Biography
Helen Money operates as the stage moniker of Los Angeles cellist and composer Alison Chesley, whose contributions have graced albums by Bob Mould, Broken Social Scene, the Japanese ensemble Mono, and countless additional musicians. Her cello technique delivers forceful, inventive lines through extensive signal processing and draws primary inspiration from punk and metal traditions, generating substantial layers of distorted feedback. The resulting pieces deliver raw emotional force alongside striking melodic elegance, drawing from a personal history marked by profound hardship. Chesley favors rock-band contexts over classical or contemporary music settings and has supported acts including Shellac, Earth, and Neurosis on tour. While her initial independent recordings centered on solo cello textures, the 2016 release Become Zero introduced broader arrangements featuring drums, synthesizers, and additional instrumentation; that same year she joined forces with composer Will Thomas for the cinematic project Trace, issued in 2023.
Born in Los Angeles in 1960, Chesley pursued graduate studies at Northwestern University in Chicago, earning a master’s degree in cello performance. During her time there she formed the acoustic rock duo Jason & Alison alongside Jason Narducy. Following the 1994 release of Woodshed, the project evolved into a full electric band that adopted the name Verbow. Epic Records signed the group, which issued two well-received albums in 1997 and 2000 while touring in support of Liz Phair, Frank Black, Morrissey, and other alternative-rock artists. After Verbow disbanded in 2001, Chesley established herself as a busy session player, working chiefly at Chicago’s Soma Studios and Electrical Audio. Her credits from this period include recordings by Poi Dog Pondering, Archer Prewitt, Disturbed, and numerous others.
Chesley issued her first album under the Helen Money name on her own Cellobird Records imprint in 2007; the collection contained a cover of Neil Young’s “Birds” together with original pieces honoring Iggy Pop and Jimi Hendrix. Following appearances on releases by Strings of Consciousness and Scout Niblett, she delivered the second Helen Money album, In Tune, in 2009. Initially issued independently, the record later received wider distribution through Table of the Elements with revised artwork and included her interpretation of the Minutemen’s “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing.” That year Chesley relocated to Los Angeles and shifted her primary focus from session work to the Helen Money project.
Her third album, Arriving Angels, appeared on the metal-oriented Profound Lore label in 2013. Recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, it featured drumming from Neurosis’s Jason Roeder. Chesley next partnered with former Swans vocalist Jarboe; their self-titled album came out on Aurora Borealis in 2015. The subsequent Helen Money full-length, Become Zero, was released by Thrill Jockey in 2016 and included performances by Roeder, pianist Rachel Grimes, and producer Will Thomas. Atomic, which integrated harp and modular synthesizer elements, followed in 2020. Also in 2020, performing as Alison Chesley, she joined Steve Albini and Tim Midyett on Music from the Film Girl on the Third Floor, the soundtrack to a 2019 independent horror feature. Helen Money’s electro-acoustic and dark-ambient collaboration with Will Thomas, titled Trace, surfaced in 2023.
Born in Los Angeles in 1960, Chesley pursued graduate studies at Northwestern University in Chicago, earning a master’s degree in cello performance. During her time there she formed the acoustic rock duo Jason & Alison alongside Jason Narducy. Following the 1994 release of Woodshed, the project evolved into a full electric band that adopted the name Verbow. Epic Records signed the group, which issued two well-received albums in 1997 and 2000 while touring in support of Liz Phair, Frank Black, Morrissey, and other alternative-rock artists. After Verbow disbanded in 2001, Chesley established herself as a busy session player, working chiefly at Chicago’s Soma Studios and Electrical Audio. Her credits from this period include recordings by Poi Dog Pondering, Archer Prewitt, Disturbed, and numerous others.
Chesley issued her first album under the Helen Money name on her own Cellobird Records imprint in 2007; the collection contained a cover of Neil Young’s “Birds” together with original pieces honoring Iggy Pop and Jimi Hendrix. Following appearances on releases by Strings of Consciousness and Scout Niblett, she delivered the second Helen Money album, In Tune, in 2009. Initially issued independently, the record later received wider distribution through Table of the Elements with revised artwork and included her interpretation of the Minutemen’s “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing.” That year Chesley relocated to Los Angeles and shifted her primary focus from session work to the Helen Money project.
Her third album, Arriving Angels, appeared on the metal-oriented Profound Lore label in 2013. Recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, it featured drumming from Neurosis’s Jason Roeder. Chesley next partnered with former Swans vocalist Jarboe; their self-titled album came out on Aurora Borealis in 2015. The subsequent Helen Money full-length, Become Zero, was released by Thrill Jockey in 2016 and included performances by Roeder, pianist Rachel Grimes, and producer Will Thomas. Atomic, which integrated harp and modular synthesizer elements, followed in 2020. Also in 2020, performing as Alison Chesley, she joined Steve Albini and Tim Midyett on Music from the Film Girl on the Third Floor, the soundtrack to a 2019 independent horror feature. Helen Money’s electro-acoustic and dark-ambient collaboration with Will Thomas, titled Trace, surfaced in 2023.
Albums
Singles
