By the time Pepper’s Yesod Williams picks up the phone, he’s already deep into reliving the glory days of Warped Tour. “All that became Warped Tour is pretty much the music we grew up listening to in the nineties,” he says. “I first heard Sublime on a surf video that was the same trilogy of surf videos where I found out about Pennywise, NOFX, The Offspring, No Use for a Name, Lagwagon—basically all the Epitaph and Fat Records punk that was coming out during that time.”
That lineage runs straight into LAW Records new compilation, Operation Irie, a sprawling 18-track collection of covers featuring friends and family from across the reggae-rock and punk scenes. “We ended up with this amazing record,” Williams says. “It all came together so organically. And usually, in my opinion, the best kind of things in art happen so organically, where you’re just kind of letting the art lead the way.”
It started innocently enough: Williams and guitarist Jeff Niesen were at the band’s Kona Town Recording studio, running through covers for fun. “We did ‘No Control’ from Bad Religion. We had a couple of the Pennywise guys, Jim and Randy, come in and play our song ‘Faceplant’ from Kona Town. We were just going to post these as little Instagram pieces. But then we were like, we might as well try to make this our own.” What followed was a domino effect of inspiration that snowballed into a full-blown record.
READ MORE: Kaleo Wassman Explains Why ‘Operation Irie’ Compilation Is a ‘Beautiful Throwback’
For Pepper, it’s more than nostalgia—it’s a full-circle moment. “Even if you listen to Give’n It, our first record, there are a lot of punk rock tunes on there. We absolutely are a punk rock band that plays reggae,” Williams says. That identity is reaffirmed every time the band hears back from their heroes. When they released their take on Bad Religion’s “Generator,” Williams sent it straight to Brett Gurewitz. “Mr. Brett hit us back right away. He was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing, I’m so psyched.’ My mind was blown. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, Brett Gurewitz just said that he likes the version of his song that we did.’ Like, are you kidding me?”
That reverence runs throughout Operation Irie. Long Beach Dub Allstars tackled the Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper” and made it their own. “They went into our studio for two days, and I was so blown away. I sent it to Paul Leary, and his first reaction was like, ‘God, Opie, boys, can’t believe you made our song better than we made it.’ He was so psyched to hear it.”
The compilation also highlights a new wave of bands: Cydeways covering Millencolin’s “No Cigar,” Little Stranger flipping Green Day’s “Brain Stew,” and Aurorawave’s Nathan Aurora reimagining Rancid’s “Ruby Soho.” For Williams, it’s essential to showcase the next generation. “Every music community needs to breathe, in my opinion. It needs to expand, take on different life. Bands like Cydeways and Surfer Girl bring freshness to the scene, and it’s really healthy for the longevity of everything.”
READ MORE: You Can Thank ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ for Cydeways’ New Millencolin Cover
Still, at the heart of Operation Irie is the idea of music as “real-life magic,” as Williams puts it. “It makes you feel different. It affects the way you think, it affects your brain, it affects your mood. It’s like a drug that everyone needs. So being able to be just a comma in the sentence and paragraphs and stories of music is such an honor.”
For Williams, pinch-me moments remain the fuel that keeps Pepper going. “I always tell myself that if you’re blowing your own mind, just keep going, because that’s where you want to be. And to have those sort of pinch-me moments, you know, at this stage in your career—it’s cool that you still get to experience that.”
With Operation Irie set to drop October 10th, Williams sees the compilation as both a tribute and a launching pad. “If someone comes in as a Pepper fan, they might discover Bad Religion or Rancid. Or if they come in for Green Day, they might discover Little Stranger or Cydeways. That’s the beauty of it—sparking new musical journeys. The world needs music, and I don’t think there could ever be too much of it. So let’s keep it going.”
