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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = The Pietasters| image = PietastersLive.jpg| caption = The Pietasters performing at the 2007 International Ska Circus.| image_size = | background = group_or_band| alias =| genre = Ska , rocksteady , Soul music|soul , punk rock | years_active = 1990–present| label = Slug Tone& #33; Records, Moon Ska Records|Moon Ska , Epitaph Records|Epitaph , Hellcat Records|Hellcat , Fueled by Ramen , Indication Records| associated_acts = The Five Maseratis | website =| current_members = Stephen Jackson Toby Hansen Andrew Guterman Alan Makranczy Jeremy Roberts Carlos Linares Dan Schneider Dave Vermillion| past_members = The Pietasters are a seven-piece ska / soul music|soul band hailing from Washington, D.C. , with additional members from Maryland and Virginia .
History
Inappropriate tone|date=December 2007In 1990, a group of friends were attending college at Virginia Tech in the mountains of Virginia. Among them were Stephen Jackson (musician)|Stephen Jackson and Chris Watt who had previously dabbled in playing punk rock covers.
Soon after, a mutual friend, Tal Bayer, began attending nearby Radford University . He was very much into ska and reggae and suggested that they form a ska band. After recruiting a Lake Braddock Secondary School|high school friend, Tom Goodin, and an Architecture classmate, Ben Gauslin, The Slugs were born. Soon, they were skipping classes, melding ska, reggae, R & B and punk rock while practicing for hours to learn songs by Madness (band)|Madness , The Specials , Bad Manners , Mighty Mighty Bosstones , The Burial , The Skatalites , The Business , and others. Unfortunately, the name The Slugs was already taken and the band needed a new name. For a few months, the name was changed to the Dancehall Crashers. It was too similar to another ska band out west so the search for a new name continued. Some British neighbors used to refer to the heftier guys in the band as Pietasters, which is British slang for "fat guys". The name stuck and The Pietasters were born.
A few months later, a similar band from the DC area, The Skunks (ska band)|The Skunks , asked The Pietasters to play a local ska night at a bar in Georgetown. The Pietasters were still rough around the edges. Soon, they were playing every dive bar in DC. The manager of one such bar befriended the band and helped them record their first record, The Pietasters (album)|The Pietasters , more commonly known as Piestomp .
In the summer of 1993 , The Pietasters set out on their first national tour in a used school bus they'd bought for $900. The tour was haphazard with stops in Ohio , Oregon , Kansas and even many in Canada . By the end of the tour, almost all of the original members quit the band. To this day, only trumpeter Carlos Linares and lead singer Steve Jackson remain as original members.
The Pietasters auditioned many players and decided on Jeremy Roberts, Toby Hansen and Alan Makranczy as their horn players, Rob Steward (Covington) on drums, and Paul Ackerman on keys. Tom Goodin remained on guitar. The new line-up continued to tour whenever possible, and soon attracted the attention of Bucket Hingley, front man of The Toasters and owner of Moon Ska Records . He asked if The Pietasters wanted to be a part of a tour package called, "Skavoovie 94". The Pietasters accepted and were soon touring with The Toasters and The Scofflaws . The tour was much more organized than their last outing and proved to be very educational. By the end of the tour, The Pietasters were scheduled to record "Oolooloo" on Moon Ska with Victor Rice producing.
Oolooloo came out in the summer of 1995 . The Pietasters continued to tour the country, and even managed to record " Strapped Live! " between stops in Raleigh, NC and The Black Cat (Washington, D.C. nightclub)|The Black Cat in Washington, DC. "Strapped Live!" was released in 1996 and quickly became a fan favorite and the closest thing to a live Pietasters show. Throughout this period, The Pietasters had been recording new songs, re-recording older ones, and recording some covers. The results ended up as "Comply", and the song selection foreshadowed their next release.
While touring with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the band made a stop in Los Angeles . Backstage at the show, Tim Armstrong from the band, Rancid (band)|Rancid , approached the band and asked if they'd like to be a part of a new label he was putting together, Hellcat Records . The Slackers , Hepcat (band)|Hepcat and Dropkick Murphys were already committed and he wanted The Pietasters on board.Interview with Rancid's Lars Frederikson http://www.ink19.com/issues_F/98_08/ink_spots/rancid_nf.html
After clearing such a move with Moon Ska, The Pietasters signed with Hellcat, a subsidiary of Epitaph Records , and their next album, Willis (album)|Willis was recorded and released in 1997 . A tour of the US soon followed as well as their first ever tour of Europe . The Pietasters also made appearances on the Warped Tour and opened for such acts as The Reverend Horton Heat , Cherry Poppin Daddies , and Ozomatli .
By 1999 , The Pietasters were in the studio again to record Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6|Awesome Mix Tape #6 for Epitaph's Hellcat Records . http://www.epitaph.com/artists/album/168/Awesome_Mix_Tape_6 They finished the album and set out on the road again touring Europe with the Warped Tour, then the US again with the Pilfers and Spring Heeled Jack U.S.A.|Spring Heeled Jack , and closing out 1999 with an opening stint for the legendary Joe Strummer . Years of touring finally took its toll on Paul Ackerman and Tom Goodin, who amicably left the band. Bassist Todd Eckhardt also left the band and was replaced by Jorge Pezzimenti of Virginia band, The Decepticonz. Erick Morgan, formerly of The Skunks, took over keys, and Toby Hansen replaced Tom Goodin on guitar.
In late 2001, The Pietasters were well into recording their next album when they learned that former bassist, Todd Eckhardt, had died in his sleep. The news was extremely hard on The Pietasters and their fans. The Pietasters released a new album in 2002 titled Turbo (The Pietasters album)|Turbo , a nickname of Todd's. The new album's blend of Jamaican riddims and Northern Soul won praise from fans and critics alike. http://www.theagencygroup.com/artist.aspx? ArtistID=157 It even caught the attention of James Brown who asked The Pietasters to be his backing band at a sold-out concert in Washington DC in December 2002. The following year, The Pietasters released their first DVD, Live at The 9:30 Club . Their song "Out All Night," was featured in the videogames Street Sk8er for the PlayStation, and NCAA Football 06 . In 2006, The Pietasters played the International Ska Circus in Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas .
On August 21, 2007, seventeen years after their inception, The Pietasters released a new studio album entitled, All Day (The Pietasters album)|All Day .
In November 2011, Connecticut's Asbestos Records and Chicago, IL's Underground Communiqué Records launched a fundraiser together on Kickstarter to release " Oolooloo " on vinyl, among other third-wave ska classics from Pilfers , Edna's Goldfish , and Suburban Legends . If the funding goal is met by January 18, 2012, the records should be out Spring 2012. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/59430281/the-3rd-wave-ska-preservation-society-vinyl-reissu
Band members
Current lineup
Stephen Jackson (musician)|Stephen Jackson - vocals
Allmusic|class=album|id=r261698|pure_url=yes Skanaholics Unanimous: Under the Influence of Ska , on Moon Records, 1997
'' http://www.hell-cat.com/artists/album/90/Give_Em_The_Boot_Vol_I Give 'Em The Boot, Vol. 1 , on Hellcat Records, 1997
Allmusic|class=album|id=r346995|pure_url=yes Ska Sucks , on Liberation Records, 1998
Allmusic|class=album|id=r350747|pure_url=yes Steady Sounds From The Underground , on Side One Dummy, 1998
http://www.last.fm/music/Various+Artists/Rolling+Stone:+Rare+Trax,+Volume+5:+Summer+in+the+City Rolling Stone Rare Trax Vol. 5: Summer in the City , 1998
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Vans-Off-The-Wall-Sampler/release/1495231 Vans Off The Wall Sampler , on Vans Records, 1998
http://www.discogs.com/Various-CMJ-New-Music-Monthly-Volume-73-September-1999/release/2216858 CMJ New Music Monthly Vol # 73 , September 1999
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Vans-Off-The-Wall-Sampler-1999/release/868219 Vans Off The Wall Sampler, 1999 , on Vans Records, 1999
'' http://www.hell-cat.com/artists/album/89/Give_Em_The_Boot_Vol_II Give 'em the Boot, vol. 2 , on Hellcat Records, 1999
''Allmusic|class=album|id=r399563|pure_url=yes Ska Party '99 , on Simitar Records, 1999
http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm? Item=51033& Music To Piss Off The Old Folk , on Stickyfingerz Records, 2000
Allmusic|class=album|id=r473903|pure_url=yes Capital Radio , 2000
Allmusic|class=album|id=r495639|pure_url=yes Metalliska , on Too Hep Records, 2000
'' http://www.hell-cat.com/artists/album/91/Give_Em_The_Boot_Vol_III Give 'em the Boot, vol. 2 , on Hellcat Records, 2002
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Green-Hell-CD-Compilation-2/release/2084355 Green Hell Compilation, Vol. 2 , on Green Hell Records, 2002
http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm? Item=82734& Fueled By Ramen, Vol. 1 , 2002
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Feed-Your-Ears-Vol-1/release/1349894 Feed Your Ears, Vol. 1 , on Fueled By Ramen, 2002
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Kick-Ass-Ska/release/888393 Kick Ass Ska , on Pimp Records, 2002
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Still-Standing-A-North-American-Ska-Uprising/release/2201147 Still Standing, A North American Ska Uprising , on JumpUp& #33; Records, 2003
http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm? Item=58604& Punk Rock Academy , on Suckerpunch Records, 2004
http://www.discogs.com/Kubota-Takeshi-Neo-Classics-2/release/1551483 Kubota, Takeshi - Neo Classics 2 , on TAD Sound, 2008
http://2tone-lifeinmonochrome.blogspot.com/2009/10/all-beats-of-ska.html All Beats of Ska , 2009
http://stubdaddy.com/Potluck.htm Potluck - A SKA Concoction , 1999
Videos
http://www.burningtoast.com/main.php? page=page2_3 New Breed - a http://www.burningtoast.com Burning Toast / Slug Tone& #33; Records Production (or see it on http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=pRcA6AaHgdY YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=yVKs-7QNFwo Stoned Feeling - a http://www.burningtoast.com Burning Toast / Slug Tone& #33; Records Production
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=sZ5cjQhhZus Out All Night - an http://www.epitaph.com/artists/artist/57/Pietasters Epitaph / Hellcat Records / Slug Tone& #33; Records Production
'' http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9RdzW41GaOU Yesterday's Over - an http://www.epitaph.com/artists/artist/57/Pietasters Epitaph / Hellcat Records / Slug Tone& #33; Records Production
Articles
http://books.google.com/books? id=pCkEAAAAMBAJ& lpg=PA16& dq=pietasters%20cmj& pg=PA16#v=onepage& q=pietasters%20cmj& f=false CMJ New Music Monthly, Best New Releases , Nov 1997
http://books.google.com/books? id=2WTdKc_Gu54C& lpg=PA40& dq=pietasters& pg=PA40#v=onepage& q=pietasters& f=false Spin Magazine, Crude Boys: The Pietasters Take Ska One Step Beyond , Mar 1998
http://books.google.com/books? id=qikEAAAAMBAJ& lpg=PA18& ots=nqXz-evbOU& dq=pietasters%20cmj& pg=PA18#v=onepage& q=pietasters%20cmj& f=false CMJ New Music Monthly, Soul Providers, For the Pietasters, soul and ska go together like Sammy and Dean-O , September, 1999
Interviews
http://www.hpska.com/about/pietasterS.pdf Hoi Polloi& #33; #4 Interview, June 1997 (PDF)
http://auralstates.com/2007/11/interview-the-pietasters-w-steve-jackson.html Interview with Steve Jackson by Greg Szeto at Aural States (Nov 2007)
http://mobtownskasounds.podomatic.com/entry/2008-10-28T20_32_55-07_00 Mobtown Ska PodOmatic Podcast Interview, 2008
External links
http://www.thepietasters.com Official site
http://www.epitaph.com/artists/artist/57/Pietasters#albdesc Epitaph Records artist info page
http://www.theagencygroup.com/artist.aspx? ArtistID=157 The Agency Group artist info page
http://www.rockersrevolt.com/2008/05/18/the-pietasters/ Rockers Revolt artist info page
Reflist DEFAULTSORT:Pietasters, The Category:Hellcat Records groups Category:Third-wave ska groups Category:Musical groups established in 1990 Category:American ska musical groups Category:Musical groups from Washington, D.C.
