Get happy with Pepper by the pool

Your pooch could get turned into a puppy pancake by an 18-wheeler, your girlfriend could leave you for a prison inmate, your roommate could eat the last piece of pizza, your doctor could tell you that you're a walking tumor plantation, hell, you could even run out of beer -- and still the dudes in Pepper could put a smile on that big 'ol sourpuss of yours.

Their sunbaked reggae rock is the stuff of good times even on bad days. Turn that frown upside down at 9:30 p.m. today at the Hard Rock Hotel pool, 4455 Paradise Road. Tickets are $25; call 693-5583.

-- By JASON BRACELIN