Shake Your Pepper Shaker

Pepper is OK with the Sublime comparisons. Many people consider the band to be a blatant Sublime rip off, but drummer Yesod Williams says the band doesn't mind.

"It's an honor to be compared to such a great band like that," Williams said. "I don't know how you could take it badly. A few years ago, there were those die-hard [Sublime] fans that would hate on us for it. That gets irritating, but to be compared to a band like that is nothing but good."

Indeed, there are many similarities between the two bands. Both Pepper and the now legendary Sublime blend elements of reggae, ska and punk, along with smooth vocals, into fun and easygoing songs. Currently, Pepper is on a nationwide tour with ska acts Mad Caddies and label mates The Supervillians and Splinta.

Pepper was originally based in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, but relocated to Southern California to tour the country more easily.

"In the mainland, we can just hop in a van and tour the country," Williams said. "In Hawaii, you are kind of landlocked and there's only so many places to play."

Each year, the band organizes and hosts an event, the Kona Town Music Festival, in their home town.

"It's our way of trying to expand the music scene over there, of getting kids to see music they wouldn't normally get to see," Williams said. While the band does not get to play concerts in Hawaii as often as it would like, it did recently play concerts in Oahu and Maui with Bob Fest 2007, an event that also featured Lauryn Hill.

In addition to throwing a music festival each year, Pepper also owns its own record label, called LAW Records. The label was started by Williams' father in the early '80s before eventually folding. Pepper decided to restart the label in 2000, when they re-released their first demo, Give'n It. The label's lineup features four bands, including both The Supervillians and Splinta.

The band recently released its most successful album, No Shame, on Volcom Entertainment, an offshoot of the popular clothing brand Volcom. Some of the tracks featured production by Nick Hexum of 311, who has gone on to become close friends with the band. The rest are produced by Tony Kanal of No Doubt and Paul Leary, who produced many tracks for Sublime. "No control," the single off that album, reached No. 19 on the U.S. Modern Rock Countdown, according to Williams.

After releasing four full-length albums, the band is releasing a rarities album called To Da Max on March 20, which features "everything the band has ever recorded but not released," Williams explained.

This past summer, the band capitalized on its friendship with Hexum and toured with 311 and The Wailers. But touring with 311 was not Pepper's first brush with famous musicians. The band also played a concert with Snoop Dogg in the notoriously dangerous area of Bakersfield, Calif., yet did not get a chance to meet him.

"We were pretty far out of our element. We didn't know if we were going to play a good show or get knifed," Williams said. "Luckily, we escaped unscathed."

After their current tour, the band has a busy summer ahead. Pepper is planning a European tour for May, and after that, the band will be playing the main stage on every date of the Vans Warped Tour, one of the biggest traveling tours in America.

"This is the first time we're playing on the main stage, so it's kind of coming full circle for us," Williams said.

Despite its solid touring fan base, the band does not expect to achieve mainstream success from the experience.

"You definitely hope to achieve as much as you can, to push the music forward, but we're not counting on it," Williams said.

Still, Pepper is content with what it has achieved so far. "Being out on the road is what we do. It's the heartbeat of this band," he said.

Pepper is playing at the 9:30 Club in Washington on Wednesday, March 7. Tickets are still available and cost $15.