The Pietasters are an American eight-piece

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

band from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, with additional members from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

History

In 1990,

Stephen Jackson Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...

and Chris Watt met at

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, through mutual friend Tal Bayer, who was attending nearby

Radford University Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate programs inclu ...

, and they formed a ska band called the Slugs with their former schoolmate Tom Goodin, and an architecture classmate, Ben Gauslin. They changed their name to the Dancecrashers for a few months, before taking the name the Pietasters. The newly formed band convinced the local college booking agency to bring the band

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, ''Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at their most popular during the early 1980 ...

from England to perform at the Virginia Tech auditorium, with themselves as the opening act. This was their first public performance, following shows they had staged in the living room of Jackson and Watt's rental house. The two bands later toured the U.S. and Europe together. In the early 1990s, a similar band from the DC area,

the Skunks The Skunks are a three-piece rock band formed in 1977 in Austin, Texas. The band debuted in early 1978 at Raul's, quickly became a mainstay of the Austin, Texas music scene. They rapidly expanded their fan base beyond early punk/ new wave int ...

, asked the Pietasters to play a local ska night at a bar in Georgetown, which was followed by a series of shows at dive bars in DC, Maryland and Virginia. The manager of one of the bars, Nick Nichols, befriended the band and helped them record their first record, ''

The Pietasters The Pietasters are an American eight-piece ska/soul band from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia. History In 1990, Stephen Jackson and Chris Watt met at Virginia Tech, through mutual friend Tal Bayer, who was ...

'', also known as ''Piestomp''. In the summer of 1993, the Pietasters set out on their first national tour in a used school bus they had bought for $900. By the end of the tour, almost all of the original members quit the band, with only trumpeter Carlos Linares and lead singer Steve Jackson now remaining as original members. The Pietasters recruited Jeremy Roberts, Toby Hansen, and Alan Makranczy as their new horn players, Rob Steward (Covington) on drums, and Paul Ackerman on keys. Tom Goodin remained on guitar. The new line-up continued to tour, and soon came to the attention of Bucket Hingley, front man of

the Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American second wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert "Bucket" Hingley relocated to New Y ...

and owner of

Moon Ska Records Moon Ska Records was one of the most influential ska record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. The label operated from 1983 until 2000, and during those seventeen years, only released ska and ska-influenced music. Originally named ''Moon Records'', as ...

, who invited the Pietasters to join a tour package called "Skavoovie 94" with the Toasters and

the Scofflaws The Scofflaws are a Huntington, Long Island, New York-based third wave ska band that debuted in 1988. Known for their rambunctious live shows, technically proficient horn solos and tight arrangements, the Scofflaws were one of the top third wav ...

. They also performed with artists including

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, they ...

, the

Dance Hall Crashers Dance Hall Crashers (often abbreviated to DHC) was an American ska punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California. Initially founded by former Operation Ivy members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, the band has had a fluid lineup over its care ...

, Hepcat, Let's Go Bowling, and the Skatalites. By the end of the tour, the Pietasters began recording ''Oolooloo'' on Moon Ska with

Victor Rice Victor Rice (born April 17, 1967) is an American musician, record producer and mix engineer from New York City. Raised in Huntington, New York, Rice attended the Manhattan School of Music and began his professional career in the late 1980s duri ...

producing. ''

Oolooloo ''Oolooloo'' is the second album by the ska/soul band the Pietasters, released in 1995. It was reissued on vinyl in 2012. Critical reception ''The Province'' called the band "lighter of touch and breezier than most of their contemporaries." In ...

'' came out in the summer of 1995, after which bassist Chris Watt left the Pietasters to perform with Eastern Standard Time, and Todd Eckhart moved from rhythm guitar to bass. In 1995, the lead singer of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dicky Barrett, approached the band at a show in Providence, Rhode Island, while they were considering breaking up, and offered to take them on the road over the next few years. As the Pietasters continued to tour, they recorded '' Strapped Live!'' between stops in the Cat's Cradle in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ca ...

and the Black Cat in Washington, DC., which was released in 1996. Throughout this period, the Pietasters had been recording new songs and covers, and re-recording older tracks. The results ended up as a new/compilation album, ''Comply''. Meanwhile, the band filmed their first video in 1996, a live video filmed at the Scooter Rally and F'n Rock Party they produced at an old outdoor soul venue called Wilmer's Alley in Brandywine, Maryland. The video was filmed by Burning Toast Productions and featured scenes of the festival and live performance of the Pietasters playing their

Jimmy Holiday Jimmy Holiday (July 24, 1934 – February 15, 1987) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. Holiday was born in Sallis, Mississippi, United States. He recorded for Everest Records in the 1960s and later moved to the New Orleans label Minit R ...

cover, "The New Breed". While backstage at a show in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

during a tour with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones,

Tim Armstrong Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. ...

, guitarist with Rancid, and his business partner, Chris Qualiana, approached the band and asked if they would join a new label they were creating,

Hellcat Records Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid ...

, also featuring

the Slackers The Slackers are an American ska band, formed in Manhattan, New York in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers' notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of Nort ...

, Hepcat and

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...

. After clearing the move with Moon Ska, the Pietasters signed with Hellcat, a subsidiary of

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

, and their next album, '' Willis'' was recorded and released in 1997, produced by

Brett Gurewitz Brett W. Gurewitz (born May 12, 1962), nicknamed Mr. Brett, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and a number of sister labels. He has produced albums f ...

, owner of Epitaph Records and guitarist for

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

. The band recorded their second video, "Stone Feeling", to support this album, another live video with the assistance of Burning Toast Productions, filmed at a venue in Washington, D.C., and another video for "Out All Night", also filmed in Washington, D.C. and directed by Grady Cooper. They toured the U.S., followed by their first European tour, as well as making appearances on the

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

and opening or headlining for

the Reverend Horton Heat The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ''Prick'' magazine reviewer called Heath ...

, the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, the

Cherry Poppin Daddies The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American swing and ska band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by singer-songwriter Steve Perry and bassist Dan Schmid, the band has experienced numerous personnel changes over the course of its ...

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

Ozomatli Ozomatli is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others. The group ...

, the

Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...

, Dropkick Murphy's, Murphy's Law,

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

, H₂O, the

Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many othe ...

and

Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk bandLife Is Good Out Now
Floggingmolly. ...

. Their song "Out All Night" was featured in the videogames '' Street Sk8er'' for the PlayStation, and '' NCAA Football 06''. In 1999, the Pietasters went back to the studio to record '' Awesome Mix Tape No. 6'' for Epitaph's

, again recorded and produced by Brett Gurewitz, with portions of the album recorded at Tim Armstrong's house. The album was named after the mix-tape from ''

Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American period comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic fil ...

''. The Pietasters recorded another video, "Yesterday's Over", to support the album. They finished the album and toured Europe with the Warped Tour, then the US again with the

Pilfers Pilfers are an American ska band formed in 1997, when former Toasters vocalist, Coolie Ranx, at the urging of Pietaster's vocalist Steve Jackson, joined with former Bim Skala Bim trombonist, Vinny Nobile. To complete the lineup, they recruit ...

and

Spring Heeled Jack Spring-heeled Jack is an entity in English folklore of the Victorian era. The first claimed sighting of Spring-heeled Jack was in 1837. Later sightings were reported all over the United Kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburban Lo ...

, ending 1999 with a period opening for

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

. Paul Ackerman and Tom Goodin left the band, as did bassist Todd Eckhardt, who was replaced by Jorge Pezzimenti. Erick Morgan, formerly of the Skunks, took over keys, and Toby Hansen replaced Tom Goodin on guitar. In late 2001, the Pietasters were recording their next album when they learned that former bassist, Todd Eckhardt, had died of a viral heart infection. The Bouncing Souls included "Todd's Song" on their album '' Anchor's Away'' in his memory. The Pietasters released a new album in 2002 entitled ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

'', Eckhardt's nickname. The album caught the attention of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, who asked the Pietasters to be his backing band at a sold-out concert in Washington DC in December 2002. In 2003, the Pietasters released their live DVD, ''Live at the 9:30 Club''. In 2006, the Pietasters played the International Ska Circus in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. On August 21, 2007, the Pietasters released a new studio album entitled '' All Day''. In 2010, the Pietasters performed at the 9:30 Club's 30th anniversary in Washington D.C., and were introduced by

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...

. In November 2011, Connecticut's

Asbestos Records Asbestos Records is an American independent record label in Stratford, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1996. It was established as a business to release albums and compilations for local bands, and to book shows at the Newtown Teen Cente ...

and Chicago's Underground Communiqué Records launched a fundraiser on

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

to release ''

'' on vinyl, among other third-wave ska classics from

Edna's Goldfish Edna's Goldfish was an American ska punk band from Long Island, New York. Together from 1997 to 2000, their studio albums include ''Before You Knew Better'' (1998) and ''The Elements of Transition'' (1999), both released on Moon Ska Records. T ...

, and

Suburban Legends Suburban Legends are an American ska punk band that formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1998 and later based themselves in nearby Santa Ana. After building a fanbase in the Orange County ska scene through their numerous regular perform ...

. On April 20, 2020, the band announced that former keyboard player Erick Morgan had died on April 18 of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Band members

Current lineup

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Joe Ross -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Rob Steward-

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Alan Makranczy -

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

*Jeremy Roberts -

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

*Carlos Linares -

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

*Dave Vermillion - bass *Dan Schneider -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Past members

*Toby Hansen - guitar, trumpet * Talmage Bayer - vocals * Tom Goodin - guitar *Pat Kelley - guitar * Todd Eckhardt - bass (deceased) *Chris Watt - bass *Jorge Pezzimenti - bass *Jon Darby - bass/keyboards *Ben Gauslin - drums *Jason Budman - drums *Chuck Roberts - drums *Rob French - trombone *Paul Vesilind - trumpet *Caroline Boutwell -

farfisa Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professiona ...

* Paul T. Ackerman - keyboards *Erick Morgan - keyboards (deceased) *Jeb Crandall - keyboards *Dave Pinkert - keyboards *Jason Trippett - saxophone *Andrew Guterman - drums *Curtis Reaves Jr - drums

Touring members

*Vinny Nobile - trombone (ex-

Bim Skala Bim Bim Skala Bim formed in Boston as a ska band that was influenced by the bands in England’s two-tone movement as well as artists such as the Clash, UB40 and Bob Marley. Their "Boston Blue Beat" sound, a mix of upbeat two-tone ska, rock ‘n’ r ...

*Matt Mason - baritone saxophone *Eric Raecke - baritone saxophone *Chris Rhodes - trombone *Ben Treat - guitar *Mark “Tarko” Lepusic - bass guitar *Sammy Kay- guitar

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' - 1993 on Slug Tone! Records *''

'' - 1995 on

*'' Willis'' - 1997 on

*'' Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6'' - 1999 on Hellcat Records *''

'' - 2002 on

Fueled by Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the lab ...

*'' All Day'' - 2007 on Indication Records

Rare albums, EPs, singles, and others

*Recording as
"The Dancecrashers"
' - self-titled - 1992 on Slug Tone! Records *
The Ska-Rumptious 7 Inch
' - 7" vinylo - 1992 on Slug Tone! Records (4 limited edition colored vinyl releases including translucent yellow (300 copies), ox blood (300 copies), and translucent orange (300 copies)) *''All You Can Eat'' (6 song cassette) - 1992 on Slug Tone! Records *
The Pietasters
' (Promo cassette) - 1994 on Slug Tone! Records/Moon Records *
Soul Sammich
' - 7" black vinyl - 1994 on Slug Tone! Records *
Crazy Monkey Lady b/w Ocean 7"
' - 7" clear green vinyl - 1996 on Moon Records, 1000 hand numbered *'' Strapped Live!'' (live album) - 1996 on Moon Records *
Comply
' - Full length CD -- released 1996 on Moon Records/Slug Tone! Records (2000 hand signed and consecutively numbered, originally sold in a plastic Ziploc with "extra" goodies) *
Out All Night''
(Promo cassette) - 1997 on Hellcat Records *'' Out All Night' (EP) - 1998 on HellCat Records *
Yesterday's Over
' (Promo cassette) - 1999 on Hellcat Records *
The Pietasters 1992-1996
' - multi-CD compilation and unreleased tracks - 2003 o
VMS Records
*
Live at the 9:30 Club
' (DVD) - 2005 on MVD *
Don't Wanna Know
' EP - 2007 on Indication Records *''

'' - 2012 Limited Vinyl Pressing on

and Underground Communiqué Records *'' Live In A Lockdown'' - 2020 Limited Vinyl Pressing o
Revolution Vintage

Soundtracks

*The song "Bitter" (from the album ''Willis'') was featured in the movie ''

Never Been Kissed ''Never Been Kissed'' is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Leelee Sobieski, Jeremy Jordan, Molly Shannon, Garry Marshall, John C. Reilly ...

'' starring

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...

. *The song "Ocean" (from the album ''Willis'') was featured in the movie '' Molly'' starring

Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Judson Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), '' Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), ''B ...

. *''Warren Miller's Snowriders 2'' soundtrack - 1997 *The song "Out All Night" appears on the 1998 Playstation game ''Street SK8ER''. *The song "Told You the First Time" appears on the 2003 Xbox game ''

Project Gotham Racing 2 ''Project Gotham Racing 2'' is a racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released exclusively for the Xbox in November 2003. As in 2001's ''Project Gotham Racing'', the route to advancemen ...

'' *'' NCAA Football 2006'' (game menu and minigame soundtrack)

References

External links

Official siteEpitaph Records artist info pageThe Agency Group artist info pageRockers Revolt artist info page
* AMG entry {{DEFAULTSORT:Pietasters, The Hellcat Records artists Third-wave ska groups Musical groups established in 1990 American ska musical groups Musical groups from Washington, D.C.