Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett have both created Girls Rising grants to help kids pursue nontraditional paths.

The band originally met at Bucknell University and was formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, with sisters Cathy (guitar) and Kristen Henderson (guitar/drums), Penelope "Peppy" Kokines as lead vocalist and Suzanne Obolsky on vocals and percussion.

The high visibility, exclusive sale, in-store promotion and airplay at Starbucks across the United States helped the band's acoustic album, From the Ground Up, sell over 450,000 copies by the end of 2005.

[citation needed] The album's single, "Don't Look Back", gained popularity among country audiences after its video received heavy airplay on CMT.

I. Concurrent with the EP's release, the band also announced a fundraising drive for their ongoing tour, with 5 percent of the proceeds being donated to the pro-LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD.

In their early years, Antigone Rising toured widely, and have shared stages with the Bangles,[4] Joan Jett, the Rolling Stones, moe., Rob Thomas, Aerosmith, and the Allman Brothers.