The BellRays Announce New Album Heavy Steady Go!

One of the most enduring bands in American rock, The BellRays have been putting Riverside, CA on the map for nearly 35 years with their distinctive blend of punk and soul. 

And on their ferocious new album, Heavy Steady Go!, longtime group purveyors Lisa Kekaula and Robert Vennum prove, once and for all, the power of the versatility within the duality of their sound. 

“We’ve heard ourselves described by some variation as ‘Tina Turner fronting AC/DC’ or ‘Motorhead meets Aretha Franklin’ which comes with an expectation to be that every time,” explains Vennum. “We are expected to be something that does not exist.”

“We stand apart and reactions like ‘not punk enough’, ‘not rock enough’, and ‘THAT’S not soul’ only fuel us more,” adds Kekaula. “We revel in our fearlessness to share what’s in our heads and hearts whether it’s understood or not. The most important thing is that we believe what we write and what we play. Our songwriting comes from a place that’s really deep and wide and in Heavy Steady Go! We realized that what we had created came from the impact point of this crater.” 

This recording is split by two cities, two years and two amazing rhythm sections. Mark Cisneros (bass) and Ron Miller (drums) both from Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds were the first and did the Tucson, AZ  session. The return of past drummer Craig Waters (Cody Chestnut, Andre Williams, the Countdowns) and newest arrival, Nico Miles on bass, helped rearrange and add additional songs at the band’s own Sweet Gee Studios in Riverside, CA this past summer. With Vennum and Kekaula behind the boards, they combined botg sessions into what the pair describe as a “festival in album form,” paying homage to such heroes as Cheap Trick, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Scott and Betty Davis across this dozen new tracks.

Heavy Steady Go! doesn’t come out until August 30th, but Rock & Roll Globe is excited to share the album’s first single, the downright Petty-esque “I Fall Down,” today on the site.

“I Fall Down was the first song intentionally written for Heavy Steady Go!,” Kekaula explains. “It naturally became an ode to Tom Petty. It put us on the path for the feel of the record.”

“I think I’ve literally had that chord progression and melody in my head for years,” adds Vennum. “It was nice to finally find the words that matched up and gave it a body to walk around in. It’s about depression, obviously, and anger. And I was trying to voice the feelings I get, especially these days and how I’m really trying to just keep going. But sometimes it’s just really difficult.”.

The BellRays are hitting the road this fall on a North American tour with Social Distortion. Check for dates and listen to “I Fall Down” below. 

 

Tracklist for Heavy Steady Go!:

I Fall Down

Hard Drive

Snakes

One More Night

California

C’mon

Wolf’s Sun

Down On My Knees

All The Rage

Whatever Turns You On

Ball Of Confusion (Bonus Track – Download Only)

True Love Travels on a Gravel Road (Bonus Track – Download Only)

 

THE BELLRAYS – ON THE ROAD  FALL 2024

9/5/2024 San Diego, CA Casbah*  

9/6/2024 Los Angeles, CA Zebulon*  

9/7/2024 Oakland, CA Thee Stork Club*                   

9/11/2024 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios* 

9/12/2024 Bremerton,WA The Redwood Theater at Tracyton Movie House*

9/13/2024 Seattle, WA The Showbox- SOLD OUT

9/14/2024 Seattle, WA The Showbox- SOLD OUT

9/15/2024 Seattle, WA     The Showbox 

9/17/2024 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom

9/18/2024 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom- SOLD OUT

9/19/2024 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom- SOLD OUT

9/21/2024 Edmonton, AB Midway Music Hall- SOLD OUT

9/22/2024 Edmonton, AB Midway Music Hall

9/23/2024 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall

9/25/2024 Winnipeg, MB The Burton Cummings Theatre

9/26/2024 Minneapolis  MN Palmer’s Bar* 

9/27/2024 Chicago, IL Livewire Lounge* 

9/28/2024 Cleveland, OH House of Blues

9/29/2024 Cleveland, OH House of Blues

10/1/2024 Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom- SOLD OUT

10/2/2024 Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom- SOLD OUT

10/4/2024 Guelph, ON Guelph Concert Theatre

10/5/2024 Toronto, ON History

10/6/2024 Montreal, QC Mtellus – SOLD OUT

10/8/2024 New Haven, CT College Street Music Hall

10/9/2024 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom- SOLD OUT

10/10/2024 Brooklyn, NY Gold Sounds Bar* 

10/11/2024 Huntington, NY The Paramount- SOLD OUT

10/12/2024 Stroudsburg, PA Sherman Theater- SOLD OUT

10/13/2024 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom- SOLD OUT

10/15/2024 Norfolk, VA Norva Theater- SOLD OUT

10/16/2024 Charlotte, NC Fillmore Charlotte

10/17/2024 Raleigh, NC The Ritz

10/19/2024 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall

10/20/2024 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom- SOLD OUT

10/22/2024 Albuquerque, NM Rio Rancho Event Center

10/23/2024 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theater- SOLD OUT

Al dates special guest w/ Social Distortion except *

 

AUDIO: The BellRays “I Fall Down”