MaShay continued...

CA: Besides a completely awesome singing voice, what other musical instruments have you mastered over the years?

PM: You know what, I play a little bit of acoustic guitar baby. I always liked the format of acoustic folk music back in the day. Was a big Joni Mitchell fan. Phoebe Snow and people like that were always in my sights at the time. I just like the instrument. Since the onboard computer craze took off I've learned how to do that. As far as recording and getting into situations, putting my own tracks together, stuff like that. Try to do songs so that people will really enjoy them instead of just playing two or three different chords.

CA: Who were some of your favorite artists growing up, the ones that may have even inspired you to get into the biz or pick up that guitar?

PM: Aretha Franklin. Seeing her play acoustic piano was the bomb. Back when I was a kid, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Phoebe Snow. And later in the day, coming into the 70's, I was really big Joan Armatrading fan, which I still am today. I love women who have a way of playing for themselves but also being able to command bands. Ya know, be the bandleaders. As far as singers are concerned like I said Aretha, Chaka Kahn, those kinds of folks with the power of the voice. And let's not forget Tina Turner.

CA: How did you get into the music biz?

PM: I basically moved to California back in the mid 70's. My first job was seek out guys who had recording studios and would need a singer. So, whatever city I was in I would always go in and just offer my services of being a background singer or if anyone needed a lead singer to do the song. One thing lead to another and I just jumped into it hard and heavy. I moved to California in 75 and haven't looked back since baby. It's been just one big pinnacle right after another. Singing for English bands. The Moody Blues. Did a stint doing background vocals for some of the individual people in The Beach Boys. This all up in northern California. And then when I moved down here to L.A. I jumped into the live band situation and then from there went to the recording studios to really start making some money and taking care of my family. I was married at the time so I had to help support the family.

CA: What was the biggest lesson learned through your work in the 80's and 90's working with folks like Tina Turner and Whitney Houston doing that studio work?


PM: I guess it would be the integrital part of the work. Always knowing what you want to do. Staying focused on a project. Being respectful of the people you are working with. And making sure that the job you are hired to do gets done and it gets done on time. I really am proud of myself in what I did coming into situations, never knowing other singers, I was always the one that they would call to come in and complete the circle. And we ended up being bad ass. We were bad ass! We sounded good. But you had to be on time and make sure the work got done on time. And your name, once you establish your name here in this city (which is Los Angeles) you have people calling you asking for your services. It became nonstop for me from like 85 to 93. I was on this constant spiral working with all these great people and seeing how they work or their engineers work. It would be just nonstop if you did what you were supposed to do.

CA: Your singles Dive Into the Pool and I Got My Pride were huge chart toppers. How did things change back in 2000 after those to singles hit?

PM: It was drastic. It was a beautiful thing. When you have people calling you and asking you to come and perform for them because they want to see you do a particular song and they wanna know who you are. It really makes you feel good when you have the club owners calling and asking for your services. At the time I didn't have an agent, and I was able to go through Barry Harris's agent at the time and he told me basically, I had work for the whole year if I wanted it. At the

time I was working just like everybody else, ya know, doing a gig. And also I was singing for Bobby Caldwell doing a jazz background with him, which I am still doing. It just became crazy because of Dive In The Pool from Queer As Folk. Everyone saw my name in the credits as the show was ending and it was just non stop, people calling me.

CA: You started 2007 off with a top 10, excuse me – number one hit on the Billboard dance chart. Lost Yo Mind. Tell me a bit about your new single, Got to Give the People What They Want.

PM: Got to give the people what they want baby. Just like what the title's about and the way I am singing it. It's back to basics folks when it comes to entertaining. Got to give the people what they want. The song was co-written with me and Peter Presta who is very well known in the European market as far as being a DJ. I was just basically looking for relationships along the lines of working with DJs when I happened upon him. And I asked him for a track. He put the song together and it's just been great. Georgie Porgie at Music Plant out of Chicago heard the track and loved it and asked us for it. Now we're prepping that. Hopefully the next number one single

CA: Is that how you wrapped up 2007?

PM: Yeah. And you know what, it's not only that. You what baby, Pepper Mashay is so known over in Europe because of the house music movement. I've been working with a number of producers that I happened to find on MySpace. It's been really a great pleasure working with a lot of new people who are really house heads and bringing me back to the forefront of that style of music. Because I've been so connected with the circuit party stuff here in the states, it's bringing me back to the roots of doing house music. which I've always been known in the beginning as being a house artist. So there's a lot of projects right now that are getting ready to jump off.

CA: Any other new projects in the works for 2008 you can tell us about?

PM: I am real excited about the Sista Jean's Blues Machine project that I am

doing with my guitar player Lance Kelter, who lives in Austin, Texas. We're putting together a blues project. I really want to see this thing out on the road and doing its thing. Almost creating a spirit baby in the feel of early Rolling Stones or The Grateful Dead

CA: Did you use the, gosh, the huge pool of talent in Austin to draw for musicians?

PM: Would you believe right now the songs are just basically being written between me and my guitar player on guitars. We did use one particular keyboard player who's just awesome in Austin. His is Harrison Patterson. The bomb. And I think his rep is really extensive. Playing behind people like Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton. I think he did a little bit of playing with Stevie Ray Vaughn before Stevie left us. There are all kinds of calibers people we can into this project. And Lance has a whole Roledex of names that we can pull out of our hat/

CA: I hope to see you on the Antone's stage. That would legendary.

PM: That would be awesome! You know, I really pride myself that when I got into this business Chris it was based on live performance. And now, you're gonna see a lot moving and shaking going on the stages. It is exciting to me because it not only getting those young kids up there doin' their thing but it's also keeping a lot of us old timers out there doing what we love to do. To entertain.

CA: And in conclusion, what can fans expect at your upcoming performance on October 27 when you headline Galveston's Pride Festival with Eric Minan and Josh Duffy? You maybe gonna hit the stage with Eric and free style it?

PM: You know what, I just might. But you know, I always let my babies, my young kids, always kind of open the door for me. I never push my weight around to the young performer. I know they are trying to break through and do their thing to their audience. You can pick up Pepper Mashay's chart topping hits like Lost Yo Mind, Send Me An Angel, and Dive In The Pool online at iTunes and at www.amazon.com. LYM is also featured on the killer dance compilation CD Turn It Up America featuring several other key artists like Georgie Porgie, Rachel Panay, and Fredrick Ford. Pepper Mashay is on the internet at www.peppermashay.net and www.myspace.com/frecklebandit.