They were proclaimed to be "One of the 10 best indie bands in the country" by VH-1. Antigone Rising, a New York City based girl band who performed at the Lilith Fair with the Indigo Girls, Natalie Merchant and Sarah McLachlan, is coming to the HUB-Robeson Center's Alumni Hall for a free concert at 10 p.m. today.

The band members, who are all in their mid-20s, consist of sisters Cathy (lead guitar, vocals) and Kristen Henderson (rhythm guitar, vocals), Dena Tauriello (drums), Anne-Marie Stehn (bass) and lead singer Cassidy, who goes only by her first name.

The band recently released a new full-length album, entitled Rock Album. They have a previous six-song CD, New and Used, that was released in May 2000.

Besides being a part of the Lilith Fair, the band has also appeared on the Today Show.

The Henderson sisters originally formed at Bucknell University in the mid-1990's and have been performing ever since, said Robert Slater, manager of the group. The other group members joined in the last year and the band has had different members come and go over the years.

The band's name comes from a Greek myth.

"Antigone is really considered by many to be a Greek feminist. Many people perceive her as the first feminist and she lost her life from it. The band liked the word rising because it was positive, and they were very much into women's issues," Slater said.

The band's music is a mix between glam-rock, pop and country; It sounds like a mix of Alison Krauss and the Indigo Girls with some Madonna thrown in.

Slater also said the group has performed at colleges such as NYU, Cornell and SUNY-Stony Brook before coming to Penn State.

A number of students asked to get the band to campus because they were very popular on the college circuit, said John Harlow, assistant director of student activities at Penn State.

After hearing the group's music, Harlow was very excited to bring them to the university.

"Antigone Rising has original songs, and their whole stage performance has been exciting," Harlow said.

Harlow hopes for a huge crowd because of the group's music and energy during the stage show.

"This is the type of band that should appeal to all students," he said.

Antigone Rising will perform for "V-Day," on Feb. 10 at Madison Square Garden. This is a benefit concert by female musicians joining together for an anti-violence benefit, with Joan Osborne as the headliner.

According to Slater, the band does about 75 concerts a year.

They got a lot of their initial notoriety playing The Bitter End, a well-known club in New York City. They still do the club circuit on occasion and have recently played several sold-out venues at The Bitter End, but they play predominantly rock venues now, Slater said.

At the concert, look out for Antigone Rising's most popular songs, which are "Pretty Girl" and "Longshot." The soulful song "Michael," which is about Kristen Henderson's friend dying in a car accident, is also decent.

But most of all, you might want to catch a glimpse of lead Cassidy, who her manager describes as, "a cross between Bette Midler and Madonna -- a real character and a fabulous performer."

"Their record is great but their live show brings the music to a whole new level," Harlow said.

For more information, check out the band's Web site (www.antigonerising.com).