The Kustard Kings are the brainchild of Dave Terhune, a multi-instrumentalist and singer that has been a regular in the New York club scene for years. The band first came about in 1992 as a variation on the classic instrumentalists of the '60s. He recruited bassist Joe Katz, organist Joe McGinty, guitarist Kris Woolsey, and drummer Clem Waldmann to round out the project, and began performing around New York City. They dressed in cardboard crowns and bathrobes, but they soon realized that people were far more interested in the music than any gimmicks. They also began a series of shows called the Loser's Lounge, where they would pay tribute to their favorite songwriters by doing a full night of covers. The events were so popular that they began attracting guest musicians from Cyndi Lauper to J. Mascis to Ronnie Spector. Their most popular Loser's Lounge show was their tribute to Paul Williams, where the songwriter joined them on-stage and brought along friends Richard Dreyfuss and Lee Hazelwood. Finally, in the summer of 2002, they released their debut album, Blam!, on Confidential Recordings. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide