Pepper
Biography
Although Pepper's members are originally from Kona, HI, the trio doesn't play traditional Hawaiian music. Rather, Pepper's music is a melodic and accessible blend of alternative pop/rock, punk, and reggae. Formed in 1996, Pepper is hardly the only alterna-rock combo that has been inspired by Jamaican sounds. But while other punk-minded alternative pop/rockers who emerged in the '90s were greatly influenced by either classic '60s ska or hardcore dancehall artists like Stitchie, Ninjaman, and Bounty Killer, Pepper usually gets more inspiration from '70s and early-'80s reggae, Pepper's sound could be described as the Police meets Steel Pulse meets punk-pop. It isn't hard to see the parallels between a Pepper song like "The Good Thing" and Police hits such as "Roxanne" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me," but while Sting and his colleagues sounded polished, Pepper tends to favor a rawer, more rugged approach.
Two of Pepper's three members started working together in 1996; that was when singer/guitarist Kaleo Wassman first joined forces with bassist/singer Bret Bollinger. After going through quite a few drummers in the '90s, Pepper decided that Yesod Williams was the best man for the job. With the Wassman/Bollinger/Williams lineup in place, Pepper left Hawaii for Los Angeles and went on to be an opening act for shows by Burning Spear, Shaggy, Eek-a-Mouse, Pato Banton, and other major reggae artists. Pepper first entered the studio in 1997 to record a seven-song demo. But by 1999, the trio was signed to the independent, L.A.-based Volcom Entertainment.
Pepper's songs appeared on various Volcom compilations, including 1999 Summer Sampler and The Early Poems Of. The threesome's' first full-length album, Give'n It, was released by Volcom in 2000. The following year, Pepper produced a sophomore album, Kona Town, with Steve Kravac (who has worked with blink-182, Youth Brigade, Guttermouth, Less Than Jake, and other alternative rockers). Volcom released Kona Town in 2002 and In with the Old followed two years later, as Pepper continued touring with the likes of 311 and Snoop Dogg. The band also began its own record label, LAW Records, whose first release was a 2003 reissue of Give'n It. A live DVD was issued in early 2006 before the guys returned that fall with the studio full-length No Shame and a subsequent tour alongside Slightly Stoopid. Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations followed in 2008. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

Kona Gold
2009

Pink Crustaceans And Good Vibrations
2008

To Da Max 1997-2004
2007

No Shame
2006

No Shame (Explicit)
2006
ya wtf? if you don't like it then skip it right? kona is not known for enchiladas so what a random, or worse a racist comment! Pepper is a stand out in their genre, great original material.
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man you people are crazy! if you listen to the lyrics and how they are live, then you know that their music is just a compliment of the party that they are rockin whether its a back yard or a sold out crowd in vegas its the party that theyare diggin on... thats what makes them a great band to see live you f**ker heads!
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hhhmmm...im hearing a bit more than a bit of Sublime... Meee thinks it's a tribute, cuz imitation would just be obvious and sad; or the best form of flattery? Benefit of the doubt...YOU GUYS ROCK ....steady.. .
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Saw Pepper with Ill Scarlett and some other band I forget. Being the second time seeing them I was impressed yet again. Seeing them at the Pheonix which is a fair small venue it was much more enjoyable then the Health and Harmony Festival. If their coming to a theater near you definitely get out and see them. Their new tour ROCKS SOCKS.
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its funny that all u haters are on this page.....wtf are u doin on the "pepper" page if u aint down with there sound....put it back on ur kaity perry station & drop comments on that page
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BOOOO!!!!
get a life people!! go eat some enchiladas in kona or somethin!!! |
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Not the best live performance. . . a n d I saw them twice. Still great recorded though!
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Pepper is a Pretty chill band.
One of the few bands Influenced By Sublime and actually sound Good. |
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wow, the bio lists sting and police as influences of Pepper and doesn't say anything about......S U B L I M E ! ! Give me a break, it's obvious that these guys get alot of their sound from Bradley and company. Don't get me wrong, that is a damn good thing and I think Pepper is kool as helll, but the person who wrote the bio should give some respect where it's due!! RIP Bradley
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I met these guys a few after a concert and one bassist was honored when I told him that his singing reminded me of Brad Nowell of Sublime. Why is there nothing said in comparison to Sublime?? Pepper is inspired by Sublime!
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Bradley wannabe! Everbody steals from everybody in music, but why can't some of these cheessy bands get a little bit of originality! I think I saw pepper doing karoke down at the local shithole!
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my question is why do people feel the need to talk negativity on a music site. Music, of any kind... Pepper, Sublime, Chili Peppers, Mozart, whoever.... would not want someone supporting them because they hate some other artist.... keep the negativity to yourselves.. . .
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these guys put on a ROWDY show....way laid back chill with the fans kinda show too.
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Never heard these guys before. Thanks Pandora. Is it just me, or does this lead singer sound like Bradley reincarnated ? Well, no one is Bradley, but he is close. These guys jam for sure. I thought Long Beach Dub All Stars was the members of SUblime minus Bradley? Oh well.
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they sound like sublime because they are in the same genre, no s**t. just like dr. dre and ice cube sound the same they RAP...anyway s , Slightly Stoopid (who also are similar to Pepper) are going on tour with Snoop Dogg this summer on the Blazed & Confused tour and the show is completely insanee!! I wanted to see Pepper before they took off to Japan and Europe but didn't make it :( but i'm stoked cuz I already saw Blazed n Confused in Irvine and now I get to go again in San Diego this weekend! An
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racinmy is about as smart as that dookie i dropped in the toilet an hour ago they sound nothing alike you incompetent cat piss sniffer
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wat a dikhed....i dont think they sound like the chili peppers. I think they sound like there from Kona u dink....
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Pepper is a great band, I didn't know they had put out an album almost every year, I have some catching up to do.
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sublime and pepper do not have any of the same band members. The surviving members of sublime went on to form long beach dub all stars.
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for someone who had never heard the chilli peppers this band would sound good....Too bad they bite the chilli peppers style to the "T". Not an original sound whatsoever!
SUBLIME IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT, AND MUCH BETTER SOUND! Pepprer Sucks!!!!!!! ! ! |
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SUBLIME AND PEPPER SOUND THE SAME BECAUSE THEY HAVE 2 OF THE SAME BAND MEMBERS AND THEY BOTH ROCK
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you can't even compare them to sublime. Yeah there is resemblence. More off a sublime rip-off. But don't get me wrong, i dig them.
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I agree with blowme26...i t ' s weird there's no mention in the description about sounding identical to sublime. I love sublime & I'm having a hard time listening this band.
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hmmm...i don't know whether to like this or be offended that it sounds exactly like sublime. it's funny in the description it doesn't say anything about sublime (makes me think they are trying to avoid the fact that the two are almost identical)
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wow i has listening to my Sublime Station and this group came on and holly Sh!t, it's about the closest thing to Sublime...lo v i n ' it....
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First heard 'em on pandora...an d I was like, how have I never heard this song before? I'm a big Sublime fan and thought it was Brad's voice and whatever. Good stuff. I won't say they're better than Sublime, but if you're a fan of Sublime, you'll enjoy these guys.
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Saw them in concert last year. They definitely rock. Go see them if you can.
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