REVIEW: House of Blues Gets a Dash of Pepper (Orlando, FL)
By swizzmin on 06 Oct
On Sept. 16, House of Blues Orlando was the place to be for the best in the burgeoning reggae-rock scene. The venue hosted the acclaimed band Pepper along with openers Ballyhoo! and The Expendables.
“The tour has been a lot, so I’ll be ready to be done and return back to Hawaii,” said Pepper drummer Yesod Williams in reference to his home state, which inspired the band’s reggae sound. “It’s totally different in Hawaii [than it is touring in the continental United States], except that it is very routine, like the ultimate Groundhog Day.”
Do not get the impression that Williams and his bandmates do not enjoy touring, though. They tour extensively throughout the United States in order to give their fans a more personal experience. “We want to give our fans the full experience. Without them nothing would be possible,” said Williams.
Pepper has played numerous, highly regarded festivals such as Lollapalooza and Warped Tour, and has also played at the prestigious Red Rocks venue in Colorado, which Williams calls “a milestone” in the band’s career. The members of Pepper are currently touring to support their latest EP, Stitches. “When we were writing this EP it all just flowed and came naturally,” Williams said, noting that there is a definite overall good vibe on the EP. It is “the happiest we’ve been and I think that excitement is reflected,” he said.
In a music culture where most bands last five years at most and go through constant lineup changes, Pepper has retained the three members it started out with since its creation in 1997. “We all still have the same common goals, and we have been friends since childhood. Stitches is the most collaborate material we have put out yet,” Williams said of his two other bandmates, guitarist/vocalist Kaleo Wassman and bassist/vocalist Bret Bollinger.
The chemistry the members of Pepper feel with each other definitely appears in their stage presence. Touring gives Pepper the opportunity to show off its self-described “shock and awe” flair.
“We love to be spontaneous and give the crowd what it wants to hear. We want to keep ourselves and the audience on their toes and be unpredictable,” said Williams.
This certainly was evident at the House of Blues show. “They changed up a bunch of the arrangements on some of their songs, like for ‘Green Howl,’” observed concertgoer Emma Segalla ’14, who has seen Pepper five times.
Openers Ballyhoo! and The Expendables are both on Pepper’s own record label, LAW Records, and they succeeded in hyping up the packed crowd before Pepper took the stage. Ballyhoo! had a very refreshing hard rock sound infused with a little bit of reggae, and I especially like their song “Meathead.” The Expendables describe their sound perfectly as “blending reggae, punk rock, and ’80s style dueling guitar solos,” and produced a unique sound that the crowd loved.
After wrapping up its tour, Pepper plans to head back to the studio for a full-length album, slated for release next summer. However, Williams warns, “Don’t count for it then because we want to make sure we’re absolutely ready.” He wants to make sure that fans of the band know how appreciative Pepper is of their constant support.
“We all want to say a big ‘mahalo’ to our fans and we really owe them everything.”
BY LAUREN SILVESTRI
The Sandspur * Rollins College
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