Hepcat

Hepcat is a ska group from Los Angeles, United States, formed in 1989. The band works within ska, and is also associated with third wave ska, rocksteady, reggae and trad ska. Their sound is noted for soulful harmonies and relaxed rhythms that draw on the style of 1960s Jamaican ska.

Albums and recordings

The group’s debut album, Out of Nowhere, is released in 1994 on Moon Records, a New York-based ska label. Scientific follows in 1996 on BYO Records. In 1998, after signing to HellCat Records, the Epitaph Records subsidiary, they release Right on Time. That record includes “No Worries,” which becomes their best-known modest hit. In 2000, they issue Push n’ Shove, their first album without founding members Raul Talavera and Alex Désert, though Désert appears as a guest vocalist on two tracks.

In early 2004, Out of Nowhere is reissued in remastered form with two bonus tracks, an early version of “Nigel” and “Club Meditation,” both of which appear on their first single.

Live work and hiatus

Hepcat plays the Vans Warped Tour after the success of Right on Time. The group then goes on indefinite hiatus after 2000, with no new material released since, although it occasionally reconvenes for a few shows a year in California. The line-up for these appearances is often the one associated with Scientific.

Members and related projects

Members include Greg Lee, Deston Berry, Alex Désert, David Fuentes, Greg Narvas, Aaron Owens, Efren Santana, Kincaid Smith, Raul Talavera and Lino Trujillo. After Hepcat, trumpeter Kincaid Smith forms the funk band Soul Traffic. Drummer Scott Abels plays with Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Aggrolites. Alex Désert also builds a career in film and television, appearing in PCU, Swingers, High Fidelity and the television series Becker.

Name

The band takes its name from a term used for a jazz musician from the 1940s and 1950s.