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Jefferson Pepper writes and sings Country music for people who hate Country music. If you've ever listened to the schlock that passes for good Country music on corporate leviathans like Clear Channel or Cumulus these days, then you understand. Sappy, cliche, inane, jingoistic, insipid lyrical content with formulaic chord progressions and instrumentation. No wonder you think it sucks. It does. Oh sure, the musicians are often very good. And the singers can usually hit the high notes and stay in tune. But the songs themselves seem forced, artificial and uninspired. That's because it's music designed to be marketed and sold; manufactured product, not art. The big record companies fall back on tried and true formulas, manufacturing songs (and the artists they own) in a safe framework that takes no risks and says nothing. The bottom line is that MONEY is the main motivation for creating and releasing the music. Some would go as far as to say that the big media Mega-Corporations are stifling lyrical content in order to maintain the political status quo; again, ultimately because they are motivated only by money, not because of any sort of public duty.

But there is hope, good people. Combining rock, country, punk, folk and bluegrass, Jefferson Pepper inhabits an eclectic, rootsy territory all his own. He is an artist with a lot on is mind and a fair amount of anger in his blood. He holds nothing back in his musical assault. Continuing the tradition of pioneers like Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Warren Zevon, John Prine, Neil Young 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. Some people call it Americana, Alternative Country or Contemporary Folk, some call it Roots Rock or Cowpunk. Some call it protest music.

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 first exposure to music was in the small-town Baptist church where his mother sang in the choir. In school, he discovered alternative and punk artists such as Patti Smith, Talking Heads, The Sex Pistols, The Velvet Underground, The Clash and The Ramones. Later, he discovered artists like John Prine, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Steve Forbert, Woody Guthrie, The Louvin Brothers, Uncle Tupelo, Warren Zevon and Steve Earle. All of these artists left an indelible mark on his songwriting.

View the YouTube video for the title track, 'Christmas in Fallujah'.

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 number 23 on the Freeform American Roots Chart for the month of November 2005 and number 13 on the Euro Americana Chart for the month of December, 2005. The album also hit number 1 on the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart and number 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, and the reviewer Malcolm Carter for Pennyblack Music (UK) called it the "best album of the year".

Pepper is currently working on his next release, a 50-song, 3-cd project entitled 'American Evolution' which traces the evolution of American history, culture and music. Volume 1 is due out January 22, 2008, with Volume 2 on April 1 and Volume 3 on June 10. A limited edition, signed and numbered box set containing all three volumes plus three 16-page booklets with photos and lyrics will be released November 17, 2008.