In Music We Trust Records

Tracks
1. Crazy Water [mp3]
2. Wandering Spirits [mp3]
3. Footprints On Water
4. Same Ground
5. Can I Make You Want Me? [mp3]
6. Tell Me What The Sun Said
7. He�s Gone Wrong
8. Blue, Blue, Blue
9. You�d Better Find A Way
10. In The Light Of The Sun [mp3]
11. The Ghost I�m After
12. Tell Me What You�ve Been Working On

The Bellrays
In the Light of the Sun

For those of you who don't know, this is the real deal, Jack. Sexy and intelligent, passionate and powerful all at once, listening to the Bellrays is like getting kicked in the balls by James Brown. No shit. The Bellrays call their music "Maximum Rock & Soul," which is as much a description of the heart that goes into their music as it is the music itself.

Taking a nod from groups as diverse as the MC5, Parliament, James Brown, Miles Davis, the Stooges, 60's R&B, and the Who, the Bellrays have succeeded in doing what few bands can do- making vicsceral music that eminates straight from the soul. Imagine a bus full of Mowtown recording artists being steamrolled by Black Flag, and you have a pretty good idea of what the Bellrays sound like.

Formed over seven years ago in the Riverside area, the band started out much closer to their R&B roots, with Lisa Kekaula's rich pipes and Bob Vennum's stinging guitar tones rooting the group in blues and soul. However, with the recent addition of Tony Fate on guitar and with Vennum moving over to the bass, the Bellrays have found the perfect formula for rocking out. And just when you thought things couldn't possibly get any better, the band has added Doorslammer frontman "Hot Rod" Todd Westover behind the kit, helping the Bellrays to discover a one inside the one.

The Bellrays have been mainstays of the L.A. club circuit for years, playing high-energy shows with the likes of the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, the Hellbenders, and the B-Movie Rats. More recently, they have garnered national acclaim for their indie release "Let it Blast" in such notably fickle rags as LA Weekly (who also bestowed them with a Best LA Rock Band award), BAM, Maximum R&R, Flipside, OC Weekly. . . and the list goes on.

They were the buzz of the 1999 SXSW festival. They have toured the country with Nashville Pussy, shared the stage with Wayne Kramer and Rocket From the Crypt, and gained respect in every town they play. None of this matters much to the band, though, for they learned to respect themselves and their art long before A&R slugs gave them the time of day.

In addition to "Let it Blast," they have released two full length cassettes ("The Bellrays" and "In the Light of the Sun"), " and a 7" entitled "Wall of Soul," all on their own record label, Vital Gesture. They plan to release the follow-up to "Let it Blast" later in the fall. DIY, baby.

Uncompromising, saavy, and honest, the Bellrays do exactly what they want and fuck everybody else. The Bellray's remind one of a time long past when music was dangerous and musicians were the people you didn't want your daughter going out with.

THE SOUL-PUNK REVOLUTION! HIGH ENERGY! FUTURE NOW!

-S.D.

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http://www.cdbaby.com/bellrays

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