Here's the Hepcat piece:
'Ska is not just a fad'
Actor-singer Alex Desert of Hepcat makes the case for the music
By Chris Nixon
May 20, 2004
It's 102 degrees on the steamy freeways of Los Angeles, and Alex Desert is lost. On the way to another possible acting gig, the busy performer doesn't have time to stop for 10 minutes.
Like most lost Southern California drivers, he's multitasking: maneuvering, navigating and talking on his cell phone. Luckily, he's also listening to good tunes to keep himself sane.
"You got me on my way to a voice-over audition – and I'm listening to Tom Jones," says the sincerely upbeat Desert (pronounced "Dez-air") as assorted highway noises zoom by his window. Turning up the Welch crooner's hit "What's New, Pussycat?" on his car stereo, Desert bursts out: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." He adds, "What a great day, man."
Despite the withering weather and the snarl of L.A.'s highways and byways, the New York City native derives joy from his life's numerous directions. Desert's burgeoning acting career includes credits on the television series "Becker" and prime roles in the cinematic cult classics "Swingers" and "P.C.U." He will also take part in the ABC television series "Harry Green and Eugene" debuting in the fall. And, after a hiatus, his ska band Hepcat is dusting off the cobwebs and touring once again, including a stop at 'Canes Bar & Grill in Mission Beach Sunday night.
For the past 15 years, Hepcat led the West Coast contingent of classic ska purveyors. After four full-length albums and thousands of miles on the road, the eight-man collective continues to layer smooth vocals over skipping ska rhythms and a classic full-horn section. The band's music harks to timeless 1950s and '60s ska music (often called the First Wave), holding true to the traditional Jamaican style.
Even though originally Desert hails from Haiti, he didn't listen to Jamaican or Caribbean music in his formative years. He grew up listening to Motown soul as a child in New York.
"Honestly, I'm the kid that sang in the shower," said the 33-year old actor and singer. "I always liked doo-wop. The Temptations are my idols. In high school, I was actually in a doo-wop band. That's how I made money, singing in the subways. Then I came out to L.A. I got my first acting job. I met (Hepcat vocalist) Greg Lee and (keyboardist) Destin Berry and we became thick as thieves. So we decided we'd start a band."
Like the Motown and doo-wop groups almost 50 years ago in the United States, ska artists Prince Buster, the Skatalites and the Wailers (which included Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh) serve as the backbone for Jamaica's storied musical history.
With subjects like love and love lost, ska music represents the innocence of Jamaica's mid-century music much like Motown and rockabilly symbolize a simpler time in American culture. Both rock steady (slightly slower tempo than ska) and reggae (slower than rock steady) sprouted from ska's bouncing beats and soulful vocals.
Ska's development has three distinct periods, reflecting the style's ebb and flow in popularity and its growth to new parts of the world.
Prince Buster and the Wailers belong to ska's First Wave. An influx of Jamaican immigrants to Great Britain brought ska to the UK in the 1970s and '80s, spurring on Second Wave bands like the Specials and acts on the Two-Tone record label.
Ska's Third Wave represents the music's most recent incarnation. With bands like the Toasters, the New York Ska Jazz Ensemble and Hepcat leading ska's resurgence, more Americans tuned into the classic island music. Following a trend started by the Clash in the 1970s, punks like Rancid and Sublime began incorporating ska into their sound.
"Don't get me wrong: I don't knock the new stuff," says Desert on ska's mutations in the past decade. "I think it's great, we're keeping the music alive. Ska is not just a fad. It's reggae's granddaddy. If it wasn't for ska, you wouldn't have Beanie Man. You wouldn't have Boujou Banton."
With Desert and Hepcat starting to tour again, ska fans can look forward to new songs at shows and a possible new album in the next year or two.
Epitaph Records re-released Hepcat's debut album "Out of Nowhere" in March of this year, so the band seems to be pushing toward its own resurgence, its own second wave. But first Desert needs to find his way to the voice-over audition.
"Cool, I know where I'm going now," says Desert. "I've been driving in circles since we've been talking. I'm in a good mood, so it's all right. You caught me on a good day."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
About Hepcat
Hometown: Los Angeles
The lineup:
Greg Lee – vocals
Alex Desert – vocals
Deston Berry – keyboards, vocals
Kincaid Smith – trumpet
Dave Fuentes – bass
Efren Santana – tenor sax
Aaron Owens – guitar
Scott Abels – drums
Discography:
"Out of Nowhere" (1993)
"Scientific" (1996)
"Right On Time" (1998)
"The Swing Session" (1999)
"Push 'N Shove" (2000)
"Out of Nowhere" re-release (2004)
– CHRIS NIXON
