Pepper has been a staple of the Reggae Rock scene for the last 25 years now with more than 10 albums under their belt… yet It feels like I was just learning about them and jamming to Kona Town for the first time yesterday.  So here I am 23 years older and greyer than when Kona Town blew my mind. Somehow Kaleo Wassman (guitar/vocals), Bret Bollinger (bass/vocals), and Yesod Williams (drums/backing vocals/tons of fun) have figured out how to stop time as they look younger, healthier, and sound better than ever. There must be a secret waterfall of youth back in Kailua, Hawaii they are not sharing with us!

Opening up for Pepper and one of their favorite fans is Miss Nirvana Goberhdhan, a.k.a. Vana Liya – with one beautiful full-length album out and a second in the works she is an old, sweet soul in a young body.  With the voice of an angel, and the spirit to match she is a singer-songwriter that I will be anxiously waiting to hear new material from.  Her band consisting of Derek (violin), James (bass), Dan (guitar), and Jordenn (drums) was just as talented and friendly as Vana, and having the opportunity to hang out with them a little bit you could tell that not only does their band sound great together, but they really bond together and have fun with each other.

We had the opportunity to see both Pepper and Vana Liya at the Brooklyn Bowl in Philadelphia for Pepper’s Small Kine Tour. The sold-out show was electric from start to finish with a crowd ranging in ages from what I could tell about 5 years of age through their 70’s.

Before the show @IronLionImages by Todd Judd photography had the opportunity to meet both Pepper and Vana Liya for a @Faces of Reggae photo shoot.  Pepper knows how to have a blast and had some of the best photos for this project that I have seen.  Vana Liya also had some really fun photos, and they were kind enough to have us join them backstage and we were able to capture some candid and genuine moments of an amazing band loving what they were put on this earth to do!

Vana Liya takes the stage at the Brooklyn Bowl in Philadelphia to a sold out crowd, and they know how to get the party started. With the dimly lit stage and purple lights glowing behind Vana’s black skirt and bikini top she and the band take control of the stage and has the audience vibing immediately.  After a fun intro, the crowd dances to When it Feels Right.  Watching Vana’s band jam to her angelic voice and dance to the grooves they are spitting out appears to be as much fun for those in the band as it is for those of us watching.  As Vana got her start playing beautiful ukelele covers of some of her favorite bands (Pepper being her first) it was no surprise that she and the band played several covers, one of which this old head’s favorite was 99 Red Balloons.  As the set is coming closer to the end, Vana talks about how even before she was discovered by posting ukulele covers and being the first female singer signed to LAW Records she was a fan riding the rail at Pepper covers… she says, “Maybe if we all ask really nicely Kaleo will come out and sing this next song with us…” Of course, the crowd erupts anticipating seeing Pepper shortly and wanting to get a quick appetizer of what will happen later.  Miss Nirvana and the band begin to play Round and Round with both James and Dan literally dancing in circles on stage, and every single member of the band smiling ear to ear knowing they are about to share the stage with Kaleo.  Kaleo and Vana do not disappoint as they dance and share the stage together, Kaleo’s vocals playing a nice salty to Vana’s super sweet.  This sold-out show in Philly, if they didn’t know of Vana before certainly have her on their playlist now.

With the energy at the Brooklyn Bowl already super high and people crashing against the rails before Vana’s set had even begun, it was easy to tell that this night was going to be a show to remember.  As Pepper is being introduced, “…from Kailua, Hawaii…” This legendary 3-piece band storms the stage, and drummer, Yesod Williams runs right up and puts his face directly in front of my camera with his kick-ass beard and fun-loving smile, rather than capturing it on camera I fanboy out and go for several high fives… sorry-ish.

Pepper doesn’t mess around kicking off their set with a classic favorite for long-time fans with Storm Troopers. The crowd is immediately into it, Pepper without missing a beat go into Love Affair, and then immediately into my personal favorite song of theirs – F**k Around (All Night). Everyone in The Bowl was jamming, and as we were leaving the pit, I saw not only the entire crowd getting down but the bartenders and security were jamming to what Pepper was selling.  Maybe that waterfall of youth that Pepper seems to have found comes from the pure joy they seem to share with their fans.  I have seen them perform many times over the years, but always at festivals – this hit differently.  They always seem to have so much fun performing, but at a festival, they are typically 7 feet off the ground and at least 15 feet from those on the rail… almost unreachable.  Here, at the Brooklyn Bowl, each of the band members feel like they are playing, smiling, and joking around with you personally.  The crowd can feel that, and it seems like the band can feel that difference as well.  With that energy Pepper rips into a much more upbeat version of Warning, a song produced by the popular band Stick Figure.  While you can hear Stick’s influence on this song, Pepper clearly makes it their own.

One of my favorite things to look for when watching bands perform is how other artists watch them… As we watched Pepper from the side stage it was really cool to see Vana Liya pressed against the side stage, just as she said she used to ride the rail to her favorite band, she was glued to their performance. This was especially special as she was about to join Pepper on stage joining them play what was her very first cover she posted on social media – Trade Winds. I can’t imagine the full circle moment of loving a band, covering the band, getting discovered because of the band, and touring and playing with that same band… much love to both Pepper and Vana for seeing that through as it was magical.

Just as the crowd gets all feely-feely, the lights dim a bit on the front of the stage and focus on the back where Yesod begins to rip into a drum solo and I’m not sure how his drum kit did not collapse into pieces – the stage was shaking and everyone could feel his mad beats.  It was just what the crowd was craving as Pepper kept the tempo up and kept the crowd dancing and moving as they slid into the classics to close out the show with Stone Love and Give it Up. 

When you leave a show, and the band appears to have just as good a time as the audience (and the audience is singing and dancing on their way out of the venue) you know it was a great time.  This was the case for both of these amazing bands.  If you get a chance to hit them up on the Small Kine tour, do yourself and your soul a favor – get out there and get down!  Maybe, you’ll even find that waterfall of youth Pepper seems to have found.

Matt Grube
Todd M. Judd for worldareggae.com