Amp up your cool quotient September 1-2 at the 7th Annual Rockabilly Riot. The sea of classic cars, Suavecito, tattoos and twang-tinged music is evidence the Sun City’s Kustom Kulture scene is in full swing.
The event is billed as one of the largest car shows in the area. That, along with multiple areas to satisfy any interest and, proclivity and taste, provide non-stop entertainment and action for even the most discriminating Kustom Kulture lifestylers.
A huge portion of the Riot centers on the car show. Butch Coronado is vice president of the Hard Knocks car club and one of the key players in the inception of the Riot. The formation of Hard Knocks was one of the factors in the creation of the event. The other was a birthday celebration for Baca; he helped organize the event for several years running but has since handed over the reins.
“Although I was an integral part of helping to create the foundation for the car club and the event, I have stepped away from the day to day operations over the last 2 years,” he said. “All of the credit goes to Jake Baca [founder of the Riot], Michael John and Leo Martinez for their dedication and hard work. Those guys deserve all the credit, 100 percent.”
The car show portion of the Riot has since mushroomed into one of the area’s largest displays of vehicles from around the country and even around the world—rat rods, hot rods, bikes, lowriders and trucks will be on display both days. Coronado said the show consists of any kind of vehicle that dates from pre-1970, and they “don’t do anything late model or foreign.”
“We have hundreds of cars at the event; an average of 300, at least,” Coronado said. “Our base is worldwide, and we have followers who come from coast to coast and even some who visit us from [other countries]—Mexico, Germany and Japan.”
Cars are an integral aspect of Kustom Kulture and reflect the love and dedication of the people who work on them. Mass-produced, average looking vehicles are masterfully transformed into drivable works of art. Hot rods and other custom rides also occupy a unique niche in our history. Kustom Kulture has its roots in the 1950s and was branded as a “low brow” art form. The era’s teen and young adult population gravitated to what was thought of as that most evil of music genres—rock & roll. Along with that, there was a backlash by these kids against the rule-heavy era, and new forms of dress, hair styles and attitudes emerged.
However, for Coronado, the 50s are not the only decade that made its mark on Kustom Kulture. Instead, the lifestyle is a confluence of generations, influences, cultures and styles that includes iconic characteristics from preceding eras. Greasers, skateboarders, grandparents blasting cheritas at while cruising down Alameda, barbecues at Ascarate Lake and other scenarios emblematic of growing up in El Paso provide the framework for today’s Kustom Kulture-ites on the border.
“We’re very diverse when it comes to things like that—the times we grew up in, the music, influences, cultures, listening to oldies, ska, the Beastie Boys, Ranchera,” he said. “It’s all a mix of who we are.”
facebook.com/GreatAmericanRockabillyRiot
