Welcome to the Pacific Island themed Artist Radar. Our weekly Artist Radar articles will be dedicated to each of the groups featured on the FREE Pacific Island Sampler. To kick things off, we have none other than Law Records very own, PEPPER.
The Pier was excited to have Kona, Hawaii’s Pepper, featured on our Pacific Island Sampler contributing the songWake Up. Asking a group to give away one of their songs for a free online sampler is never an easy thing considering the costs & time that go into making music. Pepper was kind enough in contributing to a line up rich with Pacific Island talent and we’re hoping the release of this Pacific Island Sampler brings more attention to the wonderful music sprouting out of the Pacific Islands.
Pepper Free MP3:
FREE Song: Wake Up
>>FREE DOWNLOAD HERE<<
Pepper Interview:
While making their way through the country on this years Vans Warped Tour, Our very own Chad Hillje hit up Pepper’s drummer, Yesod Williams, for a quick update on the group. In an exchange of some email chit chat, here’s what Yesod had to say when firmly pressed on hard hitting topics…Just kidding, things were firm, not pressed and the hitting was gentle; Enjoy with supervision..
The Pier: Reggae in the Pacific Islands is hotter than ever and these islands keep producing top notch acts by the likes of : The Black Seeds, Katchafire, Natural Vibrations, The Green, and that’s hardly even the tip of the ice berg. What artist or groups do you guys feel is making the biggest wave on the pacific island music scene?
Pepper: Iration of course!
[Editors Note: Also a Law Records group]
The Pier: Being from the Kona, HI and finding great success on the mainland with touring & networking, what advice would you give any artists or groups currently on the island, looking to make a global splash with their music?
Pepper: Utilize the Internet, and you have to make it off the rock and tour the mainland and world, smartly of course.
The Pier: Ten years ago, you guys were playing the Vans Warped Tour, having to tear down and set up the Volcom Stage, just to be able to play. Fast forward the tape 10 years and you guys are once again playing the Warped Tour alongside label mates Passafire. Where do you see Pepper in the next ten years by 2021? Will there hopefully be a Law Records Stage in the future and will you make any of the bands tear it down & set it up?
Pepper: There will for sure be a law records stage by all means and we will ABSOLUTELY have a band set it up, to be honest I would never change that experience if I could go back in time, it built so much character you know, bands need that!
The Pier: I hear that Kaleo and Remy created a side project “Sabotage Soundsystem” and released a 17 track E.P “Boto Machine Gun” back in February of 2009. Do they find any time to still collaborate with Remy and can we expect a follow up album for “Sabotage Soundsystem”?
Pepper: That was actually just Dub and Kaleo, but they’ve done some regional stuff live and I’m pretty sure they’re working on some new stuff!
The Pier: You keep pretty busy with your band and then doing “LAW Records”. What do you like to do to get away from it all and clear your mind from time to time?
Pepper: Golf, surf, hang out with the family, you know, “normal” stuff.
[Editors Note: Yesod put a smiley face at the end of this answer, but we took it out and decided to tell you, “Smiley Face”]
The Pier: LAW Records latest addition with Ballyhoo!, is now set to release their new album “Daydreams” on September 6th. In support of this you guys are going on a fall tour with Ballyhoo! and The Expendables. How long is the fall tour and where will it start and end?
Pepper: It’s about 5 weeks, and goes through the whole country, Expendables will be on the tour as well, btw, the ballyhoo album is AMAZING!
[Editors Note: He’s absolutely right, The Pier received a copy of New Ballyhoo! and its AMAZING!, Album Review coming soon!]
The Pier: You teased Pepper fans with the E.P. Stitches, so when can we expect the new album to come out and will the songs featured on the Stitches E.P. be on the next album or can we expect 100% new material?
Pepper: 100% new album in 2012
The Pier: What can you tell us about your selected music video for “Wake Up”? You guys recently selected an artistic video done by TEKSTartist? How did this come about and was this a fans submission for the music video?
Pepper: I honestly just got up in the morn, (no pun) and and got this email from our GM at law with this vid, I kept trying to talk myself into the fact that I’ve seen something like this before, bottom line is it’s undeniably original!
The Pier:Thanks Yesod!
Interview by: Chad Hillje
Photos by: David Norris
Here is the “Undeniably original” video that became the music video to Wake Up