The Bellrays (also capitalized as The BellRays) is an American rock group that combines

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The st ...

and

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

with

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became p ...

, founded in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

in 1990 by vocalist Lisa Kekaula and guitarist Bob Vennum. They have been with several independent labels, including Upper Cut, Poptones,

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...

, Bittersweet, Shock, Cheap Lullaby, Vicious Circle, Vital Gesture and Anodyne.

History

Kekaula and Vennum founded the BellRays on the dissolution of previous group The Rose Thorns, a group formed by Vennum in 1986, which Kekaula joined in 1988; the band released an album ''Ralph's Mom & Dad'' in 1990; songs from the album were later rerecorded by the BellRays. The same year the BellRays released their self-titled debut, cassette-only, album, with Kekaula and Vennum joined by Phil Phillips on bass and Brad Vaughn on drums. The BellRays released their second album ''In the Light of the Sun'', also cassette-only (until later reissue), in 1993, featuring new drummer Ray Chin and keyboardist Jim Kerwin. Tony Bramel (aka Tony Fate) produced and played bass on the recording and joined the band permanently as guitarist in 1996, with Vennum switching to bass. The following albums ''Let It Blast'' and ''Grand Fury'' were recorded live in the band's rehearsal space. Fifth album ''The Red, White & Black'' (2003) was released on the Poptones label in the UK and

in the US. Craig Waters replaced Chin as drummer for the band's next two records ''Have a Little Faith'' and ''Hard, Sweet and Sticky'', the latter featuring Billy Mohler on production and bass guitar, Bob Vennum having switched back to lead guitar with the departure of Tony Fate. The BellRays' eighth album proper ''Black Lightning'' was released in 2010 and their most recent album ''Punk Funk Rock Soul Volume Two'' in 2018. On the group's MySpace page, they described themselves as follows:

"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 Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her deb ...
's website instead. You tell us what we're about and then tell your friends whether you like it or not."

"Zero PM" was featured in the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

'' Driv3r'' and "Revolution Get Down" in a commercial for the

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands ...

Xterra. "Revolution Get Down" was also used as a fade-to-commercial song during the 2006 NCAA Tournament in the

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...

Florida Florida is a U.S. state, state located in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia (U.S. state), Geo ...

semifinal on

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...

Discography

Albums and EPs

*''The BellRays'' (1990) *''In the Light of the Sun'' (1993; reissued 2002) *''Let It Blast'' (1998) *''Punk Rock and Soul'' (1999) ive tracks; split LP w/Streetwalkin' Cheetahs*''Grand Fury'' (2000) *''The Red, White and Black'' (2004) *''Have A Little Faith'' (2006) *''Hard Sweet and Sticky'' (2008) *''Black Lightning'' (2010) *''Covers'' (2016) -track EP*''Punk Funk Rock Soul Vol.1'' (2017) our-track EP*''Punk Funk Rock Soul Vol.2'' (2018)

Compilation albums

*''Meet the BellRays'' (2002) ompiled from ''Let It Blast'' and ''Grand Fury'' *''Raw Collection'' (2003) *''Raw Collection, Vol.2'' (2005) *''Merry Xmas, Love the BellRays'' (2008) *''It's Never To Late To Fall In Love With The Bellrays (New, Rare & Unreleased)/Introducing Lisa & The Lips'' (2019)

Compilation appearances

*''A Vital Gesture Christmas'' (1996) *''A Tribute To Really Red - Teaching You the Fear Again'' (2020)

DVDs

*''The BellRays @ the Barfly'' (2005)

References

External links

Official Website

The BellRays
at MySpace
The BellRays music videos
(Including live performances, and Tell The Lie, Fire and the Moon)

The BellRays - On Top (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellrays, The Punk rock groups from California Alternative Tentacles artists Garage punk groups