Pepper

Pepper is a reggae-rock band that originated in Hawaii in 1996 and is now based in San Diego. The trio consists of Kaleo Wassman (vocals/guitar), Bret Bollinger (vocals/bass), and Yesod Williams (drums/backing vocals). Influenced by Hawaiian reggae artists like Three Plus and mainland bands like Sublime, they formed the band after recruiting Williams and settled on the name “Pepper,” inspired by a recurring Saturday Night Live skit. The band moved to San Diego, quickly gaining attention by opening for major reggae acts such as Burning Spear and Shaggy, and released their first demo in 1997, followed by their debut album Give’n It in 1999 under Volcom Entertainment. From 2002 to 2005, Pepper gained mainstream recognition with albums like Kona Town (2002) and In With the Old (2004). Kona Town reached #2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and featured the single “Give It Up,” while In With the Old demonstrated the band’s broader influences, charting on the Billboard Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts. During this period, they toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe alongside acts like 311, Snoop Dogg, and Slightly Stoopid, helping cement their reputation as a high-energy live act blending reggae, rock, and punk elements. Between 2006 and the present, Pepper continued to release successful albums and EPs, including No Shame (2006), Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations (2008), Ohana (2016), and Local Motion (2019), with several charting on the Billboard 200 and topping the Reggae Albums chart. They also explored other ventures such as winemaking and collaborations with clothing brands like Volcom. Celebrating over two decades of music, Pepper remains active with tours, EP releases like Makai (2023), and collaborations with artists such as Iration and Edley Shine, continuing to blend reggae-rock with punk and ska influences.