New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Makin Waves Album of the Month: "Promises" by The Well Wish


By Bob Makin

originally published: 09/20/2023

I love the romance of Asbury Park-based The Well Wish. Two singer-songwriters, PJ Angeloni and Anya Schildge, become musical partners, fall in love, and also become life partners.

The Angelonis’ marriage permeates some of The Well Wish’s long-awaited EP, “Promises,” a five-song affair that is a follow-up to the three-song 2016 debut, “Of Heart and Mind,” and the 2019 stand-alone single, “Peace - Love - Truth.”

Each track on the new outing chronicles a promise of one kind or another, as well as the complicated intricacies of relationships. The poppy jangle ‘n’ mash of the opening “Here When You Call” is about the steadfast loyalty and trust required of any lasting relationship, especially a marriage.

The sweet, rootsy pickin’ of the soulful, driving title track builds into a surprising but energetic break up song about broken promises. A different direction than the opener allows The Well Wish to mix things up nicely.

An ocean allegory about the depth of true love, “Follow Me Down” has a beautiful haunting guitar akin to late Chris Isaak guitarist James Calvin Wilsey, but PJ’s take on “the King of Slow” features one of Anya’s best vocals.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



The obsession chronicled in the unrequited girl group nod “Everywhere I Go” and the Sarah McLachlan-like closer “Nothing But a Lover” close out the all-too-brief collection, every track of which deserves as much adult contemporary and adult album alternative airplay as possible. I especially like Anya’s Roy Bittanesque piano run that ends the EP.

Joining the creative and seemingly happy couple on “Promises” is another Asbury husband-and-wife team: backing vocalist Sarah Berardi and drummer-percussionist Rich Berardi. Rich stands out most on the rhythmic feast of “Everywhere I Go,” while Sarah’s strong harmonies makes Anya’s delightful lead vocals even more impressive. Helping to hold down the rhythm throughout is bassist Prash Singh.

Recorded and mixed at Retromedia Sound Studios in Red Bank by Adam Vaccarelli (The Successful Failures, The Ribeye Brothers) and mastered at Daughterboard Audio by Elaine Rasnake, an acclaimed singer-songwriter in her own right, “Promises” can be heard live at two tasty gigs. On Sept. 30, The Well Wish will play Asbury Park Porchfest at 3 p.m. at 830 Dunlewy St. Donations collected at Porchfest will benefit Mercy Center, a nonprofit guided by the social justice tradition of the Catholic women’s organization Sisters of Mercy to alleviate generational poverty in the Greater Asbury Park area with services, programs and education, and Asbury Park African-American Music Project, a volunteer-run, community-driven project that celebrates the stories of Springwood Avenue through historical research and interviews, educational outreach, and public events.

The Well Wish also can be enjoyed 4 p.m. Nov. 18 at Transparent Clinch Gallery, also Asbury Park. For more about the quintet/duo, visit https://www.thewellwish.com.

Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at makinwaves64@yahoo.



New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Dru

Dru Hill

Friday, February 20, 2026 @ 8:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

James

James Day And The Fish Fry - MARDI GRAS MAMBO

Friday, February 20, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

The

The New York Bee Gees

Friday, February 20, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: music


 

NBPAC

NBPAC presents The Great American SoulBook

Saturday, February 21, 2026 @ 8:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Lez

Lez Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same 50th Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, February 21, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: music


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

MPAC

MPAC presents Forever K-Pop - A Celebration Concert

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) presents Forever K-Pop - A Celebration Concert on Friday, April 3, 2026 at 7:30pm. Inspired by the worldwide K-Pop phenomenon and recent smash-hit film KPop Demon Hunters, this high-octane production brings today's biggest K-Pop hits to life on stage in a spectacle unlike anything audiences have seen in a tribute concert before.



CarteretPAC

CarteretPAC presents W.A.S.P. with "1984 to Headless" Tour

(CARTERET, NJ) -- W.A.S.P. brings its "1984 To Headless" Fall North American Tour to the Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 8:00pm. The band will pay tribute to their 1st Four Albums... Live! The lineup includes Special Guest KK's Priest.



bergenPAC

bergenPAC presents Buddy Guy on August 4th

(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) presents Buddy Guy on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 7:00pm. Buddy Guy remains a singular force in American music. Fresh off earning his ninth GRAMMY® Award in 2026 for Best Traditional Blues Album (Ain't Done with the Blues), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one of the last living architects of electric blues will celebrate a historic milestone with the Buddy Guy 90 Tour, featuring select headline performances across North America in 2026.



Winners

Winners of the Spring 2026 New Jersey Film Festival Competition Announced!

The Competition component of the Spring 2026 New Jersey Film Festival has just concluded! Overall, we had a good festival this year.  We had a few screenings that were very well attended and a bunch with lower turnouts but that happens every festival for a variety of reasons.  The in-person show attendance was about the same as our Festival last year, but the online viewership is what has kept us afloat financially since COVID broke in 2020. All the Official Selection works of the Spring 2026 New Jersey Film Festival were selected by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the 33 finalists which were publicly screened at our Festival. The finalists were selected from over 600 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges chose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director. Here below are the winners of the Festival. 



Music

Music at Bunker Hill presents David Kim on March 15th

(SEWELL, NJ) -- Music at Bunker Hill presents David Kim for his third appearance on the 18 year old concert series. Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, is joined by Burchard Tang, viola, and Priscilla Lee, cello, also members of the orchestra, in a concert on Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 3:00pm. Concert selections include Serenade for String Trio by Dohnanyi, Passacaglia by Handel (Halvorsen) with Kim and Tang, and String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3 by Beethoven. The concert will be presented without intermission.