Album Autopsy: Pepper's "Kona Town"

Disclaimer: The following piece is a super-in-depth look at one of my favorite records, and as such, it is riddled with personal opinions and praise for said record. This cannot be helped.

Truth be told, I have no idea how it is that I got into the music of Pepper. Having been a big fan of ska and reggae during high school and college, it makes sense that I should so easily connect with Pepper’s sound, but the tale of how I happened to get my hands on a copy of their record Kona Town is lost to the ages. Yet regardless of where it came from, that album was an immediate phenomenon with me and my friends during college, and to this day remains one of my absolute favorite albums.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a record that is more instrumentally simple than Kona Town, but there is certainly no lack of imagination or inspiration in its thirteen tracks.  Every song is marked with a distinctly Kona flavor, but still Pepper dives into a range of styles and sounds such as reggae, ska, punk rock, acoustic pop, and even hip-hop. Kaleo Wassman’s rhythm guitar pieces lay back lazily into upstroke chords, yet his solos often wail with a metal-tinged ferocity. Similarly, Yesod Williams thrashes his drums in typical punk fashion for “Face Plant” before cruising a very dub-fueled beat in “Tradewinds.” Their basic approach to composition allows Pepper to sound tight and yet stay loose, letting their rhythms and melodies move unencumbered to their audience.

While all three members of Pepper rock pretty damn hard, the most compelling performances come from bassist Bret Bollinger. His powerful presence on the bass steers many of the songs in energy, feel and emotion, and although singing duties are split between him and Wassman, Bollinger’s soulful vocals, colored with the accent of his Hawaiian homeland, really stand out as full and emphatic. Bret Bollinger’s energetic presence and lively, emotional performances are what drives Kona Town forward, reflecting an unbridled enthusiasm for his music that is dangerously infectious.

Not unlike the instrumentation, Pepper’s lyrics on Kona Town rarely waver from the simple and straight, but there is no shortage of thought or variety to be found. Each piece receives a unique approach in its writing; songs like “Face Plant” feature straightforward scenes, while “Dry Spell” and “Tongues” follow a general theme without evolving into a true story. Similarly, “Stone Love” and “The Office” only paint impressionistic images, using language more to provide musicality than context. Pepper applies their lyrics like layers of paint, giving some songs only a spritz while others receive multiple coats, a tactic that allows the listener to not only slip into this Kona world, but also to fill it with their own meaning and emotion.

Kona Town is a record that insists on making a lot out of a little, and Pepper really manages to flesh a ton of love and feeling from these thirteen tracks. There’s simply no way a general sweep could effectively encompass the magic that this band has managed to produce, and so forgive me as I gush a little on some great jams from one of my favorite records.

1.    The Good Thing

At less than 30 seconds long, “The Good Thing” is a little ditty that softly launches Kona Town into orbit. Following a bout of laughter and jeering, the members of Pepper collect themselves long enough to stilt through a small song that rings like a radio station ID, introducing their record and paying homage to their hometown of Kailua-Kona. While the tune itself offers some pretty solid vocal harmonies, more importantly, it provides a candid glimpse at three friends whose focus is more on making music they love and enjoy than presenting a serious façade. “The Good Thing” sets the tone for the rest of the album, blatantly displaying the band’s enthusiasm and interconnection, and kicking off the music proper with a jubilant exclamation of “Let’s start this record!”

2.    Stone Love

Despite being the first song proper on Kona Town, “Stone Love” is perhaps the most eccentric piece on the record in both shape and presentation. On top of Williams’ shambling drum beat, Bollinger and Wassman sway through a melodic riff in a dub-reggae feel that never quite makes it out of the background, instead letting a very prominent keyboard take the musical stage. Similarly, Wassman’s vocals seem to float in and out of the tune, taking the lead sonically without communicating more than a general impression of being stoned. His lyrics provide only vague context to the lazy instrumentation, thus focusing his voice more as another instrument than a human presence. “Stove Love” shows the whole band working to generate a feeling more than a specific scene, effectively capturing in song an atmosphere of intoxication, using instruments where words would say too much. 

3.    Dry Spell

With its driving bass line and distorted chorus, “Dry Spell” crosses between lackadaisical ska and grinding rock across its four minutes. The verses lay about in an apathetic groove and the choruses explode in frustrated fervor as Wassman laments a period of lovelessness and listlessness. His lyrics utilize much liquid imagery to describe his suffering, such as “Taking water while the well is dry” and “Drifting on my piece of sorry, shattered stubbornness,” lines which find their context in the title’s implied lack of a sex life. Wassman’s desire for companionship has left him hungry and wanton, so much so that he compares his leering to that of an evil spirit: “The devil’s always smiling when you pass by.” He even implies that he has sunk low enough to seek the company of a prostitute with the line “What’s given, man I don’t get for free.” In “Dry Spell,” Pepper manages with extreme subtlety to encapsulate the frustration of a lonely man in their music, implied only using dynamic changes and indirect language. 

4.    Face Plant

Whereas the previous tune spends time crafting a delicate framework of metaphor, “Face Plant” throws out all adornment and opts instead for straightforward statements. The band pushes forward relentlessly at a speedy, energetic tempo, while Bret Bollinger whines about being a friendless loser. The enthusiasm of the instrumentation belies the utterly silly lyrical concept, yet the band’s thrashing, simple execution manages to link perfectly with the melancholy vocals. The crunchy palm mutes, root note basslines, and crashing cymbals of “Face Plant” create a heady and heavy atmosphere completely devoid of pomp, pushing instead the fun and facetious attitude that is Pepper.

5.    Tradewinds

Exploding through the speakers from the get-go with a gargantuan drum hit, “Tradewinds” then lilts down into the slow, beautiful dub beat that defines the song. Williams’ drumming is sparse, Wassman’s chords even more so, letting Bollinger’s flourished bass groove lead the song. The instrumentation creates a rhythm reminiscent of lapping waves, lulling the ear into max relaxation peppered through with gorgeous but gentle guitar picking and a whirring organ.

With such a soothing sound, “Tradewinds” feels like the musical personification of a tropical island, and indeed, Wassman’s lyrics seem to imply that very idea. In describing his home state, Wassman says that “Hawaiii's a place of magic and connection. You are always influenced by it.” In this song, Wassman pines for his native land with lines like “Seems I’m always looking when I hear your name.” Though he sits now “in a train station / traveling to an unknown destination,” his heart remains in Hawaii, a land that will always “hold [him] close” even when the winds of the future blow him elsewhere. “Tradewinds” is Pepper’s true ode to their home, a foil to the silly opening track and the band’s way of sending their regards to their roots.

6.    Stormtrooper

With its syncopated intro riff and marching instrumentation, “Stormtrooper” is Pepper’s trudging condemnation of authority. The band lays back for this one, handing the spotlight wholly to Bollinger's vocal, who tears at the ideas of incorruptibility and omniscience with lines like “You think that we can’t see your face” and “You want a battle? Well don’t look very far.” While Bollinger’s verses ring as stark condemnations if not threats, guest vocalist Josh Fischel changes the tone in the third verse by peppering in references to Star Wars, simultaneously adding a new dimension to the song and taking all the serious air out of it. Amid the spacey atmosphere, “Stormtrooper” shows Pepper poking fun at themselves, refusing to maintain a serious stance even for an entire song.

7.    Ho’s

Easily my favorite jam from Kona Town, “Ho’s” jumps into a sleazy, skank-worthy groove that demands movement from the listener. Bret Bollinger weaves his walking bassline between the guitar and drums, flecking his rhythm piece with musical filigrees that keep the piece beautiful while imbuing it with a sick swagger. The band opts for a ska feel in this song that is complemented by a clav key melody and completed with a zesty trumpet solo and accompaniment.

Pepper’s instruments blend seamlessly in this musical masterpiece, creating a delicious backdrop for Wassman’s soulful and sultry vocal. Maintaining a deceivingly gentle cadence throughout, Kaleo begins posturing brazenly as a virile man with “fifteen books on [his] story” who is quickly overwhelmed by the mere sight of a woman. In pursuing his new fascination, he finds himself enamored yet abandoned, asking “why am I so short of your attention?” only to find he’s been marked off as a “one time slam.” With its deft melodies and enormous groove, “Ho’s” keeps me moving even after it has faded out, and has been a staple in my live repertoire since I first heard it. 

8.    B.O.O.T.

With its bluesy guitar progression and catchy chorus, “B.O.O.T.” is Kona Town’s most confident tune, and perhaps the best example of the band performing as a unit. Pepper effectively employs dynamics throughout the composition, tiptoeing through quiet verses before jolting into a moving chorus. Kaleo Wassman is cheeky and boastful in his lyrics, stating “the pleasure was all mine if it’s all the same” and even taking a direct shot at Creed. The band uses the song as an opportunity to strut their stuff and call out the haters, and as such, the syncopated hits in the pre-chorus hit like haymakers. “B.O.O.T.” cracks like a whip among the many gentler tunes on Kona Town, and still leaves me reeling after each listen.

9.    Give It Up

Opening up instantly with an arrogant vocal line, “Give It Up” launches itself into the ear with a hubris befitting the song. If the previous track shows the band posturing as macho, this song takes it to the next level, albeit in a very facetious manner. The music is predominantly loud, distorted, and fast—the staples of testosterone-driven rock—pausing only to drop into a ska-flavored chorus. In the lyrics, Bollinger again explores the plea for physical love, but this time laden with the conceit of the overconfident, virile male hunting for his next lay.

Wielding cheesy pick-up lines like “I’ve found my life purpose and it’s getting upstairs and into your bed,” Bollinger takes on the character of the brash young man picking up chicks and tossing them aside; yet rather than celebrate such an obviously cruddy personality-type, Pepper instead turns it over completely by embedding a skit into the song, in which Bollinger’s character arrives home to find his girlfriend sleeping with his father! When his “honey girl” (another shout-out to Hawaii) admits that she mistook the father for the son, she further slashes at Bollinger’s pride, labeling both men as apparently interchangeable. In “Give It Up,” Pepper rips on the misogynistic sex-fiends, embodying an archetypal male just to tear him down, all in a hilarious and fun tune that is tailored for laughs.

10.  Sitting on the Curb

Another danceable and upbeat tune, “Sitting on the Curb” presents one of Wassman’s best lyrical applications on top of upstroke guitar chords and a returning trumpet. The song’s atmosphere is fun if not celebratory, and Wassman’s melodies perpetuate the lighthearted energy that the song pushes, but the words express almost the opposite concept, exploring the deep loss that accompanies a lovers’ departure.

Wassman begins by describing the incredible wealth he once had, stating “I remember those days when I had big money / never checked the price tag, it just all came to me.” The character starts with everything, yet now he is destitute, “pinching every penny” and using the curb as a pillow. Wassman starts by describing a material wealth and loss, but with remarkable control and effectiveness, soon shifts the focus, until all he needs is “one response, maybe a glance” from his ex-lover. Wassman expertly juxtaposes monetary and emotional loss in the lyrics to “Sitting on the Curb,” articulating that in the end, the emotional loss is far more painful than any lack of money could be. 

11.  Too Much

Another excellent example of dynamics, “Too Much” reflects Pepper’s comprehensive understanding of space in songwriting. Across the entire tune, the band alternates their energy, exploding through the syncopated intro just to fall back to a simple verse drenched in reverb and echo. There is a ton of negative space floating between notes in the body of the song; neither Bollinger’s contemplative bassline nor his standoffish melody take precedence in the song, instead standing back and letting what isn’t said ring loud in the listener’s ear. The band keeps the energy in check until the very end, rocketing towards the finish line with a distorted and melodious outro riff. As the first Pepper tune I ever sampled, “Give It Up” caught my ear immediately with its efficient dynamics and gripping vocal lines, inspiring me to pursue a record I would soon come to adore.

12.  Tongues

In sharp contrast to the rest of the record’s energetic and electric pieces, “Tongues” unwinds as an acoustic ballad that features one of Bollinger’s best vocal performances. The song proper is melancholy and cold, reflecting the broken heart the lyrics embodies. Bret deftly wields his own tongue in the song, reworking a couple of clichés to form the line “chop up your heart with my truthful tongue.” He begins at distance from his topic with the line “don’t touch me girl until the song is done,” yet by the end he has regressed to longing and loss, admitting that the “only thing I ever loved was you.” Riding out with a time signature change and triple vocal counterpoint, “Tongues” hits harder than any other tune on Kona Town, using only smart language choice and a mourning guitar to shape its message.

13.  Office

“Office” seems like a paradoxical title for a song so relaxed and anti-responsibility. For the length of the tune, the band lazily wanders between a reggae groove and a tipsy, acoustic chorus, punctuated only by a fuzzy guitar solo. The vocal is equally lethargic, rambling like a drunken man celebrating his own inebriation, pushing the tune along without adding flourish or flaunt. There is no fanfare at all to the song; the band swirls in their sleepy jam and silly thoughts until they can no longer keep it together. “Office” tries to prove nothing, but acts as a nightcap to a record that sounds like a party, reveling in its own enjoyment before passing out on the couch. 

Despite the ostensibly compelling collection of songs that it holds, Kona Town was initially derided upon its release for a lack of quality and originality. While the myriad comparisons to the work of Sublime are certainly warranted, any similarities feel far more like products of a shared genre and locale rather than plagiarism. A back-to-back listen to a track off Kona Town and virtually any Sublime song will show far more differences than parallels, stealing all credence from the piles of (poorly written and hardly researched) reviews that name Pepper as rip-offs.

In the same vein, the overall quality of the instrumentation, composition and even sound quality on Kona Town hardly invites the trashing it received. Although Yesod Williams’ drumming leaves a bit to be desired (he plays the same drum fill in every song), there is a definite and definable cohesion between the three members of Pepper, whose instruments coalesce into monster grooves that feel as natural as breathing. In an interview with Ink 19, Williams even owns the band’s simple approach: “We never consider ourselves technically good musicians. It’s more about the vibe.” The songs on Kona Town hold the friendship of these three musicians at their core, the vibe that makes every tune bleed quarts honesty and harmony. There is no pretense about the music of Pepper—it’s just three dudes who, as Wassman puts it, are “enamored” of the music they make and the experience of creating it; they offer nothing less, and we as listeners can hardly ask for more.

Above all the good and bad, Kona Town is simply a really fun listen, and one that means a lot to me. I have performed covers of “Ho’s” live more times than I can count, and many other songs off this record are included in my repertoire. Each tune on Kona Town presents its own little slice of life, and whether simple or complex, voracious or relaxing, it is always a good time. This record started as the soundtrack to my undergraduate career, but has stuck to me since; I don’t foresee it disappearing anytime soon, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.