PEPPER

PINK CRUSTACEANS AND GOOD VIBRATIONS

Biography

Bret Bollinger (Vocals/Bass)

Kaleo Wassman (Vocals/Guitar)

Touring non-stop since arriving on the Southern California coast from Hawaii’s Big Island nearly eleven years ago, PEPPER have returned with fifth studio album, PINK CRUSTACEANS AND GOOD VIBRATIONS. The album sees the band at their most eclectic and captures the essence of the Kona Boys arriving in California while exposing them as seasoned veterans of rock. “We do want to keep evolving but we don’t want to spin out. There’s comfort in what you know,” reveals guitarist Kaleo Wassman. The album will be the band’s first endeavor under the umbrella of LAW Records--their own record label--in association with Controlled Substance Sound Labs/MRI distribution.

On PINK CRUSTACEANS, guitarist Kaleo Wassman’s standout opening vocal track “Freeze” is an ominous, aggressive call-to-arms on the dancefloor that starts like a secret assault and launches into a full-blown hold-up. With change-ups that take you down to the depths of dark times and bring you back to the triumphant highs of a partnership that stands the test of time, bassist Bret Bollinger delivers on “Stand and Fall.” And drummer Yesod Williams pulls the album together in the same manner that he holds the band together--with an explosive percussive set that would make his father (Roy Williams of rock band The Law) proud.

After taking the boards on their fourth album No Shame, producer Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers) returned to the studio with PEPPER. According to Wassman, “This was our first album to be released under our own label and going into it we knew we would have limited time, and compared to the major labels, a limited budget. For our first time in the studio with Paul, he made recording so easy, and refreshing, and fun… Leary was clearly the man for the job.” Under his masterful hands, PEPPER has come into their own with their newest and most cohesive effort.

While recording at Total Access Studio in Redondo Beach, CA, Leary and engineer Wyn Davis were able to bring the raw energy characteristic of their live shows--often as much stand-up comedy as it is a concert--to the set. Nods to early ‘80s influences from Fugazi to Hawaiian funnyman Frank Delima are cut with comic interludes of the type PEPPER is famous for onstage. From the cacophony of “Black Out” to the headstrong bonus track “Cock Man,” the band delivers the entire PEPPER experience on the album. “There has never been a more exciting time to be a musician and ‘Cockman’ embraces that,” teases Wassman, citing that particular track as his favorite on the new release. All joking aside, he adds “you can tell that we’re still laughing. We’re really grateful to be able to keep doing this.”

PEPPER also collaborated with a number of other long times pals on PINK CRUSTACEANS AND GOOD VIBRATIONS. Ronnie King of Death Row Records reprised his role as keyboard king on tracks like the wah-wah drenched “Do Something.” Randy Bradbury from Pennywise recorded three tracks with the band: “Black Out,” “Cock Man” and the future b-side release “Reliable.” “We met Randy and the boys from Pennywise on the last Warped Tour. We called him up and said ‘Hey, why don’t you get in on this?’ He happened to be working right next door, ran over, laid down the tracks, drank some Hawaiian water and that was that. Randy is such a professional that he didn’t even listen to the songs prior to laying his tracks. He went straight into the vocal booth and said ‘Run it.’ It was magical-- one take on every song,” says Wassman. Also joining the band in the studio was Street Drum Corps, who recorded a number of songs including “Things That You Love” and “Ambition.” Wassman adds that Street Drum Corps was “unbelievable musicians that added a texture to the project we could never manifest on are own. They are simply masters of their craft.”

PEPPER formed in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1997, playing house parties and garages before shipping out to San Diego in 1998 to push their first studio release Give’n It. In 2001, they entered the Volcom warehouse studio with Steve Kravac (Blink 182, Less Than Jake, MxPx) to record Kona Town which included the hit single “Give it Up (Dirty Hot Sex).” On the heels of that success, PEPPER retreated into The Hive--the completely analog studio home to 311--with legendary producer Ron “The Saint” St. Germain (Bad Brains, Living Colour, 311, Tool, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden) to record In With the Old. When the dust settled from the flurry of large-scale tours, the band recorded the expansive No Shame, which featured a slew of exciting producers including 311’s Nick Hexum, No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal and current partner in crime Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers.

PEPPER has sold over 400,000 records independently, their music has appeared in many movie, television and video game soundtracks and they have had a number of album tracks appear on the Billboard “Hot Modern Rock Tracks” chart. The band has also amassed a large and loyal following stemming from their non-stop touring which includes numerous rounds on the Vans Warped Tour, a co-headline spot on the Jagermeister Tour and rounds with reggae legends The Wailers, 311 and Snoop Dogg, to name a few. The insanity begins again as the band hits the road in the spring for a headline tour before joining Flogging Molly in Europe. PEPPER return to the U.S. in time for the July release of PINK CRUSTACEANS AND GOOD VIBRATIONS and will embark on an extensive national shed tour with longtime friends Slightly Stoopid.