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Pepper’s fourth studio album No Shame (Lava/Atlantic Records), produced by Nick Hexum of 311, Tony Kanal of No Doubt, and Paul Leary of The Butthole Surfers, set the Hawaiian trio into weaving island moods with So Cal surf rock ringlets complemented by reggae beats, alternative rock fuses, and ska accents. At times, it seems like these melodies have inherited elements from Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, UB 40, Eddy Grant, and Bob Marley. But the trio Pepper made up of Bret Bollinger (bass, vocals), Kaleo Wassman (guitar, vocals), and Yesod Williams (drums) also put their own distinct turns on the songs with comical dialogue skits in the prologues for “Your Face” and “Wanted,“ and some jazz rock flavoring on “Old Time Problem.” There is a Ben Harper breeziness on “Outta My Face” and a Chili Pepper crunch on “Good Enough.”
 
No Shame is a collection of beach tunes swinging out romantic numbers like “Bring Me Along” and “Crazy Love” to the ska flavors of “Point And Shoot” and “No Control.”  Pepper play songs that salute youthfulness, like the reggae stuffed “Lost In America” and the upbeat surf rocker “Nice Time.” From their start in 1999, Pepper have had no problem getting gigs, as they were in demand at 2001’s Vans Warped Tour and at Jagermeister’s music fests for the summer of 2006.  Pepper have a reputation for bringing the music, while fans bring the drinks and the willingness to be taken away.

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