Weld Tina Turner’s pipes to the raw power of the MC5 and you get the Bellrays. Singer Lisa Kekaula’s aggressive style is a force not to be trifled with; she delivers her music in a way that avoids contrived stage maneuvers and leaves no doubt about her seriousness. In town to support their brand-new CD, Raw Collection, the Bellrays will release a full frontal attack that combines the excitement of killer punk with the heart-wrenching grip of the best soul. The sheer power of the band’s live show conjures up images of a monster truck running rampant through a Houston rush-hour traffic jam, or an angry John Ashcroft shredding the Constitution.
This article appears in Mar 6-12, 2003.