The BellRays
The BellRays
Hard, Sweet & Sticky
Pre-Order is a go! All Preorders will ship May 1!
Pre-Ordering The BellRays smashing new full length "Hard, Sweet & Sticky" means that not only will you receive the multitudinous blessings offered by the many great new songs contained inside said album, you may also choose between:
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The BellRays don't need to explain, justify or proselytize themselves
to anyone, and here's why: in a music market saturated with
new-young-next-big-things that sound like so-and-so and have blog shelf
lives that are too often like roadside fireworks (cheap, bright and
short lived), The BellRays exist in their own dominion. They define and
exemplify what's timeless, what's passionate, and what's real about
playing music, and they have done it with a singular sense of devotion,
innovation and skill that's undeniably remarkable since the early '90s.
Nobody sounds like The BellRays, and The BellRays have never before
sounded exactly like they do on Hard, Sweet & Sticky, an album titled
thusly because guitarist and songwriter Bob Vennum wanted to
encapsulate what the band's new songs were all about.
Vocalist and lyricist Lisa Kekaula, Bob Vennum and drummer Craig Waters
had become accustomed to the way they had previously approached the
recording process: map out a song first, work it out live on one of The
BellRays' notoriously volcanic club tours, then hit the studio. After
all, Kekaula has one of the most explosive and incomparable stage
presences in all of music. One minute, she's wielding the microphone
stand like a weapon, the next, she's crouching down to meet the crowd's
eyes, or jumping off the stage to shake things up; meanwhile, the rest
of The BellRays convulse, sweat and plow through hits expertly and with
the momentum of a freight train. There's a dialogue there between
audience and musician: they give, demand and receive respect. This
time, with the departure of member Tony Fate, the band was confronted
with the challenge of attacking their new record in a studio
environment - a first for everyone involved except for new bassist and
producer Billy Mohler, who had played with Liz Phair, Macy Gray, Herbie
Hancock and the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. As with any challenge that
has ever come their way, the band prevailed and crafted the most
dynamic album of their career.
After a short time in North Hollywood's Regime studio with Mohler and
the other half of the Heroes & Villains production team, Dan Burns, the
band knew that the process was going to be a fun one that yielded
results unlike any they'd achieved before. "Everyone would like to
think that they're ready for change, and most bands have to be kind of
malleable because you have to live out of a suitcase most of your life"
Kekaula explains of the process. That spirit of malleability allowed
Hard Sweet & Sticky to evolve into its final form: an album that
captures and exemplifies the band's notorious strength, fire, licks and
chops, while somehow transcending all of that and veering into
territory explored by The Who (on "The Same Way"), AC/DC ("Comin'
Down") and even Tusk-era Fleetwood Mac ("One Big Party"). Kekaula's
soaring, booming voice growls over tough guitar lines one minute, then
purrs a softer tome the next. Whether it's Gladys Knight-meets-Stooges
or something more delicate and sultry, as in the smooth laments of
"Wedding Bells", The BellRays are experts at mining elements of music
from around the world and from every style to achieve their signature
sound. You can't wait to see and hear Hard, Sweet & Sticky live, and
you're in luck: the band will be touring relentlessly in support of the
album throughout 2008.