Sesión de Plasma webzine: Interview with King Cat Rhythm

Hi, who are King Cat Rhythm and what instruments do you play?

Hello Hektor ! We are a pretty new band based in Budapest, Hungary, active concerting group since 2019. Me, Mr King Cat (Bognár Balázs) on Guitar, vocal, piano sometimes, Hangman (Halmai Hunor Vajk) on doublebass and currently we working with a new drummer.

What is the musical genre of the group?

We formed as a wild and raw rockabilly band, but since we writing own songs, we getting into some more crazy psychobilly, neorockabilly stuffs. Technically we trying our wings in more styles.

Why King Cat Rhythm as a name?

Good question! First i wanted a typical rockabilly name like "something and the someones" Then i got the idea of 'Kevin(its my name in english) and the Cat Rhythm, but then i tought its sounds egoist then i just wanted a name that sounds a cool jumping sound if someone say it and thats when i ended up on King Cat Rhythm

Where are you from?

We are all from the wonderful Budapest, Hungary.

When did you start playing like King Cat Rhythm?

I formed the name with the first drummer in 2018 about February, and the first gig was a replacing for another band same year in April. Was not so easy, because we already changed the first bass player in the first month haha. And since that we had a curse on bass players, we changed about 7-8 times in the last 2,5 years

Do you have other parallel bands or do you play in other bands?

i always had more, I'm practicing also with a gipsy jazz band, its fun, but right now i only focus on King Cat Rhythm, and i invest all my time, energy, money in it. Although we play lots of time as a Duo with the bass player, since here we play mostly small places, where not possible drums.

Influences?

Oldschool neorockabilly, psychobilly bands, like Restless, Torment, Frenzy Etc, and rare wild ones from the 50's like Jerry J Nixon. Oh and of course our hungarian psychobilly heroes, Gorilla.

Do you have something recorded? Tell us what you have. Are you going to record something soon?

We recorded an EP last summer with 5 songs, hopefully this will be on Vinyl in the next few months by Guido from Crazy Love Records. Currently We working on 13 own written songs and start to record soon i hope we can release it start of 2021. We really lookin forward it it will be some really cool tune !

Cover of the first EP

What do your songs talk about?

The old songs was mostly some cliches, when i tried to do some standard rockabilly songs. Now i mostly put my deepest feelings in songs, without any taboo, thats why, the new songs will be more dark, wild, depressed and also romantic sometimes. Mostly will be my experiences, trying to write about lot of different things how i see the world. We have a song about short people (like me :( ), about that we are not jukebox so dont ask to play elvis or things like that on our shows, sing also about dark visions, the devil, disappointness, hopeless feelings, and many more.

With whom and where have you played? Upcoming events of King Cat Rhythm?

Before Covid we had many possibilities, cause i builded good connections and relations in the last 10 years in myy other bands, we played in many countries in this short time, many rockabilly festivals, and venues in Switzerland, Austria many times, Slovakia, Hungary, we even had a planning of a week tour including Germany Austria and Holland, but unfortunately the covid made it not possible. Hoping that next year will be more luck. Luckily some of the gigs are saved for next year. Currenty we only playing small venues in Hungary, but we do what we can do.. more than nothing, and at least we can focus on the new album more. Our dream is to be famous in the international Rockabilly Psychobilly scene, and to play at the biggest festivals.