It is never a bad idea to kick off a sound check with copious amounts
of eardrum-demolishing feedback. The sound of an amplifier screaming in
frustration is the perfect tone to set for a rock ‘n’ roll show. So it
was a good thing that when the darlings of Riverside, Calif., The
BellRays, took to the stage for their pre-show warm-up, power chords
and feedback were suddenly the rule of the day.

After nearly two decades of almost constant touring, The BellRays seem
to approach the sound-check process as a matter of course; something
like brushing your teeth when you get out of bed in the morning. It is
all the same tedious sound level teeter-totter and tuning of guitars
punctuated by a drum roll and a cymbal burst. It is all the same, that
is, until Lisa Kekaula walks onstage.

The BellRays are, beyond the shadow of a doubt, a very tight, talented
and exciting band, but like most bands there can only be one superstar
and that one is vocalist Lisa Kekaula.

Here is a sample of what the sound engineer, Ralph, heard in the few
minutes Lisa was on the stage before the show: “Lots more Lisa, more
Lisa,” and “Please, more Lisa,” followed by “More Lisa … Give me
everything ya got with her.” All of this verbal pleading was given more
significance by the silent hand gestures the band made, all of which
inevitably pointed toward the evening sky.

After about a dozen minutes Kekaula’s voice became a little hoarse and the sound check soon came to a close.

For whatever reason (rock stars being rock stars) The BellRays’
scheduled opening act The Architects were a no show, but the ‘Rays
handled it in stride by splitting the band in half as an opening act.
Kekaula and guitarist Bob Vennum took the stage as “Bob and Lisa,” an
act that highlights “the origins of what would become the BellRays.”
Bob and Lisa debuted their side of the BellRays in Europe last year to
much acclaim.

At the end of the “Bob and Lisa” set, Kekaula wasn’t entirely pleased
with the performance. Bob broke a string on his guitar midway through
the third song and she wasn’t at all happy with her voice.

If ever there was a case of angst being transformed into creativity,
then the BellRays’ performance was it. From the time the lights went
down, Kekaula’s dismay at what she felt was a poor effort half an hour
earlier was all but forgotten. The opening song, “Behind the Gun,” was
pure fire and brimstone with a dash of kerosene. If there is only one
thing the BellRays do right, it is playing rock ‘n’ roll like it was
meant to be played.

With each song, one after another, you got the feeling that there was
desperation in the air. By the time the band launched into “Infection”
off of their new disc “Hard Sweet and Sticky,” the crowd was as loose
as a weed-laced brownie party.

The thing about a BellRays show is that there is never a dull moment.
There is no time to take a breath, a sip of beer or a bathroom break.
The band comes on with the energy of a million stampeding cheetahs.
Huge bottom-heavy guitars and marching drums soon send a clear signal
that they mean business, and when halfway through the show Kekaula
drops to her knees while singing “Testify” you might as well submit to
the authority of “Rock & Soul.”

After the show the band poured, sweaty and breathless, backstage. All
were spent. Well, all but one. Kekaula somehow still had the energy to
bop around and sing the chorus of Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills.”

The BellRays, who will be on tour until the spring of your grandchild’s
95th year, should be back in Belly Up Aspen soon. Be sure to check them
out.

hood@aspendailynews.com [1]