HepTown News

Dance to that rockabilly beat!

LEARN HOW TO JIVE DANCE...a 2 day crash course for those of you who want to brush up on your skills from last year or any new people who want to learn the basics of the 1950’s JIVE dance.

The Jive is similiar to the Swedish "Bugg" or Swings "Lindy Hop" but is danced to rockabilly music. It won’t take you long until you know the basic moves then you can practice during the "Jiving Jamboree" 2 day rock ’n’ roll festival at Debaser night club.

You can come as you are or with a partner, all you have to do is book a place on one or two evenings on the course page

The cost for each 1� hour lesson will be just 150sek, or 250sek for both lessons.

We start at 18.00 on Kristihimmelsf�rdsdag the 17 May. Part 2 is the next day at the same time.

Stockam�lla Swing Festival & Dande Camp Registration is open

Registration for the swing dance classes with the Harlem Hot Shots and the swing band classes with the Carling Family at the Stockam�lla Swing Festival is now open

I Charleston Malm�

Video presented by Cats’ Corner - a non-profit organization caring for YOUR Lindy hop needs. We obviously have a lot of fun!
http://catscorner.se

Photographer: Birgitta Forsberg
http://lightyearphoto.com

Song: Movits! - Fel del av g�rden

Our very own Jimmy on TV

That’s right, our very own Jimmy Shine has been featured on Sydnytt, the local news. He shows of his ride, puts Saint 21 pomade in his hair and dances for the camera.

Click here to see it on svt play.

Patric from Kustom Kutting @ Saint 21

There’s an article about Patric from Kustom Kutting and Saint 21 in Sydsvenskan today. Lots of great photos, so check it out!

The world famous hair cutter Patric Fjellman own merch! Yes, a lot of you been cut by him at The A-bobers "Old Style Weekend" or at HepCat Store aka, Saint 21....

He may be charming, but what he is truly known for is his skills with scissors and combs. Few hipster, swing or rockabilly boys have left his chair without learning something new about pomade, combs and their hair.

But not only that...the guy we talking about is a die hard biker as well...so when getting under the scissors ther’s a lot to talk about.

MERCH FROM KUSTOM KUTTING

Live photos from the jubilee

Photos from this Saturday are now up. Check out the gallery!

A big thanks to everyone who came out and partied with us. We had an amazing night with live performances from J.Tex, Movits and HepCat Daddies.

Do you have any good photos from this or other HepCat nights? Please send them to hooke@heptown.com

Jazz Special - Swingstorming

Read the article "Swing er faktisk dansejazz" in the October/November issue of JazzSpecial, written by Signe Frydenlund and Kit Bl�del. The article is about the Copenhagen Swingstorming group who meet on Facebook to gatecrash swing concerts, turning them into dance events to the joy of both musicians and audience - as in the good old swing days.

Read more about where to buy this issue of JazzSpecial at http://www.jazzspecial.dk/ and check out where the swingstormers go next time (and storm along!) at the Swingstorming group on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12008519494.

Welcome to the garage!

Our house Saint 21, aka the garage, used to be the ambulance garage at Saint Lars insane asylum. To us it feels like home.

Get the inside story in our new blog

HepCat in the news papers

HepCat has been featured in two local news papers last week, in association with the visit of Skratch, Adam Dorsett, and Zoe Scarlett. Both articles are in Swedish.

Sk�nskan

Sydsvenskan

Pranksters on Television

Latest act on HepTown Records, the Copenhagen heroes Pranksters live intervue on Danish Television.

View

The Mockingbirds nominated!

Our own pride The Mockingbirds from Malmoe, SE, has been nominated at Manifestgalan 2008 for best punk/hardcore release.

The album �Always late and not even close� out on HepTown Records, been having a great success and were really proud and happy for them.

//HepTown Records Crew

Are you on Facebook?

Here are some cool groups:

HepTown Records, our own label:
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5114278983

Black Cats Blues lounge, an unofficial cocktail party...
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6826992533

Cats’ Corner, givin’ ya sweet Swing every Thursday
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4998681870

Hepcats Copenhagen, the CPH Swing Cats.
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2423594008

HepCats Scania, an independent group for all the Cats & Kittens in the region.
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4067359675

Cultural Night - HepCats featured in TV and Newspapers

Danish "TV2" and danish "Politiken" fell in love with "Swinging HepCats" dancing at Arbejdermuseet this Friday.

They were playing 50’s music and the HepCats were dancing and giving free "Learn-The-Moves" classes. And this caught the attention of the media. See the pictures at Politiken and the video at TV2 (requires Windows Media Player).

And...in case you are not a dancer, swing by "www.swing-dans.dk" and sign up for one of the coming Beginners Weekends.

Photos from Club HepCat with Ray Collins Hot-Club

Photos from Club HepCat in Lund on the 6th october are already up. Check them out in the photo galleries.

On stage were Ray Collins’ Hot-Club and the venue was Mejeriet. Photographers so far are Roger Hansson and Patrik Rydberg

Succesful premiere for Scat Cats Live Ballroom

As expected, last thursdays big premiere for Scats Cats Live Ballroom at Tangopalatset, featuring Round Midnight Big Band , became a great success.

The former church, today a nest of energetic sounds and lustful mooves, perhaps even sin, threatened to tumble into pieces as Round Midnight Big Band filled the air with vibrant energy, making every limb of every dirty dancer present groove and throb in mindboggling rythms. Nothing happened that would pass in court!

But relax, the walls of Babylon are still standing, ready for another go in a month. Until then, all you dirty dancers will have to do with good old DJ music... Wich is not bad at all, when you think twice about it!

Check out our photo galleries for pictures from the unforgettable evening.

Frankie's book reviewed in Politiken (DK)

Frankie Mannings Biography was released on his 93rd Birthday on May 26th this year. Politiken in Denmark has printed a long review which can be seen online.

The book, titled "Cos it dont mean a thing, if it ain�t got that swing" has been reviewed by freelance Kit Bl�del and the review can be read online (it’s in danish). Enjoy!

http://politiken.dk/boger/article335304.ece

Thanks for the Stocka M�llan Swing Festival

Big thanks too all volunteers, organizers, dancers, listeners, musicians and all other that made this camp happen. A special thanks too Gunhild Carling whom without none of this would have happened.

Some photos have already been added to the gallery, but expect lots more soon >>>

Some videos from the weekend at YouTube >>>

Lots of new photos!

Lots of new photos have been uploaded recently, check them out in the photogalleries.

Direct links to the latest uploads:

2007-06-15 Stockam�lla swingfestival
2007-06-09 Cop-Hop Spring 07
2007-05-19 HepTown Records 5 Years Anniversary
2007-05-03 SoSo Jazz Trio at Scat Cats’ Basement
2007-05-01 Big Band Ballroom at Moriskan
2007-03-31 Retro Blaster - Devil Doll
2007-03-31 Retro Blaster - El Ray warming up for Devil Doll
2007-02-05 Retroblaster - The Buckshots

Cop-Hop Spring 07 - thank you!

A big thank you to all involved in the "Cop-Hop Spring 07" in Copenhagen June 9th-10th!

We hope that everybody was happy (and tired) Sunday evening.

A huge thank you to the people volunteering to administer registrations, to take care of the food at the party, to decorate Studenterhuset and of course to the band at the party.

A special thank you to our fantastic teachers: Joanna, Henric, Jessica and Dan.

And finally a very special thank you to all the participants; you made the workshop!

Videos and pictures from the workshop can be seen here:
Stompin.dk
Youtube.com
HepTown galleries.

Frankie Manning's biography and birthday

Finally a biography on the life of the legendary Frankie Manning has been released. Written by Frankie himself and Cynthia Millman this book portraits his life as one of the legendary Whitey’s lindy hoppers in the 1930’s until his life today as a lindy hop teacher.

To celebrate his birthday on the 26th of may, the international lindy hop community encourages you all to buy this book on that perticular day on amazon.com to make it a no.1 bestseller.

Widely known as the creator of the air-step in Lindy Hop, a choreographer and Tony award winner, Frankie Manning recalls how his first tentative steps as a teenager at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom eventually led him to a career as chief choreographer and lead dancer for Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, who appeared on Broadway stages, Hollywood films, and stages around the world. He brings the Swing Era to life with recollections of the headliners as well as the dozens of uncelebrated dancers who helped to make the Lindy an international sensation.
With collaborator, Cynthia Millman, Manning traces the evolution of swing dancing from those early days in Harlem through the post-War War II period until it was eclipsed by rock and roll, then disco. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Manning ended his 35-year hiatus from dancing during the early years of the swing revival, and he has been performing and teaching ever since. This wonderful memoir will be a revelation to the new generations of Lindy Hoppers as well as dance historians.