Fall Frenzy Pepper

Pepper

Saturday, September 19th
5:10PM - 6:25PM

Interview with Drummer Yesod Williams

Which tracks from new album Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations seem to be especially popular at your shows?

Probably "Freeze", the first track, as well as "Davey Jones locker", "Stand & Fall", and "Lucy" are the ones that are most requested. At our shows, we let the crowd pick out the set list. Granted, we have five studio albums and a live album, and a couple of other random ones... after so many years, a few songs people call out that we haven't practiced in a while we have to just say, "Sorry, guys, we'll try to do that one at the next show," but those are the four we notice from the new album. It's pretty cool that people know a ton of our songs, so we want to let them choose what to hear so they get the most for their hard earned money.

Multiple Choice:
If Pepper had a mascot, it would most likely be a
a-Lion
b-Eagle
c-Shark
d-Bob Marley bobblehead

I'd say a lion, 'cause it's closest to our high school mascot, the wildcats. We're damn proud of Konawaena high school. The level of education was pretty much shit- I think it was one of the lowest ranked high schools in the country-, but it was the highest ranked for teenage pregnancy. Hey, as long as we're on the map for something. Like my dad says, "It doesn't matter what they're saying as long as they're fuckin'".

For those of us ignorant of the behind the scenes music business, give us the pros and cons of releasing a record on your own label, Law Records:

The pros outweigh the cons, definitely. We have full control over our music. There are no people in some office telling us how to play, and we reap the benefits of not a lot of people in our pockets taking a cut of this and that. It also adds to the feeling of achievement; that we're doing this on our own. The cons would be that when it's your own label, it's your own money you're using, so there is a risk that if you're not sure about the end product, it can be a stressful thing. But we've been doing this for so long that we wouldn't be on our own unless we were sure of what we are capable of. Sometimes you go over budget in the studio, but the control factor is such a cool thing, and at the end of the day, it's better for everyone who supports us because they're getting what the band really is.

Where is reggae in the mainstream? Is it coming back and climbing upward, holding steady, or on a downturn?

Definitely in the later part of decade it's coming up. In the early 2000s, it was more about the rap and emo thing. I think the strength of independent music has a lot to do with reggae being more popular today. Our good friends Slightly Stoopid is a good example of an independent band kinda forming a powerhouse, pushing the music to the surface. You can't call it mainstream, but the longer path is the better path; the longer it takes to build a house the longer it takes to tear it down. I believe in the slow build, and I hope that major labels will be few and far between in future, so that there is less cookie cutter bullshit and emphasis on what makes money.

Fill in the Blanks:
Whether they're on tour, in the studio, or out in the streets, one thing you can always count on when you come across the guys in Pepper is that they will _____________.

Not take themselves too seriously and will give you a couple laughs.

Pepper fans are mostly composed of ___________, __________, and a few __________.

Great looking people, big partiers, women wearing no underwear.

Tell us your favorite story involving law enforcement:

Bad and good: I got arrested for property damage in Minneapolis after a show, and I missed the show in Iowa the next day because I was in jail. But the good part of the story was that we realized if I miss another show, our guitar tech is a drummer too, and he ripped it up for us, so discovering he was a good fill in was cool. And also, in the video we made for "No Control" off of No Shame, I got to piss on a cop. He wasn't a real cop but he was wearing the uniform, so that was fun.

Anything you'd like to say to Phoenix music fans before you hit the stage for AZ Fall Frenzy?

Just that we're so excited to play this show, and I've heard so many good things about it. I want to shout out to Donny Johnson, who continues to hook us up, and my uncle and cousins who live in Arizona. It is one of the first places that gravitated to us after we moved from Hawaii, so there has always been a big place in my heart for Phoenix.