MY VIEW
Music DVD: 'Pepper Live' by Pepper

By Jeremy Castillo
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: 5. THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely listen to it. 3 — Good: Worth listening to despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the group or singer, don't bother. 1 — Poor: Save your money (and your ears).

Released: March 8.

Style: Rock.

My take: For those who don't know, Pepper is a homegrown rock band from Kona on the Big Island. The guys — Bret Bollinger, Kaleo Wassman and Yesod Williams — have released three albums: 2000's "Give 'n It"; 2002's "Kona Town," their breakout album; and 2004's "In With the Old."

The best way to describe Pepper's sound, without being too broad, might be this: Imagine what Sublime would sound like if it was from Hawai'i and added more slang and humor into its music. For example, there's one line in the song "B.O.O.T" in which they make fun of the band Creed. Good stuff.

Since they've been together, the band has gained a reputation as a powerful live act. I saw them when they opened for Everclear at BayFest 2003 and was impressed with what I saw. Remembering that and the praise I heard after their performance on New Year's Eve, I picked up a copy of this DVD.

"Pepper Live" was filmed over the course of two nights in September 2004 at The Troubadour in Hollywood. The concerts' set lists encompassed their best and most popular songs from the three albums such as "Give it Up," "Ashes," "Tradewinds" and my personal favorite, "Stormtrooper."

As musicians, they give off an infectious energy that makes you sing along with them, even if you're at home watching a DVD and sitting on your couch. (Not that I was). But during breaks between songs, they interact with the audience just as if they were back home. They swear up a storm, give shoutouts to other local acts such as Natural Vibrations, pay homage to Rick James by shouting out a line Dave Chappelle made famous, crack jokes about sex and drug and alcohol use, and use local slang like it was going out of style. But because a good lot of these things can't be printed, you'll have to use your imagination. (Or get the DVD.)

The live performance runs for about 80 minutes, and there's a handful of extra features such as music videos for "Too Much" and "Sitting on the Curb," footage of the band's earlier days, and a trailer for "Searching for the Haj," a DVD chronicling the band's life on the road.

"Pepper Live" is a great DVD for any fan of the band. You'll get to see them in a place where they truly shine, and for a relatively low price tag. You won't find many better bargains than this.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College.

Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.