NXNE 2008: Gregory Pepper and His Problems @ The Silver Dollar
By: Adam Bunch
Gregory Pepper has got his problems alright - and they're not limited to a band name that allows music critics to make easy puns at his expense.
The real problems begin with the fact that on stage the ensemble consists of nothing more than Pepper and his drummer, along with his keyboard, guitar and ironic moustache. And while it's certainly possible to pull off an impressively full live sound with no more than a duo (see: White Stripes, The), its much harder to do when you don't have the roaring electric guitar skills of a Jack White to lend a hand. Instead, during his opening night set at North By Northeast, Pepper had to rely on a loop pedal to do most of the heavy lifting. Sure, the moments he put it to use were some of the highlights of the set, but they still left more than a little to be desired. For the most part, his quirky pop tunes felt thin and flat. And you got the sense that Pepper knew it. Every time he came out from behind his keyboard to sing, mic in hand, he squeezed the life out of it and pushed his vocal cords so hard his face turned red. It was as if he thought he could make up for his lack of instrumentation by the sheer force of will.
Listen to a song like "It Must Be True" on Pepper's MySpace and you'll see that on record, with some more impressive technology and the miracle of overdubbing on his side, the Canadian's songs sound fully realized. For this show at least, though, the same couldn't be said on stage.
Click here for more of SoundProof's NXNE 2008 festival coverage
