Pepper still afloat after Atlantic upheaval

By Alan Sculley - For the North County Times | Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:23 PM PST ∞

As with most bands that get a major label deal, Pepper hoped signing to the Atlantic Records imprint Lava Records for its 2006 CD, "No Shame," would mean big things for the band.

"Like any band, we wanted to sell tons of records and spread our wings as far as possible," Pepper drummer Yesod Williams said in a recent phone interview.

Pepper, though, never really got to find out what a major label deal could do for its career. Shortly after finalizing the deal, Lava was shut down and the band's deal was transferred to Atlantic, a move that Williams said pretty much meant Pepper and the "No Shame" album would be lost in the shuffle.

"I would honestly have to say we were dumped into a bunch of people's hands that really, I don't think, had an interest in the band," he said. "So it was just something they weren't planning on, and they really didn't put a lot behind it (the CD).

"I mean, we had (a single) 'No Control,' pretty much with no help reach No. 19 on the alternative charts," Williams said. "It's one of those things where I'm looking at Atlantic like, 'OK, it's already there. It's already in the top 20. Let's just push it a bit.' They were just like, 'We want to wipe our hands clean and be done with it.'"

That sort of indifference would be a huge setback for many bands, not to mention a source of considerable bitterness. Not for Pepper.

Today, Williams looks back at the "No Shame" saga as a blessing in disguise in that it pushed Pepper to take further control of its own destiny by deciding to self-release future records.

"I know getting dropped by a record label is not a good thing, but it really was the best-case scenario, and it's really what put us on the platform to release our own albums," Williams said.

Pepper certainly didn't lose any momentum with the failed Atlantic deal.

"No Shame" sold 75,000 copies. More significantly, the group's popularity as a live act has continued to grow. Now Pepper is back with a CD, "Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations," and returns to the road in January with a headlining club tour after spending part of 2008 on its biggest tour ---- a co-headlining run with Slightly Stoopid that played amphitheaters and large theaters. The band's shows Jan. 2 and 3 in San Diego and Solana Beach, respectively, are sold out.

Williams said there's been no magic secret to the success of Pepper, which includes Bret Bollinger (vocals/bass) and Kaleo Wassman (vocals/guitar).

"It's just hard work, and just staying on the road and sacrificing being home a lot and this and that," he said. "It was a struggle for a few years, and finally we started to see, like, payback from all of our hard work and what-not. So we just kept at it."

Pepper began its gradual climb 11 years ago when Bollinger, Wassman and Williams moved to San Diego from the big island of Hawaii. The group got a first break in 2002 when it landed a deal with Volcom Records, which re-released the group's debut CD, "Give'n It," and helped Pepper start moving up on the touring circuit.

The band went on to release two more CDs on Volcom ---- "Kona Town" in 2002 and "In With the Old" in 2004 ---- while seeing its audience expand beyond a core base that came largely from the surf-punk scene. But with the release of "Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations," Williams feels Pepper has created its most cohesive and focused collection of music, which draws on primarily on rock, reggae and soul/hip-hop.

The band finds common ground in many songs with the easy-going groove that populates the soul-tinged rock pop of songs like "Love 101," "Things That You Love" and "Lucy." The band's affection for reggae and ska, meanwhile, is apparent on tunes such as "Musical 69" (which adds some pleasing pop crunch to this reggae track) and "Davey Jones Locker" (which suggests the lilting rhythms of the genre while not specifically employing reggae beats). A harder edge in the group's sound emerges on tuneful rockers such as "Do Something" and "Stand & Fall."

"I think the new album is the most complete thought we've had as far as an album goes," Williams said. "And I have heard people say it's probably our most soulful album ... and that really makes me happy, too."

Williams said the new material is giving the band a day-to-day boost as a touring act.

"We actually have some new blood injected into the set list as far as the new album," he said. "It makes it that much better when you don't have to play the same songs over and over. So when you have the new blood, it's super-inspiring. But we always zip all over the place. This is our fifth album, so we have a big well of material to choose from, and we go all the way back to playing a few songs off our first album, 'Giving It,' from 1999."

Pepper

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: House of Blues San Diego, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego

Tickets: Sold out

Info: (619) 299-2583 or hob.com/sandiego

When: 9 p.m. Saturday

Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach

Tickets: Sold out

Info: (858) 481-8140 or bellyup.com

Web: pepperlive.com