It's strange how, in discussing modern ska, talk often wafts into the dreaded subject of America's brief, ill-advised affair with swing music in the mid-1990s. We can all agree on neo-swing's pointless reanimation-- it was a style that was so deeply rooted in the period of its inception that fast-forwarding it to the post-grunge era and adorning it with tattoos and wallet chains smudged the dapper snap it possessed in its heyday. Plus, the music lacked soul, even in its prime; a whitewashing of the jitterbugging jump blues that steamed up many a segregated juke joint, swing just wasn't dangerous music.
Ska, even in its revivalism, is a different story. Ska was soul, channeled from studios in New Orleans and Memphis, through transistor radios in the streets of Kingston in the early 60s, and then tilted onto the upbeat. Bands like The Melodians, The Skatalites, and Toots & The Maytals crafted the original Jamaican dance music, which of course was mellowed by age and ganja smoke to become reggae. The ska revival bands of late 1970s England added a brash, lefty political element and interracial Wayfarered cool, keeping the sound fresh even as it was appropriated. Some contention, however, arises in the mid-90s when the third wave crashed onto MTV, first spiking California pop/punk with a little Two-Tone two-step, then forsaking the skank altogether.
With syrupy three-part harmonies and horn-laced swoop, L.A.'s Hepcat hit the scene in the early 90s and immediately gained a reputation for their faithful re-heating of old-school Jamaican flavors. Their attention to the originators was immediately apparent in their buttery shoo-wop vocals, jazzy horns, and stylish, laid-back posture. For these guys, the term "derivative" was the greatest compliment, and their well-studied approach, coalesced during a tour with The Skatalites in '92, yielded some fantastic music that would fit comfortably on a '62 Studio One comp. After two early releases on small labels, the band was picked up by Epitaph in '98, released two more albums, and enjoyed limited mainstream success.
Epitaph recently reissued Hepcat's hard-to-find '93 debut, Out of Nowhere, on its Hellcat subsidiary, a thrilling prospect for fans of the band and the genre. With its detailed liner notes and photos, this reissue is an intimate glimpse into the roots of modern ska's greatest roots band. While perhaps not as memorable as some of the group's later, greater tracks, these songs still show the same soulful, playful charge that made the band such a fan favorite.
A joyful innocence pervades the record, present in the golden vocal harmonies their bubblegum subject matter. The band shows a bit of the reggae, Latin, and Caribbean influence that would be more fleshed out on later works like Scientific and Right on Time, but even songs introduced by an exotic dub echo or fancy piano trill quickly settle into that skittering, shuffling beat that serves as the happy-footed rhythmic foundation of their sound. A few songs ("The Secret", "Nigel", "Clarence Thomas") are presently here in early versions that would show up fully realized on successive releases, and within these comparisons listeners can gauge the band's progression-- for the most part, Hepcat's arrangements, basslines, and overall passion only improved with experience. Still, Out of Nowhere stands as an early expression from a band that managed to remain forever young, looking back to the old days to keep their sound fresh when it really mattered.
