Once in a while a band comes along that actually does "defy genre classification", "hook you in with their rockin' beats" and "get better with every listen." The Bellrays do not. With the perspective of a 15-year musical existence that has seen numerous flirtations with mainstream popularity, they're the first to say that such vapid and uninformed descriptions wear thin upon their veteran ears.
After all, it was a similar catch phrase-"rock n soul"-attributed to their sound that made it all the easier for fans to forget about them in the past.
In fact, they're only adamant on one point: to see them live is the only real way to understand their music.
"You'll hear about us as Aretha Franklin meets the MC5, or Motown meets punk rock," lead singer Lisa Kekaula said. "But what they never tell you is that there really is no way to limit ourselves to such historical references when our music really has no precedent. Listeners at our shows will e-mail us and say, 'Wow, I was really surprised because you guys rock, and I normally don't like your sort of music.' Our sort of music, huh. Who is there to compare us to?"
Lead guitarist and Kekaula's husband Bob Vennum agreed.
"The critics will never tell you about the jazz in our music. It's because they won't see it unless they see us live, where we'll just randomly have an interlude in a song of fifteen minutes of jazz," Vennum said.
The Bellrays' claims to fame are just as idiosyncratic. They've opened for the Pixies, and Kekaula has cameoed on recent Basement Jaxx and Crystal Method albums.
Nevertheless, Kekaula admits these things have no bearing on the magic that takes place night-in and night-out.
"There was not as much exposure since Basement Jaxx is not especially well known in the US, and the dance music does not really leave the city," she said. "So, our shows haven't really changed. Our music is not dance, it rocks, and if you come you will see that."
This devotion to pleasing fans in the audience rather than ones who heave and sigh to the rhythm of ADD-stricken radio stations is perhaps another symptom of the band's longevity.
"If we just wanted to crank out the popular stuff that would stick immediately with fans but be out of their minds a week later, we could do that," Vennum claimed. "That's the easiest music in the world to make. What we aim to do, rather, is to have a legacy attached to our music."
The Bellrays will play Local 506 Saturday at 10 PM. Go to www.local506.com for more information.
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