PEPPER SIGNED TO ISLAND RECORDS!

NEW SINGLE, “F**K AROUND (ALL NIGHT)” HITS ALTERNATIVE TOP 30

PERFOMING ON KIMMEL JULY 29TH

INDIE ALT-ROCK FAVORITES TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM THIS FALL

Southern California by way of Kona, HI based indie alt-rock trio Pepper turns an important corner in their career, joining forces with a major label for the second time as the newest signing to Island Records.  Their new single,“F**k Around (All Night)” is inside the Top 30 at Alternative radio, while the lyric video officially passes the 50,000 views this week.  See the video at: https://www.vevo.com/watch/pepper/fk-around-all-night-lyric-video-explicit/USQY51388077?source=instantsearch. 

Pepper’s sixth album, and first on Island, the self-titled PEPPER is slated for fall 2013 release, more details to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead.  The new album was produced by Matt Wallace (credits: Maroon 5, O.A.R. Faith No More).  In the interim, Pepper has confirmed a rigorous two-month, 36-city headlining U.S. tour, opening August 17th at Main Street Armory in Rochester (NY) as part of the WZNE Bonzai, and concluding late October in Southern California.  (Please see complete tour dates below.)

PEPPER will mark the band’s eagerly anticipated return to the front lines.  They took a well-deserved hiatus (after more than a decade of touring and recording) following the mid-2008 release of their fifth album, Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations, on their own Law Records label.  With the exception of their Law Records tour in 2008 (featuring fellow Law bands Passafire and Supervillains), the Jägermeister Musictour of 2009, and the release of Stitches, a 5-song EP issued in 2010, Pepper has kept a relatively low profile – until now.

Pepper – vocalist/guitarist Kaleo Wassman, vocalist/bassist Bret Bollinger, and drummer Yesod Williams – originated in their native Kona, Hawaii in 1996, and resettled in Southern California the next year.  The indie alt-rock trio released their first album via Cornerstone:  Give’n It in 2000 and the following on Volcom:  Kona Town in 2002 (featuring the Top 40 Modern Rock chart single, “Give It Up”); and In With the Old in 2004.  Pepper launched Law Records in 2006 with No Shame (featuring the Top 20 Modern Rock hit, “No Control”), and followed up with Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations in 2008. 

Road warriors from the start, Pepper became a mainstay of the annual Vans Warped Tour beginning in 2001.  Their albums have always reflected the energy and commitment of their live shows.  PEPPER is expected to remain true to fans’ expectations, while forging new ground in the studio with producer Wallace.  “We’ve been pigeonholed in the past,” Kaleo says, “so this is an opportunity to transcend all that and spread our wings even wider.”

PEPPER U.S. TOUR DATES

Date                City                                         Venue                        

Aug.    17        Rochester, NY                        WZNE Bonzai @ Main Street Armory

            31        Long Beach, CA                     Shoreline Jam

Sept.    3          Tucson, AZ                             Rialto Theatre

            5          Houston, TX                           House of Blues

            6          Dallas, TX                               House of Blues

            7          Austin, TX                              Stubbs Waller Creek

            8          New Orleans, LA                    House of Blues

            10        Fort Lauderdale, FL               Revolution

            11        St. Petersburg, FL                   Jannus Live

            12        Lake Buena Vista, FL             House of Blues

            13        Atlanta, GA                            Center Stage

            14        N. Myrtle Beach, SC              House of Blues

            17        Norfolk, VA                           The Norva

            18        Baltimore, MD                        Baltimore Sound Stage

            19        Richmond, VA                       The National

            20        Philadelphia, PA                     Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA)

            21        New York, NY                       Webster Hall

            24        Boston, MA                            House of Blues

            25        S. Burlington, VT                   Higher Ground – Ballroom

            26        Buffalo, NY                            Town Ballroom

            27        Clifton Park, NY                    Upstate Concert Hall

            28        Syracuse, NY                          The Westcott Theater

            30        Pittsburgh, PA                        Altar Bar

Oct.     1          Cleveland, OH                        House of Blues

            3          Madison, WI                           Majestic Theatre

            4          Chicago, IL                             House of Blues

            5          Minneapolis, MN                    Mill City Nights

            8          Denver, CO                             Ogden Theatre

            10        Reno, NV                                Knitting Factory

            11        Eugene, OR                            McDonald Theatre

            12        Portland, OR                           Crystal Ballroom

            16        San Francisco, CA                  Warfield Theater

            17        Ventura, CA                           Majestic Ventura Theater

            18        San Diego, CA                        House of Blues

Lauren Schneider

Island Def Jam

VP, Media & Artist Relations

1755 Broadway, 7th floor

New York, NY 10019

212 333 8173