Jefferson Pepper

Combining rock, country, punk, folk and bluegrass, Jefferson Pepper inhabits an eclectic, rootsy territory all his own. Expanding on the tradition of singer-songwriters like Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, John Prine and Steve Earle, he exposes the fat, soft underbelly of conformity and the status quo and tears them wide open with biting, razor-sharp lyrics and straightforward vocal delivery. Jefferson Pepper has been writing poignant songs about the American experience for more than twenty years but it wasn't till 2005 that he released his debut album, 'Christmas in Fallujah.' Growing up in a blue-collar environment in rural southern Pennsylvania, he identified at an early age with working people and the uphill battles they faced. His Baptist upbringing and art school education proved to be an interesting mix of influences in his formative years. Other musical mentors include Son Volt, Steve Forbert, Emmylou Harris, The Ramones, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Iris DeMent, Bad Livers, Vic Chesnutt, Whiskeytown, The Flatlanders, Talking Heads, BR549 and Johnny Cash, among others. The debut album from Jefferson Pepper explores the darker side of the American social and political landscape with songs that are both profound and undeniably catchy. Stories are told from the vantage points of, among others, a disillusioned soldier stationed in Iraq (Christmas in Fallujah), a bloated defense contractor growing fat on the breast of the nanny-state (M-16), a regretful lover lamenting a failed relationship (Bethlehem, PA), the collective restlessness of our culture (Interstate Highway), one man's loathing of dehumanizing, homogenizing architecture and short-sighted residential planning (Stranded), an unemployed factory worker (Back To 1999), a spurned lover (Christmas Tree), a disillusioned child (Deceived), and a soldier's grieving mother (Why?). An amped-up version of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land' puts it all into context. References range from Enron, Osama Bin Laden and Woodrow Wilson to Frank Lloyd Wright, Santa Claus and the Wizard of Oz. 'Christmas in Fallujah' is vital Americana music as a vehicle for social change. Pepper's debut album, 2005's 'Christmas in Fallujah' hit # 23 on the Freeform American Roots Chart for the month of November 2005 and # 13 on the Euro Americana Chart for the month of December, 2005. The album also hit # 1 on the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart and # 10 on the Roots Top 100 Chart during the week of January 17, 2006. It has received airplay across the US, New Zealand, Australia and Europe and has been greeted with critical acclaim from reviewers around the world. The music critic Geraint Jones of 'Comes With A Smile' (UK), pronounced 'Christmas in Fallujah' "one of 2005's best."