In Defense of Ska: ICYMI Hepcat

We’re taking a few weeks off for the holidays. But don’t worry, there still will be an episode every Wednesday. We’re re-running our favorite episodes from season 1. To start things off, we’re re-running our Hepcat interview. 

Hepcat was one of the first US ska bands to take heavy influence from ’60s trad ska. For this episode, back in 2021, we brought on drummer Greg Narvas and lead singer Greg Lee. They talked primarily about their experiences growing up in LA in the ’80s and the long journey to discovering the original style of ska. 

2 Tone ska and US ska bands like The Untouchables and Fishbone were around, but original ska tracks were hard to come by. Greg and Greg scoured record stores and searched for any information they could get their hands on to learn about the roots of this genre. 

When you listen back to this episode, it explains why Hepcat became the band they became, and why they had so much grit and passion. 

We lost Greg Lee earlier this year. A tragic loss. So this episode is dedicated to his memory and everything he contributed to ska, this vibrant subculture, and all the smiles he brought to people’s faces. 

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon! 

Listen to the conversation, and make sure to like, review, and follow the series wherever you get your podcast. Don't forget to check out all the Consequence Podcast Network series here.

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024. 

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

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