Ska la la

“After nine long years the world is finally finding out about one of the best bands in the world: Hepcat! Now I know that there some people out there that haven’t heard of them, but that’s what I’m here for.
Besides the fact that Hepcat plays great music, they are also a fun live band. Their shows are really mellow and happy. There isn’t any pushing or shoving and everyone dances. I’ve seen them three times, and every performance has got me moving! They are really about the music, singing along, skanking away, and just having a good time! And for those of you out there who have dirty minds, skanking is not what you think! Skanking is the type of dance you do, when you dance to ska.
The last show I went to was on December 21,1998 at the House of Blues here in L.A. They played some of their songs from their latest album Right On Time like “Rudies All Around,” “Mama Used to Say,” “No Worries” and “Together Someday” (which, may I add, are all my favorites!). The only thing was that Alex Desert (one of the singers) wasn’t there, which was okay because Greg Lee did a kick-ass job without him (yes, there are two singers).
At one point during their encore, these guys a few feet away from me were starting to get in a brawl about something and were pushing each other around. In the middle of the song, Lee stopped and said, “Look you two. If you guys want to fight take it outside, but the rest of us are trying to have a good time. So please.” And then the whole crowd cheered and the guys stopped acting stupid. So that was cool!
After the show, I got to go upstairs and kick it for a while with the band for this story (ahhh the power). I already knew that Greg Lee and Deston Berry (the keyboard player) started Hepcat. Since then they have become a nine-piece sensation! They have come out with three albums: Out of Nowhere, Scientific, and Right On Time. They recently signed with Hellcat Records, which was started by Tim Armstrong from Rancid.

Interview in the bathroom
My friends and I found ourselves talking to Greg Lee in the bathroom. I know what you’re thinking and NO! It was not one of those crusty stall bathrooms; It was a classy bathroom, painted up sky blue with clouds all around and it wasn’t like we were next to the toilet. We were in the mirror and sink room.
Anyway, I asked Greg what he thought about having Right On Time voted as one of the best albums of 1998 by Time magazine. He said, “It’s pretty cool, especially for my parents. You could be written up in anything: Rolling Stone, Spin, anything but if you’re in Time, you’ve made it! You’re something! See before, my parents were like ‘Son, are you done with this music thing? You should really think about going back to school’ but now it’s more like ‘That’s my boy! Written up in Time magazine!’ So it works for me.” I asked him why they named the band Hepcat. “Well, because of what it means. [Hepcat is a slang term used in the ’40’s meaning: hip person.] Also when I was in high school, I would come home and my dad would be drunk or something. and he would say to me ‘You think your so cool in your suits and sunglasses. HA! When I was your age I was the Hepcat!’ Also Alex [Desert]’s cat’s name is Hepcat.”
So everyone out there, listen to me! Hepcat is a great band! Fun music, cool songs, and some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet! I give you my personal guarantee that they will not disappoint you. So, my final question to you is: Are you a Hepcat?”

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