“A Chicago classical-cellist-turned-Avant-Metal virtuoso.” – Boston Phoenix
“Alison Chesley [aka Helen Money] brings her classical training on cello into realms occupied by heavy metal extremists and guitar deities. Nobody rocks a cello like Alison Chesley.” – Chicago Tribune
“[Helen Money’s] raw, minimalist stylings make her the lo-fi Xasthur to Apocalyptica’s Dimmu Borgir bombast.” – Decibel Magazine
“[Helen Money] conjures up truly majestic music from her bow. Lovers of modern minimalists, of folk music, and of doom metal should all find something to thrill here.” – Los Angeles City Beat
ESS is excited to welcome LA-based experimental rock cellist Helen Money for an intimate set at the studio. Helen Money is the nomme de guerre of Alison Chesley, an accomplished, classically-trained instrumentalist who has played with the likes of Verbow, Bob Mould, Anthrax, Russian Circles, and Archer Prewitt. Her work under the pseudonym is unclassifiable, referencing influences as diverse as doom metal, 20th century minimalist composition, and the film scores of Bernard Herrman. Her most recent effort, Arriving Angels, was produced by Steve Albini, and released on heavy-music label Profound Lore in February of this year.
Male is an open ended ensemble that includes a revolving cast of Chicago’s most creative musicians. The core group consists of Jonathan Krohn, Benjamin Mjolsness and Todd Mattei. Employing meticulous control and restraint over their collaborative process and improvisational structures, Male embeds the best of Chicago improvisation in a strong foundation of drone/ambient music. Their most recent record, German for Shark, was released in 2011 by Other Electricities.