The BellRays | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Riverside, California, United States |
Genres | Garage rock, soul, punk rock |
Years active | 1990–present |
Labels | You and Media (US) Heart of Gold (ES) Vicious Circle (FR) Shock (AU) Alternative Tentacles (US) |
Members | Lisa Kekaula Bob Vennum Stefan Litrownik Justin Andres |
Past members | Craig Waters Jim Kerwin Ray Chin Tony Fate Todd Westover Walter "Phil" Phillips Michael Sessa Jeffrey Porterfield Eric Allgood Chris Markwood Brad Vaughn |
Website | http://www.thebellrays.com |
The Bellrays (also capitalized as The BellRays) is an American rock group that combines garage rock and punk with soul music, [1] founded in Riverside, California in 1990 by vocalist Lisa Kekaula and guitarist Bob Vennum. They have been with several independent labels, including Upper Cut, Poptones, Alternative Tentacles, Bittersweet, Shock, Cheap Lullaby, Vicious Circle, Vital Gesture and Anodyne.
Kekaula and Vennum founded the BellRays on the dissolution of previous group The Rose Thorns, [2] a group formed by Vennum in 1986, which Kekaula joined in 1988; the band released an album Ralph's Mom & Dad in 1990; [3] 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. [4]
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. [5] The following albums Let It Blast and Grand Fury were recorded live in the band's rehearsal space. [6] [7]
Fifth album The Red, White & Black (2003) was released on the Poptones label in the UK and Alternative Tentacles 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, [8] the latter featuring Billy Mohler on production and bass guitar, [9] 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 [10] and their most recent album Punk Funk Rock Soul Volume Two in 2018. [11]
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'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 Driv3r [12] and "Revolution Get Down" in a commercial for the Nissan Xterra. [13] "Revolution Get Down" was also used as a fade-to-commercial song during the 2006 NCAA Tournament in the George Mason-Florida semifinal on CBS Sports.
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mid-20th century. It deemphasizes melody and chord progressions and focuses on a strong rhythmic groove of a bassline played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a percussionist, often at slower tempos than other popular music. Funk typically consists of a complex percussive groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that create a "hypnotic" and "danceable" feel. It uses the same richly colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, and dominant seventh chords with altered ninths and thirteenths.
Larry Graham Jr. is an American bassist and baritone singer, with the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. In 1980, he released the single "One in a Million You", which reached the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. He is credited with the invention of the slapping technique on the electric bass guitar, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he himself refers to the technique as "thumpin' and pluckin'".
Uncle Jam Wants You is a concept album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1979, and was later reissued on CD by Priority Records. It was produced by George Clinton under the alias Dr. Funkenstein. It is the first Funkadelic album since America Eats Its Young in 1972 not to sport a cover illustrated by Funkadelic artist Pedro Bell, though Bell did provide artwork for the album’s back cover and interior. Uncle Jam Wants You was the second Funkadelic album to be certified gold. The album peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
The music of the United Arab Emirates stems from the Eastern Arabia music traditions. Distinctive dance songs from the area's fishermen are also well-known. Liwa is a type of music and dance performed mainly in communities which contain descendants of Bantu peoples from the African Great Lakes region, and hybrid Afro-Arab rhythms such as the Sha'abi al-Emirati and Bandari remain the standard in both traditional and popular music in this historically cosmopolitan country.
Metal Box is the second studio album by Public Image Ltd, released by Virgin Records on 23 November 1979. The album takes its name from the round metal canister which contained the initial pressings of the record. It was later reissued in standard vinyl packaging as Second Edition in February 1980 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom, and by Warner Bros. Records and Island Records in the United States.
Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp is the third studio album by American rapper Kid Rock and the first to feature his backing band Twisted Brown Trucker. Released on January 9, 1996, by Top Dog Records, the album saw Kid Rock showcasing a more eclectic sound than his previous albums, encompassing funk, hip hop, soul and rock. It was considered the most rock-oriented album he had made at the time and the first to explore his Southern rock influences.
Lemonade and Brownies is the debut studio album by the American rock band Sugar Ray, released on April 4, 1995, by Atlantic Records. It was far less successful than the band's later releases on Atlantic. It and the band's next album Floored also featured less of a pop-influenced sound than their later work.
Paranoid Time is the debut EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It is also the second ever release by the SST record label, founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski. The album cover is a drawing by the American artist Raymond Pettibon.
Floored is the second studio album by American rock band Sugar Ray, released on June 24, 1997. It includes the hit song "Fly", and another moderately successful single, "RPM". Two versions of "Fly" appear on the album, one of them featuring reggae artist Super Cat. Floored is the first album to feature DJ Homicide as an official member whereas he was a guest musician in the previous album Lemonade and Brownies.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album Dap Dippin' in 2002, the first of seven studio albums. Their 2014 album Give the People What They Want was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Following Sharon Jones' death in 2016, the band released the posthumous album Soul of a Woman in 2017 and a compilation of cover songs in 2020.
Lisa Kekaula is the lead singer of American "rock 'n' soul" band The Bellrays.
Cymande are a British funk group that was originally active in the early 1970s. The band name derives from a calypso word for "dove", which symbolises peace and love; "Dove" is also the title of one of their best-known songs. With a membership deriving from several Caribbean nations, Cymande were noted for an eclectic mix of funk, soul, reggae, rock, African music, calypso, and jazz that they called "nyah-rock". The band formed in 1971 and released three albums before disbanding in 1974. After gaining newfound popularity when their music was sampled by many notable rap artists, Cymande reformed in the 2010s.
The Baldwin Brothers are an American, Chicago-based lounge/electronica duo, composed of Jason Hinkle and TJ Widner. The two met in junior-high school and have been composing electronic dance, pop and jazz music since 1983. The band signed with TVT Records in 2001 and are now represented by The Orchard after their buyout of TVT's music catalog. Their first full album, Cooking With Lasers was produced by Dave Trumfio and The Baldwin Brothers and was released in 2002. The track "Funky Junkyard" was featured in Warren Miller's 2002 feature "Storm." "Urban Tumbleweed" which features rapper Barron Ricks of Cypress Hill on vocals, was featured in the video game Amplitude for PlayStation 2. An early version of the song "The Bionic Jam" was also used in the PS2 game ATV Offroad Fury 2 under the title "8 Cylinder Jam". Their single "Dream Girl" features guest vocals by Miho Hatori and was featured on a CD produced & distributed by American Eagle Outfitters. A 12" vinyl single of "Dream Girl" was released in February 2002 and included a remix of the song by Vancouver, BC based house artist Pilgrims Of The Mind. "Ether" features guest vocals by Geri Soriano-Lightwood of Supreme Beings of Leisure and "Deep Down" features guest vocals by Angie Hart of Frente!.
The Ernies were an American alternative rock/ska punk band from Richmond, Virginia. They released two albums on an independent label before signing to Mojo Records and releasing their third album entitled Meson Ray.
Dennis James Coffey is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings, and is well known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single "Scorpio".
Defunkt is an American musical group founded by the trombonist and singer Joseph Bowie in 1978 in New York City. Their music touches on elements of punk rock, funk, and jazz.
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"Soul Kitchen" is a song by the Doors from their first album The Doors. Singer Jim Morrison wrote the lyrics as a tribute to the soul food restaurant Olivia's in Venice Beach, California. Because he often stayed too late, the staff had to kick him out, thus the lines "let me sleep all night, in your soul kitchen".
Live + Cuddly is a live album by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. Released in 1991, it featured live recordings from European performances in support of the band's album Wrong (1989). Live + Cuddly has been praised as one of the best punk rock live albums ever recorded. The cover photo features drummer John Wright as a child, in between his cousin and an unknown wedding band drummer.
Street Sweeper Social Club is an American rap rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 2006. The band primarily consists of guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and vocalist and emcee Boots Riley of the Coup. The band had been testing songs out during Tom Morello's Nightwatchman tour and released an album on June 16, 2009. Stanton Moore drummed for the group for the recording of the album although he did not join the band for the following tour. Street Sweeper Social Club opened for Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction in May 2009. Street Sweeper Social Club describes itself as "more than a band, it's a social club." Their 2010 EP The Ghetto Blaster EP includes covers of M.I.A. "Paper Planes" and LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out".