Kaleo Wassman has always been many things: the frontman of Pepper, a musical shape-shifter dabbling in side projects like Sabotage Sound System and Naughty Don, and a staple of the punk-reggae circuit since the Warped Tour heyday. But with his newest solo single, “Shine Again,” Wassman is finally ready to stand alone—in name, in voice, and in vulnerability.
“I wasn’t really feeling quite ready to put my own name on something until I started working with Philip McFarland from EarthKry,” Wassman tells The Pier. “We were able to make this track, and I was like, ‘Okay—Shine Again—I feel really good putting my name on it.’”
The track is a bright, heartfelt reminder that darkness is temporary. “We can still dance in the falling rain,” Wassman sings, clinging to slivers of hope in a world that too often feels heavy. “Just one patch of blue can really keep you moving into the next,” he adds, describing the personal journey that inspired the song.
But the single is only the beginning. Wassman’s acoustic tour—already underway in select cities—aims to strip the music back to its bones and reconnect audiences with the intimacy that defined MTV Unplugged sessions of the ’90s.
“I grew up in that generation—Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam. The MTV Unplugged stuff was just beautiful,” he says. “Now, with these shows, I get to perform with people like Jeff from The Expendables and Wayne Lothian from The English Beat. Playing stripped-down versions really brings everything back to the moment of conception—just me, a guitar, and a room full of people connecting.”
That raw connection is central to Wassman’s current ethos. Whether he’s launching new music from Pepper’s own LAW Records or hosting yoga retreats with his wife through their Rebel & Muse collective, everything points to authenticity.
“I don’t think I’ve been more ready in my life to be uncomfortable than right now,” he says. “And that, to me, is a real good indication that I’m stepping in the right direction.”
For Wassman, the solo spotlight isn’t about ego—it’s about evolution. And with “Shine Again,” he’s offering listeners a chance to grow alongside him, one hopeful lyric—and candlelit acoustic set—at a time.
