Tonight in Rock in LA - The Bellrays

There are a lot of great musical choices today -- from George Benson and his buddy Al Jarreau at the Bowl, to the Foo Fighters with Frank Black at the Pantages, or the unforgetable Sally Kellerman at Genghis Cohen; but this Spring there was even more competition for your rocknroll attention and the mighthy and powerful Bellrays came out on top.

1,200 bands were in Austin and tonight's middle band at the Wiltern rocked harder and better and more passionately than all of them, which is saying something because SXSW don't play. And the momma of the real deal is Riverside's Lisa Kekaula, who jags around the stage like Tina Turner in stolen shoes, hips swaying, tambourine flailing, and the spirit of soul pouring right out from every curl of her afro.

Behind her are three white guys who don't know they're in an R&B band and instead think they're backing up Iggy. Excellent musicians all, they try to race to the finish line ahead of each other as the pace keeps building and it turns out that yes Los Angeles, we're all winners.

The Bellrays open for punk legends Radio Birdman tonight at the Wiltern; a few others are listed after the jump.