Artist description Feline guitar virtuosos with an ingenious approach to music. The Hepcats are "musical synergists" – that is, they have spent their nine lives (actually, 27 between the three of them!) exploring every kind of music (rock, folk, country, jazz, blues, classical, gospel, etc.), and they love to weave all of these influences into a wonderfully fluid blend that is uniquely their own.

Music Style acoustic guitars - instrumental

Musical Influences all over the map (very eclectic!)

Similar Artists If you like Les Paul, Doc Watson, The Ventures, Django Rheinhardt, Acoustic Alchemy, Mark Knoeffler, Chet Atkins, Richard Thompson, Phil Keaggy, etc., you’ll dig the Hepcats!

Artist History Some years ago, three abandoned kittens turned up (as fate would have it) on the doorstep of world-renowned rock-instrumental guitarist Paul Johnson. Paul took them in, and he was soon astonished to discover that these tabbies displayed an amazing aptitude for the fretboard. So Paul decided to make them his protégés. And now, instead of playing all the guitar parts on his recordings (as has been his habit) he just "produces" and the cats do all the playing! "Christmas with the Hepcats" is the first MP3 album (with more to follow soon) featuring Paul’s marvelous musical mousers!

Group Members Paul Catson (guitar); Johnny Paulcat (guitar); "Son" Hepjohn (guitar). Producer of the Hepcats: Paul Johnson

Albums "Christmas with the Hepcats." Coming in 2000: "The Hepcats LIVE at the Ajax Novelty Company."

Press Reviews Re: "Christmas with the Hepcats": === DAN FORTE (Guitar Player magazine): "Fresh, lively interpretations of these timeless themes and melodies, played with plenty of style and Christmas Spirit. The Hepcats are surely the most accomplished acoustic guitarists of the feline world." ====== JIM WASHBURN (LA Times magazine) makes CWTH the PICK OF THE WEEK: "As is usually the case with Johnson’s work, the playing here sparkles with invention, and the arrangements nearly always reveal a beguiling architecture…when (the Hepcats) shift mood in mid-song, it’s like entering a different room. These renditions never trounce on the character of the originals, but they are often creative enough to tickle you into hearing the songs afresh." ====== Re: Paul Johnson ("producer" of the Hepcats): === MIKE VARNEY (Guitar Player magazine): "…a remarkably articulate player…in his genre, he has to be one of the best I’ve heard." ====== DAVID MCGEE (Record magazine): "Johnson is a magnificent player… it’s not what he says but how he says it that leaves a lasting impression…unusual and potent."

Location Carlsbad, CA - USA

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