North County trio to bring a special flavor to Vans Warped Tour
By Chris Nixon
Union-Tribune
August 23, 2007
Reggae, ska and punk will always be the natural soundtrack to an ideal San Diego day at the beach. The Hawaii-bred, North County-based trio Pepper knows this, bringing a perfect day at the beach to people all over the country and the world through its music.
“San Diego is the perfect place for our kind of music,” said Pepper drummer Yesod Williams during a recent Warped Tour stop in the Midwest. “It was the first place that really opened up for us as far as a major market goes. The beach culture and the surf culture go hand-in-hand with our music.”
Williams – along with Kaleo Wassman (guitars, vocals) and Bret Bollinger (bass, vocals) – formed a decade ago with no ambitions in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, mixing ska and rock in a potent package set for popular consumption.
“We started in '97 in Hawaii, so we just actually hit our 10-year mark,” Williams said. “We started out for the first couple of years just playing parties and just having a band for fun. When we started, we didn't have an inkling of doing this for a living.”
DETAILS
Vans Warped Tour 2007, with Pepper, Fishbone, Bad Religion, Killswitch Engage, Flogging Molly, more
When: Saturday, noon
Where: Coors Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista
Tickets: $31.30-$33
Phone: (619) 671-3600
Online: www.ticketmaster.com
San Diego has played a key role in Pepper's development, giving Williams, Wassman and Bollinger a base on the mainland.
“The summer after we started the band, I took a trip to Southern California and hung out with some of our older friends who were going to college over there,” Williams said. “This is totally random, but I saw Buck O Nine play on the boardwalk in Mission Beach, and I just felt like maybe we should move the band over here and give it a crack.”
Now Pepper holds a spot on the Warped Tour's main stage, spreading the ska rock gospel to both coasts and beyond. But it wasn't always so cushy for the three guys in the band.
“We got our bearings around 2000 or 2001 when we went on the Warped Tour. I think we realized how hard it was going to be,” Williams said. “It was the longest tour we'd ever been on. We were driving ourselves in a van with no AC. We had to set up and break down the stage every day. But the Warped Tour was cool because it was the hardest thing we'll ever do in our lives, and it was all downhill from there.”
Pepper first struck with the 19 tracks of ska and roots reggae of “Give'n It” on Volcom Entertainment, followed by the breakthrough disc “Kona Town” in 2002 (heavily influenced by Sublime's success). Pepper employed more rock in 2004's “In With the Old,” recorded at 311's Hive Studios in L.A. The disc found the band exploring more varied territory, verging on the eclecticism of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Nick Hexum of 311, Tony Kanal of No Doubt and Sublime producer Paul Leary combined to help produce 2006's “No Shame.” In 2007, Pepper released a retrospective of outtakes titled “To Da Max,” providing a glance back to the group's straight-up ska and reggae days. With its roots in surf culture, Pepper knows that dues must be paid on a continual basis to be a success in life.
“We all grew up surfing,” said Williams, who helps Pepper co-headline the Vans Warped this Saturday at Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista. “It's one of those things like if you haven't eaten (it) real bad in a long time, you wonder when am I going to pay my dues. You have to pay your dues to Mother Nature every once in a while. It's the same in music.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
PEPPER STATS
Lineup
Kaleo Wassman – guitars, vocalsBret Bollinger – bass, vocalsYesod Williams – drums
Discography “Give'n It” (2000, Cornerstone Ras Inc.)“Kona Town” (2002, Volcom Entertainment)“In With the Old” (2004, Volcom Entertainment)“No Shame” (2006, Law Records)“To Da Max” (2007, Law Records)
'THE CIRCLE OF TRUST': PUNK GOES TO SUMMER SCHOOL
Since its inception in 1995, the Vans Warped Tour has been known by the bands as punk rock summer camp. A camaraderie builds among bands camping out for the summer together. For Pepper and a handful of bands this particular summer, there's a subculture among Warped Tour groups called “The Circle of Trust.”
“Basically, we call it 'The Circle of Trust': us and Bad Religion, Pennywise, New Found Glory and Flogging Molly,” said Pepper drummer Yesod Williams. “We set up all of our tents in a circle. When you're done with work, it's pretty much like you're at camp, like you're camping with all your heroes. So we're barbecuing and mixing cocktails with some legends that we grew up listening to and influenced us.”
Here's a breakdown of some of the bands in Pepper's “Circle of Trust” playing this year's Warped Tour:
Bad Religion: Despite the mileage, Bad Religion continues to radiate a youthful exuberance. Along with a co-headlining spot on this year's Warped Tour, Bad Religion released one of its finest records in 2007. The 14th album by the Los Angeles-based sextet – titled “New Maps of Hell,” marking the band's quarter century of contributions to punk rock – features songs penned by singer Greg Graffin and guitarist Brett Gurewitz. “New Maps of Hell” marks the third studio album with Gurewitz after he took a hiatus to run his label, Epitaph. A Warped Tour mainstay, Bad Religion continues to be the conscience of modern punk rock.
Pennywise: Pennywise's loquacious lead singer Jim Lindberg says on the band's Web site: “cogit ergo sum.” The short, clear phrase – “I think, therefore, I am” – sums up the SoCal punk band's 14-year history and mentality in three words. The members of Pennywise – Lindberg on vocals, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, bassist Randy Bradbury and drummer Byron McMackin – churn out hard, crunching guitars and machine gun drumbeats, staying true to their punk rock roots and their fans.
Flogging Molly: Irish rock and punk have been at home with each other for decades. This year, the Warped Tour gives another tip of the cap to Flogging Molly, a band melding sweet Irish acoustic sentimentality with sweaty, blue-collar punk brawn. The band's story begins appropriately at a pub, Molly Malone's on Fairfax Boulevard in L.A. After a few pints of Guinness, impromptu jam sessions would break out and an often-rambunctious Dubliner named Dave King would initiate the festivities. Born out of merry sing-alongs and Harp-soaked lullabies, King and the F.M. crew have exuded the same exuberance in their many shows since.
– CHRIS NIXON
