The BellRays are an American group originally from Riverside, California starting in 1990. The group currently consists of mainstay lead vocalist Lisa Kekaula, guitarist Bob Vennum. Newest members include bass player Justin Andres and drummer Stefan Litrownik. The band have the mixture of sound in their music, from garage rock to punk rock, mixed with soul vocal style. Really wide ranged, it’s like a bottle of boba shake, you can not only receive the sweetness of the fruit juice also fill up your stomach with chewy boba balls. They have huge following in Europe and America.
The band describe themselves as: "High Octane Rock and Roll! Biography schmiography! Who cares about where they came from or what they did before or how many records they put out. Stats are not what music or this band is about. If you have an open mind and want something challenging in your life then this is where you want to stop and listen. Just take it in and make up your own mind. You want somebody to tell you what it is go to Kelly Clarkson's website instead. You tell us what we're about and then tell your friends whether you like it or not.” Really artistic but aggressive at the same time.
The BellRays released their first cassette album In the Light of the Sun in 1993, the album was reissue 2002. Let it Blast in 1998, Punk Rock and Soul in 1999, Grand Fury in 2000, The Red, White and Black in 2004, Have A Little Faith in 2006, Hard Sweet and Sticky in 2008 and Black Lightning in 2010. The band released their 4 songs EP Punk Funk Rock Soul Vol,1 in Dec.2017. The band just released a new album Punk Funk Rock Soul Vo l2 on 02 Feb 2018, having vinyls available at the moment and they just got back from Europe tour, the music from the album will be available soon on digital platforms, so stay tuned!
The band had been with several different record companies: You and Media (US), Heart of Gold (ES), Vicious Circle (FR), Shock (AU) and Alternative Tentacles (US). The BellRays are currently releasing DIY style with Hunnypot representing all licensing.
The BellRays also have several achievements during their music career. "Zero PM" was featured in the video game Driv3r and "Revolution Get Down" in a commercial for the Nissan Xterra."Revolution Get Down" was also used as a fade-to-commercial song during the 2006 NCAA Tournament in the George -Florida semifinal on CBS Sports.
Here’s a live video from a fan of The BellRays covering "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" by The Ramones at Petit Bain in Paris in 2017. If you are a fan of Led Zeppelin and The Ramones, this is the one for you, it is like a whole different experience but still Rock’n’Roll!
-Scott Mik
Check out The BellRays new Punk Funk Rock Soul album in it’s entirety here