band, which managed to win “Judges Choice” in three of their last four performances, was formed as Greenberg Traurig’s house band and now includes a Verein of weekend warriors from four different law firms all flying a united banner of rock. This band goes to 11 and they are psyched to be with the people again.

Morgan Lewis & ROCKius

Featuring legal talent from Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Rocking for Child Advocates of Silicon Valley

Morgan Lewis & ROCKius brings together musical talent from Morgan Lewis’s Northern California offices, with amazing vocals, guitar, keys, and rhythm with a wicked horn section to lay down a '70s R&B/Motown/funk vibe, with current hits and classic chart-toppers in the mix. At Law Rocks, we’re honored to be rocking for Child Advocates of Silicon Valley to support children in the foster care system. We love playing together, and believe that music makes the world a better place. Join us for a great show—for an even greater cause!

The R-23s

Featuring legal talent from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
Rocking for AABA Law Foundation

Lieff Cabraser's The R-23s are veterans of the California legal rock scene who are celebrating their 10th year of musical collaboration -- which makes us one year older than overachiever younger sister Law Rocks-SF! Recent set lists from the band include songs by the Cranberries, the Who, the O’Jays, Sam & Dave, Amy Winehouse, and Chuck Berry. The R-23s features Anthony McDaniel and Liana Harris on vocals, Melissa Gardner on vocals and flute, Phong Nguyen on guitar, Charles Gonzalez on rhythm guitar and vocals, Djuna Gray on bass, Elizabeth Cabraser on drums, and Mark Chalos on piano/organ. We are delighted to be back at Law Rocks-SF, and can't wait to shake the Chapel to the roof and rafters!

New for 2023, Law Rocks is awarding the Music Matters grant in each city to benefit a local organization that supports music education, particularly for underserved youth. The first San Francisco recipient of the Music Matters grant is Blue Bear School of Music! Blue Bear School of Music have been bringing the power of music to underserved communities across the San Francisco Bay Area since 1971.

Featured

Host - Don Bleu

Dynamic and exciting professional broadcaster and host, waking the people by the bay for the last 35 years. An energized, creative self-starter with years of experience creating and implementing branding images, concepts and contests. Capabilities include radio broadcasting, television and social media hosting, script writing, and on stage hosting and auctioneering.

Rock Judge - Morris Knight

MORRIS KNIGHT is a musician/singer/songwriter and released his solo single “Thank You” in 2019. Check out his self-directed music video on YouTube. He is also the lead singer and bassist for new Bay Area-based rock band Sugar Rush. Their first release happened late last year with a rock-n-roll cover and music video of George Michael’s holiday classic “Last Christmas.” Professionally, Morris is a 20-plus year veteran San Francisco Bay Area radio personality! He can be heard on the radio weekdays from 9am - 2pm on the South Bay’s Classic Rock 98.5 KFOX and then every weekday afternoon from 2pm - 7pm on 96.5 KOIT!

Rock Judge - Jack Friel

Jack Friel is the lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter for SF-local Rock & Roll band Treasures. Born and raised in San Francisco, you can catch him playing or attending local shows or sailing on the bay on weekends.

www.treasures.band
Band Instagram
Personal Instagram

Rock Judge - Trixie Rasputin

Trixie Rasputin is a piano player, singer, and all-around good-time Bay Area entertainer. She has been the lead singer for four rock bands, including The MudLords, Trixie & the Skates, Blackmoon, and Tedbaby. Her powerful female vocals guide the music, and the intense live shows give audiences something they can return to time and time again. She loves to write original music and play in bands as opportunities arise. When not performing, she is actively booking and promoting shows for local and touring bands. Find Trixie's bands, events, and productions here.

Rock Judge - Andrew Thomases

Andrew Thomases is an Intellectual Property lawyer by day, and an independent recording artist by night. In his day job, Andrew practices IP Litigation in the Silicon Valley office of Ropes & Gray, where he is co-chair of the firm’s Technology, Media & Telecom group. Andrew counsels clients in all industries in areas involving patent, copyright, trade secret, and trademark law. His clients run the gamut and include some of the biggest players in the semiconductor, networking, software, video streaming, and medical device fields. He has tried cases all over the United States and has represented clients from around the globe.

At night, he writes, performs, and records his own music. His genre is alternative rock with meaning, which he often refers to as “conscious rock.” His songs spur curiosity and his lyrics ask tough questions about such topics as climate change, division in our country, our impact on other species, and our unending yet harmful quest for perfection. But he also has a humorous side and recently released a song looking back on his antics as a teenager growing up in the New York suburbs. His music style ranges from classic rock, to 80s alternative, to chill rock, and some 90s vibes thrown in for good measure.

Thousands of listeners have enjoyed his tunes on Spotify and other platforms, and his music videos have tens of thousands of views. Check out his website at www.andrewthomases.com for links to all of his music and videos, and sign up for his newsletter while you are there. He is also on Instagram and Facebook at @AndrewThomasesMusic, and his YouTube channel is at Andrew Thomases Music - YouTube.

Rock Judge - Steve Savage

Executive Director Steve Savage, Ph.D., a Blue Bear founder and current President of the Board of Trustees, is an active producer and recording engineer and has been the primary engineer on seven records that received GRAMMY nominations, including CDs for Robert Cray, John Hammond, The Gospel Hummingbirds and Elvin Bishop. He is former Chapter President and National Trustee of the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy and teaches in the Humanities Department at San Francisco State University. Steve has a Ph.D. in musicology from The University of London and has three recently published books: Mixing and Mastering in the Box from Oxford University Press, The Art of Digital Audio Recording from Oxford University Press, and Bytes & Backbeats: Repurposing Music in the Digital Age from The University of Michigan Press. Steve also sits on the board of Spirit Series, which is a drama-based character education curriculum that brings inspirational biographies to life. More at stevesavage.net.