Hallkats 4th Annual Trunk or Treat with King vs Cash and the Swamp Gospel, Wednesday Oct 28, 2015

Due to the Swamp Gospel's drummer, Brother Lenny, being co-owner of the local So Cal Speed Shop, some of the local car enthusiasts have come to know and dig the band, so we were invited to play at this year's Hellkats Trunk or Treat car show.

Unfortunately, massive amounts of construction in the area delayed us a bit, so we were not able to explore all of the hep vehicles, and rain that the weathermen promised would not materialize did make an appearance so the festivities were delayed here and there. But, plenty of folks showed up and a good time was had by all!

(The Munsters' Dragula hot rod)

Locals King vs Cash did manage to play their scheduled two sets, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. They have an Elvis impersonator (the King, of course, as played by CW Slate), along with a bassist that sings like Johnny Cash (Lazy Jo), a hip Gretsch-wielding guitarist (Doug Cook) and a drummer who plays referee (Josh Garcia). I've only see them once before, but I believe on this night they branched out a bit more than usual with covers from the likes of Ritchie Valens, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sham the Sham and more, along with their Elvis and Cash tunes. They had a great, tight sound - Cook is a fine guitarist with a sweet tone - and invited the costumed kiddies to join them onstage to dance and help play the instruments! Kids and adults were dancing throughout the parking lot (this was held at an east side Pep Boys lot) and the band even managed to time their sets to avoid most of the rain.

While the rain did finish by the time the Swamp Gospel went on, due to delays, the event was winding down and people were moving on by the time we played. Still, it was a fun and different experience and we wish the Hellkats many more!