How much does Pepper's music collection prove the band's love for Mr. Marley?

We pretty much have all of it, as far as his albums go. The live ones are always my favorites of his — like "Babylon By Bus." I could prove it to you by the three years straight I listened to only Bob Marley and nothing else growing up in Kona.

Why do you think Bob Marley's music still moves generations of people who weren't even alive while he was?

It's timeless music. It could've been put out at any time, and it would be relevant. ... It goes in that batch of music that you could put the Beatles and, for me, old-school Metallica. Any of that timeless music.

What's essential Marley in your opinion?

(The album) "Natty Dread." And that song, too. It's just so good. That's my favorite Bob Marley song. It's just the feeling it gives me. The chords he used. The chord progressions and the lyric content — it's just all-around, top to bottom.

How much of Pepper's music is reggae inspired?

Pretty much all of it is reggae inspired. If you asked, in a nutshell, what kind of music we play, I'd say we're a rock band with some reggae influences. So it's pretty much ever present, whether it just be a drum part in a song, a bass part, a guitar part, a vocal part. There's always a little something from reggae in pretty much all of the music we do, even if it's not a straight-up reggae song.

Besides Pepper's major label debut "No Shame," which came out last October, what were some other significant band events in 2006?

In all honesty, a lot of it was making that record. We spent eight months out of the year making it. ... We got to work with some people that have influenced us and that we've looked up to our whole lives and been listening to like Nick Hexum from 311, Tony Kanal from No Doubt and Paul Leary from the Butthole Surfers.

Are you stoked with how "No Shame" has performed sales-wise — it was Pepper's first Billboard Top 200 debut.

Yeah, super stoked. At this point, it's been out about four months and sold about 50,000 copies. It's definitely that "next step" for us and we can't complain. ... It's definitely, by far, the best start we've had.

The three of you will have played together for 10 years come June. Are you happy with where Pepper is right now in its journey?

Yeah, definitely. I mean, even looking at where we were at a few years ago is amazing to me. ... I'm just thankful that we can make a living doing something we love because I know it's not a common thing in this world. So I definitely thank God every day that we're able to do it, and I'm definitely very, very grateful. But then again, I'm always striving for progress. ... I think that forward progression is what keeps us together.

Are you still close?

Oh, yeah, totally. ... As far as the relationship goes, it's as strong as ever. And we get to tour on a bus nowadays so it really makes for better relations ... not being in the Ford van. (Laughs.)