There is more than a touch of irony within the fact that the greater population’s familiarity with the music of The Bellrays originates from a car commercial. For if the ethics and dynamics of any of the current collection of musical acts stem from the classic blending of rock and rhythm and blues which typified the seventies Detroit sound, then it is this Southern California quartet. So when The Bellrays bring their hard hitting Motor City beliefs to Australia, audiences can not only expect all the energy and attitude that comes hand in hand with such an accord, but also a little musical valor as well.
It has been fifteen years since The Bellrays first emerged from Los Angeles’ inland empire, and in that time the band has admirably managed to negate the multitude of musical trends that have come and gone. While their high octane assult on rock ‘n’ roll has seen the band thrive in the live arena, The Bellrays have also released six acclaimed recordings that draw their character by being oblivious to musical boundaries. Through ignoring fashions the band has chartered a course of their own design and, while this might have seen them hover a little under the mainstream radar, The Bellrays’ unwavering persistence ultimately meant that people had no choice but to take notice.
“Everything that we have done has been about the songs,” explains singer Lisa Kekaula. “We have always done what we felt we should be doing and have never compromised on anything. We went through the acoustic era and the ska thing. We went through grunge and we went through the hair bands. We didn’t really fit, but we never really worried about it and just kept doing what we do. Eventually people started paying attention simply because we were always in the way!”
And pay attention people did. Which is no mean feat considering The Bellrays are not your typical rock n’ roll band. Fronted by the dynamic Kekaula with her audacious stage presence, this fiercely independent band draws from a wide palette of sonic influence. Wrapped up in a driving rock ‘n’ roll attitude, the band’s sound touches upon rhythm and blues, funk, punk, and even borrows from the ethics of jazz from time to time. While a band this unique easily appeals to anyone chasing musical integrity, their veracity does come at a cost as The Bellrays seem to possess a little too much dynamic for mainstream music executives.
“I am a black female fronting a rock band in America which is an oddity that marketing people don’t really like,” explains Kekaula. “It’s a weird thing. They want that image. It’s something that everybody wants to exist, but if they have the chance to have it they quickly realise that it’s not for them. Everybody wants someone like Tina Turner, but they don’t want it to be their thing. Our independence didn’t come from us wanting to do it all ourselves – there just weren’t people there willing to help us. Our independence comes from being orphaned in a way. We have always wanted help. The difference is that we have known what sort of help we have wanted.”
Despite their independence, a lot more people know the Bellrays’ music than they probably realise. Their music has been widely used in both video games and car commercials. One song in particular, Revolution Get Down, found its way into the corporate headquarters of Nissan America and its blistering guitar riffs and the intrepid vocal styling soon had people convinced that the Nissan Xterra was the most daring and unrelenting vehicle on the market. The song is also used in association with sporting fixtures any time things need to be revved up a little. But while the public reaction to these connotations has been overwhelming, one wonders how the band themselves felt about the association.
“A song means whatever you feel it’s supposed to mean,” offers Kekaula. “If it happens to be the guy down the street or the dude over at Nissan, it doesn’t make any difference to me. It’s all about what that songs means to them. We don’t know how many people are going to make love to the record or if someone’s going to turn it on before they shoot somebody. The Beatles didn’t know what was going to happen with the Manson family and Helter Skelter. And I don’t think that it’s something that we should be trying to control. Who knows how a song will plug into the synapses of somebody’s head.”
Unlike many bands that typically wear out their welcome as styles and trends shift, The Bellrays enduring presence has seen their appeal self perpetuate. While diehard fans have maintained an ardent interest in their musical exploits, the band also possesses the unique ability to continually appeal to a new generation of listeners. Which is no mean feat for an ensemble that has not enjoyed the mainstream assistance that so many of their contemporaries have. But, despite this, their appeal is as wide ranging as their sound.
“We have always had a lot of young people getting into us as well as old people sticking with us,” says Kekaula. “The entire family can be fans of The Bellrays music. And this is probably one of the things that has prevented us from being in the mainstream because so much of today’s culture is about seeing what one group you can point something at. And when you appeal to different groups it starts to confuse the people doing the pointing because they used to dealing with just one demographic. Not that I am any sort of marketing major or anything, just from what I have experienced.”
And the real irony of this is that Kekaula’s experiences are probably more in touch with reality than an entire room full of marketing majors.
