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 Kona Gold |
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By DJ Ivie |
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These Hawaiian road-rats have gone from moving to California in 2000 with nothing - to living the dream. “There’s a great music scene in Hawaii but nowhere to tour,” explains bassist and co-vocalist Bret Bollinger. “You make four stops in a circle around the island, and you’re back home.” The band knew it was an all-or-nothing deal to make such a bold move. It’s not like they could just drive back home if they failed. Because of their persistence, Pepper quickly made a name for themselves from their appetite for live shows. Soon they were regulars on Warped Tour and even hit the road with 311 and Snoop Dogg. The trio quickly garnered a rabid fan base due to their energy and dynamic stage presence. It also didn’t hurt that dub-inspired slabs of rock “Kona Town” and “In With the Old” were bona fide party soundtracks. Currently, they’re co-headlining the Jagermeister Music Tour with Pennywise in support of their first live CD, Kona Gold. It contains 2002’s breakthrough “Kona Town” in its entirety plus other crowd favorites like “Freeze” from last year’s Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations. “Technically you’re supposed to sound better in the studio, but we’re really a live band and this captures that,” Bollinger states. He then admitted he fantasizes about having a studio recording that matches the vibe and intensity of Rage Against the Machine’s first album. Kona Gold is also the band’s second release from Law Records, the label they own with drummer Yesod Williams’ father. “We were in a bad contract - like seven or eight albums bad,” Wassman sighs. “Our contract was bought by a smaller label and then, all at once, we were dropped. Yeah, people say ‘Don’t ever get The Pepper Contract’!” Bollinger laughs. According to Bollinger, it’s not just the stuff of movies when you’re on a time crunch to crank out some hits in the studio and some “suit” is staring at his watch waiting for magic to happen. “They (record executives) may not be passionate about the music, per se. But they have families to feed also,” he sympathizes. Recently, “Your Face” has been added as a downloadable track for Guitar Hero: World Tour. “I’m terrible at it!” confesses Wassman of imitating his guitar riffs. “It actually made me play worse!” It’s this creative blend of touring and releasing music that’s made Pepper what they are. “It’s like surfing,” Bollinger offers up. “You can’t call how big your wave will be. You just have to ride which one comes.” |
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