Pepper (band)

Pepper is a three-piece reggae rock band originally from Hawaii,[3] now based in San Diego.

And, basically its this Italian Restaurant and these 'Pepper Boys' come up to the table, usually to a couple on an exclusive date, and they would come over and OBSCENELY crack pepper all over the woman's plate.

It was one thing the three of us would talk about the next day in Bret's (Bollinger) garage when we were rehearsing and we would just lose it, so we said Pepper for short".

[7] With the trio and new name in place, Pepper left Hawaii for San Diego and went on to open shows by Burning Spear, Shaggy, and other major reggae artists.

[8] In 1999, after gathering a small local following on the Big Island, Pepper gained the interest of an independent, L.A.-based record company, Volcom Entertainment.

[9] After years of extensive touring, Pepper took to the studio with Steve Kravac (Less Than Jake, MXPX) to record their second album entitled Kona Town, released in March 2002.

The album was recorded at 311's completely analog Hive Studios by board master Ron St. Germain (Bad Brains, Living Colour, 311, Tool, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden), the album showcases a broader range of influences shared by the trio.

With Ronnie King on keyboard again, it features production from Nick Hexum of 311, Tony Kanal of No Doubt, and Sublime producer/Butthole Surfers member Paul Leary.

On March 20, 2007, Pepper released To Da Max: Mistakes and Outtakes (1997–2004), their first compilation album containing rare and B-side tracks.

To promote this release, the band toured across the United States in 2008 from March through April with Redeye Empire and Iration.

A European tour in support of Flogging Molly followed, including shows in Germany, Sweden, France, Italy and more.

The Spring 2009 lineup of the Jägermeister Music Tour featured Pepper with longtime staples on the punk scene, Pennywise.

[12] Pepper returned to the Jägermeister Music Tour after a 2006 outing with punk-reggae rockers Slightly Stoopid.

Brett explains, "The song has always had a special place in our hearts with our brother Josh Fischel originally blessing the track, and we are honored to have Josh of The Movement and Kai Rediske former lead singer of Iration to help us revisit and pay homage to the song 20 years later."

On June 2, 2023, Pepper released a single, "Get Me Ready", which, as stated on the band's social media pages, was just a demo first written by Kaleo in 2017 at Tim Armstrong's studio in Silver Lake.

The song was finished (co-written) by Tim Armstrong of Rancid and Kevin Bivona from The Interrupters and then recorded five years later with a Two-Tone, ska vibe.

On November 17, 2023, Pepper will release a 6-track EP, titled, Makai, which will feature Edley Shine and Iration.

The band's third EP will be available on a one-time hand numbered vinyl pressing limited to 250 units of each variant available exclusively through their LAW Records store.

Kaleo Wassman of Pepper performing at Warped Tour in 2007.
Pepper performing at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA (Summer Traditions Tour) on July 28, 2022.
Pepper performing at the Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, CT in July 2023.