The BellRays / Nebula

Nebula's brand of thunderous stoner rock lit up the evening, almost simultaneous with the heavy aroma of weed in the air. Along with drawing from their back catalogue, the group introduced a number of new tunes that displayed more melodic arrangements. Ultimately, the band's set went on slightly too long for an opening act. In contrast, the BellRays' set was a consummate rock'n'roll exercise. Vocalist Lisa Kekaula prowled the stage, belting out fiery vocals, while bassist Bob Vennum, guitarist Tony Fate and drummer Eric Allgood played with unflagging force. The BellRays ripped through a range of distinctive rock'n'soul material from Let it Blast and Grand Fury, and also introduced a number of brass knuckle tough tunes from their latest disc, The Red, White & Black. The band balanced the energetic stage show with superb musicianship, largely eschewing pauses between songs for a fiercely uninterrupted musical approach. Prior to their encore, Kekaula left the stage, strode into the crowd and roped people into shaking their money-makers during "Revolution Get Down," turning the gig into a raging dance party and delivering the strongest rock'n'roll show to hit the 'Peg this year.