Rudith: How long have HEPCAT been playing together?

Greg: 8 years, from high school.

Rudith: Did you play individually in other bands before?

Greg: No, we all began in HEPCAT. With the first time, no other people were never in other bands than HEPCAT.

Rudith: Are you all from the United States?

Greg: All from the States except Raul, he is from Peru.

Rudith: Which are your musical inffluences?

Greg: From all different types, from ska, reggae, eveything in the Caribbean to soul, to jazz, to blues to Latin music, musicians like John Coltrane...

Rudith: How do you see the ska scene in your country?

Greg: It is cool, is always what it has been. It's growing now because there's: No Doubt, Mighty Mighty Bosstones...we're where we always be.

Rudith: Do you etiquett into ska revival? How do you define your music?

Greg: I think there are so many bands that they say play ska, for the general, like if we say we are a ska band. And there's No Doubt, that is a ska band; if they decide to change to something else then they still will be a ska band; they play funky and punk and they still are a ska band. And we will be too, but we don't play that. So we choose to take anything right, now. I like them for they're new, for me personally. I think they are more of a jazz band than a jazz-ska. You could do ska, it's ska or add to ska, but you can't put it all together. We do ska and reggae and rocksteady and we had learnt to that, we have jazz add to that, soul add to that, but you always hear ska from the Sixties, what we like.

Rudith: Do you see a difference between bands like Toasters, Busters between bands like Dr. Ring Ding, or HEPCAT?

Greg: I think so, because before the music that we heard in America was Two Tone Ska and we weren't influenced or we didn't had the Jamaican Ska so much as the English did, so all the Two Tone bands that we heard. Prince Buster had advanced and make change into that, and then we said: 'Oh that's cool' and then, finally, we started to hear the original stuff, this is what counts, the other stuff doesn't matter. First, when I came into Ska, was Two Tone, Specials, Madness and all this stuff. When I first heard Skatalites, I didn't like it, it took me a little while and then, ok, I've got it!. And we took the drum like the old rythm...

Rudith: How is going on your last record, RIGHT ON TIME?

Greg: It's going good I guess so far, we have no way to find out exactly how well it is going. Right now we are having fun, we are playing well and that is what we prefer.

Rudith: Did Skinheads and Rudies come to your concerts in your country?

Greg: Yes, that's my family. When I first started this band the only people who came to see us playing were all Crew, all friends, and they grow, and they grow, and they grow.... in America, the East Coast, the West Coast, the Middle...

Rudith: And are there SHARP too?

Greg: There are a lot of SHARP, but is not so much nazis everywhere now because 7 years ago we, in Los Angeles, had a big problem with white power - nazi skinheads, all the time. And then, one day we said, you know what?: NO MORE! And no more.

Rudith: Do you see differences between the ska scene in the States than in Europe?

Greg: The ska scene in the States is different now because, like No Doubt, and other bands come and bring a lot of new types of people to the concert. What we hear is more like a people auditioning ska, is not new for them really, only the band is new, and that's all.

Rudith: Which European ska bands do you know?

Greg: Only, Malarians, I love Malarians, they remind me the Selecter.

Rudith: Which covers do you play in live?

Greg: We do "Marcus Garvey" by The Lord Tanamo, Bad Manners, Skatalites...

Rudith: Next projects?

Greg: No relax, more touring, and more touring...

Rudith: Did you present the album in Europe first?

Greg: Here first, more fun.

Rudith: Top 5?

Greg:

"Third Man Ska" - Skatalites
"Man In The Street" - Skatalites
"Israelites" - Desmond Dekker
"Babba Boom Time" - Prince Buster
any Heptones
theres a lot more.

Rudith: Hobbies of the band?

Greg: Some people play jazz, in the time out. Me? I write children books, and also I do as well. Alex, the other singer is an actor (cinema and television).