J and B Bio

Jeff Angeley and Benares Finan-Eshelman write and perform acoustic music that is at once steeped in tradition and exciting and new. Their songs sing the human experience with a distinctly American accent. They can be humorous at times and melancholy at others. They are jubilant in places, touching in others, often profound and sometimes silly. Whether they are performing as a duo or a larger group, playing traditional Appalachian music or their own finely crafted original songs, they are lively, soulful, and captivating. Their original songs transform age-old sentiment and sound into words and melodies relevant for our time. Their renditions of traditional string band songs are energetic and fun . Their harmonies are hauntingly beautiful. Their instrumental performance is well rehearsed and impressive. By themselves or with a band Jeff and Benares provide their listeners with a musical experience not to be forgotten.

Jeffrey Angeley has been performing professionally for over a decade. Jeff has played in bars, at major festivals, on the streets of many cities, at concert series in Ireland, for the elderly in nursing homes, for big, bad motorcycle dudes, for drunken fishermen, for folks buying fruits and vegetables, and even for throngs of little kids with the ever popular and beloved Toe Jam Puppet Band. Jeff picked up a trumpet when he was nine and he's been adding to his arsenal of instruments ever since. He plays fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and steel regularly while performaning, and is often hired by others to play upright bass or trumpet. Did I mention he can sing, too? Oh yeah, he can holler a tune so sad you'll be searching out some sleeve to wipe your eyes on, and then here he comes with an easy smile and laugh singing something clever about your sister and a bicycle. He engages audiences as well as fellow band members with his quick wit and stockpile of jokes and stories. As if that weren't enough, this guy can write a song, and his songwriting skills are second to none. As Jeremy Gantz of the Wareham Courrier put it, "Angeley... is a fine fiddler, and an even better guitarist... his songwriting talents may trump his instrumental skills." Jeff plays over 200 shows a year and once you hear him you'll know just why.

Benares Finan-Eshelman began her career in music with a bang and she hasn't stopped yet. She was raised in a cabin built by her daddy in the mountains of East Virginia, where she first heard the old songs and ballads on her mother's knee. Years later, she learned to frail the banjo from Riley Baugus of Cold Mountain and Red Hots fame in her home state of North Carolina. Since that time, she has expanded her repertoire to include not only vocals and banjo, but guitar and accordion as well. Her vocals can cut through the din of the surrounding notes, simultaneously powerful and infused with her infectious laughter. Her songwriting has been described as "downhome," and "straight from the heart." She uses words as paint, creating images that stay with her listeners long after her performances are over. Her singing is featured unaccompanied in the film Ball of Wax by independent film maker Daniel Kraus and she has shared the stage with such national touring acts as The Mammals, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, and Steppin' In It. She sings, she plays, she laughs out loud, and her melodies, harmonies, and rhythm playing create the solid foundation that makes this music stand.

Jeff and Benares make exactly the music you want to hear, whether you're sitting in a darkened coffee house on a late evening or standing outside at a summer festival. This is music that speaks to us all about the long,dusty road that makes us human. Jeff and Benares love their music, and they are darn good at making it lovable for their audience, too.