Who are these guys?

Ace Pepper explains:
"Pepper's Blues is a 4 piece blues-rock band based out of San Marcos, Texas. Led by guitarist Ace Pepper, the band includes Paul Wilson on guitar and vocals, Scott Leidecker on drums, and Jimmy McFeeley on bass. Our friend Alan Beavers sometimes fills in on bass and vocals. I really just wanted to have a groovy bar band to play rock and blues tunes with my buddies a couple times a month. Everyone in the band is a semi-pro, working musician with years of experience and a couple other jobs to cover. This makes scheduling interesting sometimes, but it keeps things fresh and allows me to work with some killer players and good friends."

"We play stuff from the Allman Brothers and ZZ Top, also blues standards like Muddy Waters, Albert Collins and the 3 Kings; BB, Freddie, and Albert, as well as a few jams of our own. I like stuff with a groove, not too fast, not too slow, and a nice heavy guitar sound. Stuff the chicks can dance to or makes a nice listen. I honestly feel blessed and grateful to be able to play this music with these guys. We have a lot of fun doing this and we try to take folks with us!"

Ace Pepper has been playing guitar for about 30 years. Originally from Dallas, Tx., he spent the 80's in Austin before moving to San Marcos in the 90's.The ringleader of this outfit, Ace also plays bass, keys, and programs drums. He is also a studio and live sound engineer.

He grew up listening to all the classics; Hendrix, Zeppelin, and especially ZZ Top. He says, "I got turned onto a lot of great Texas blues players as a teen. People like Eric Johnson, Bugs Henderson and Van Wilks were as big to me as Clapton and Page. Growing up here, blues is in the water man. It's everywhere! I was a teenager before someone told me what I was listening to was blues. I just thought all music sounded like that."

Ace spent the 80's playing in lots of bands covering the classics and learning how to write songs that please an audience. However listening to too much Frank Zappa ruined his ability to write a serious song. In the 90's he played in more original bands doing reggae, funk, and world music. "I learned how to fit in with a bunch of different musical styles and players" says Ace. "Country music is not my favorite, but the stuff is everywhere around here and some of that creeps into my playing too."

"I had a musical revelation listening to internet radio. All the great rock music we grew up with isn't dead. They just call it 'modern blues' now. Turns out there's all these great new bands writing and playing new songs in that classic, guitar driven style. That was the motivation for Pepper's Blues." With a few phone calls to some old friends and a songlist of blues rock classics and some original songs, Pepper's Blues was born!

Ace also builds custom hand-wired tube guitar amps. In fact Ace built most of the gear he uses onstage, including amps, guitars and effects pedals.

Interesting Fact: Ace learned to play the guitar while abducted by aliens.

Paul Wison has been a good friend for many years. Paul is the team player of the band. Arguably the best singer in the band, he also plays guitar, bass, and keys. He comes from a diverse background of pop and country music, and is a talented songwriter. Ace says, "Paul's favorite music usually has lots of vocals and production, so playing with a blues band was a bit of a stretch for him. He's really getting into it and he makes the band sound great!"

Interesting Fact: Paul is about an inch taller than you think he is.

Scott Leidecker is our rock solid drummer. "He and I met in an alt country band we played in. The band fell apart, but he and I stayed in touch. When I had the idea for Pepper's Blues I knew who to call for drums!" says Ace. We know that Scott lives in Wimberley, originally from Dallas, and he's an adult. Beyond that not much is known about Scott's background, he's fairly mysterious. All we know for sure is he's a rock solid guy and a hellava drummer!

Interesting Fact: Scott once performed an interprative dance of "Star Wars". And it was glorious!

Jimmy McFeeley is our MVP bass player. "I've known Jimmy for years. Our kids grew up together." says Ace. "One of my all time favorite bass players and people." Jimmy's reputation as a most excellent bass player keeps him quite busy with some of the best bands in Austin. He's a very "up" person and a lot of fun to gig with. We're thrilled to have Jimmy in the band!

Interesting Fact: Jimmy's personality is so magnetic he is unable to carry credit cards.