Pepper 25 years Ago!

We thought, considering Pepper’s consistent success, we’d revisit the past with some photos we took when the boys played at our little rat-hole pad at the beach on 42nd Street in Newport Beach, CA. We think the show was in 1999, but that has yet to be confirmed (college dates and times are always a little blurry.) They played an incredible show to the delight of us poor surf bums and the neighborhood rejoiced.

Our cancerous, toxic little pad on the corner of 42nd was barely big enough to fit the band (let alone any audience.) We moved all of our furniture into the garage and a select few of us packed into the kitchen to watch the show. The rest of us squeezed on the patio outside to listen.

It began raining, but no one seemed to care. All of our neighbors on the street began migrating towards the good tunes. Next thing you know, we had a load of people creating a block party in the rain. EPIC ALL TIME EVENT.

We were a little worried that the boys would be bummed on the tiny venue and the crazy rainy conditions. But, luck would have it that they we’re pumped on everything. They said that the acoustics were incredible, and they’d consider recording at our pad (must have been the asbestos and cardboard walls.)

We were lucky that our little double-wide didn’t crumble under the weight and powerful sounds. A cop came after a few hours and told us we needed to turn down the music. I replied, “No worries, Officer Schaumburg.” (Unfortunately we knew all the cops very well.) “They’d just finished their set anyways.” Astonished on how we managed to fit them in there, he replied, “You mean you’ve got a band in there, Chris?”

All in all, it was an incredible experience, and we’re glad we got them early on enough to enjoy them before they became huge. Thanks, Baldy, for arranging everything. We’re sorry for treating you like crap for so many years, but you kind of deserved it (and still do, daddy. Haha!)

Pepper Today

Today, Kona’s little rock-trio is one of the biggest bands around. Guitarist and vocalist, Kaleo Wassman, leads the charge with his unique style and outgoing stage performances. Bassist and vocalist, Bret Bollinger, is a multi-talented artist that not only sings and jams with just as much stage presence as Kalea and Yesod, he also writes music for some of the biggest names in the music industry. Yesod Williams, drummer, is rocking as hard as ever and turns out to be a damned good pilot. Though after having watched many performances with him nearly destroying the drums, I’d be a little fearful of being his passenger.

Pepper is a three-piece reggae rock band from Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi, now based in San Diego, made up of longtime members Kaleo Wassman (vocals, guitar), Bret Bollinger (vocals, bass), and Yesod Williams (drums, backing vocals). Since forming in 1996, they’ve blended reggae, rock, ska, and dub across eight studio albums, including the breakout Kona Town, later releases like Ohana (2016), and Local Motion (2019), which hit #1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. In recent years they’ve stayed active with collaborations (like the Cali Roots Riddim 2020 project and charity compilation The House That Bradley Built), launched their own LAW Records label, released the Makai EP in 2023, and marked “Twenty Years of Kona Town” with an anniversary tour and updated single “Stormtrooper (Kona Town Revisited),” keeping them a steady presence in the modern reggae-rock scene.

Looking forward to your next show on Maui. The last one we went to ROCKED! If you ever feel like doing another tiny venue, we’ll get Baldy, Ben, Greg, Katie, Selman, and Ethan out here and have a reunion on Maui (RIP Crazy Jim.)

As this article moved from a different less-relevant website, I’ve added some of the fun comments below. The original article was written in 10 years after the party.

• This is so sick, that show must have been epic. Old school Pepper killing it – nasserk215 
• That was such an insane night! Chris, thanks for doing that article. Brought back some good memories! Those pics are classic! Howz my Bob Marley shirt!!?? Haha. Good times. – Baldy 
• Ha – what a sick night! Good post Chris – old schooling the new hipsters – jimbabwe shakamellowbra 
• Great story , the coincidence of my living on 42nd street (green house 3rd in on left if looking towards the beach) and my home in Wailea and being a pepper fan and this newsletter, amazing how small our world really is. And their all Great! – Kevin Ho