Soon after, a mutual friend, Tal Bayer moved in. He was very much into ska and reggae and suggested that the band play some of the catchy songs that they loved to drink to. It proved to be the direction they needed, as well as an easier style to cover. Soon, The Slugs were skipping classes and practicing for hours to learn songs by Madness, The Specials, Bad Manners, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Skatalites, The Business, and others. Unfortunately, the name The Slugs was already taken and the band needed a new name. 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 asked The Pietasters to play a local ska night at a bar in Georgetown. The Pietasters were still rough around the edges, but when you’re in college, quality stage performances take second place to getting free beer. Soon, The Pietasters 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, 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 stops 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 Club 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, approached the band and asked if they'd like to be a part of a new label he was putting together. The Slackers, Hepcat and Dropkick Murphys were already committed and he wanted The Pietasters on board.
After clearing such a move with Moon Ska, The Pietasters signed with Epitaph Records and their next 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 #6 for Epitaph's Hellcat Records. They finished the album and hit the road again touring Europe with the Warped Tour, then the US again with the Pilfers and Spring Heeled Jack, and closing out 1999 with an opening stint for the legendary Joe Strummer. Years of touring finally took it's 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 The Decpticonz. 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 soldiered on and released a new album Turbo, a nickname of Todd's, in 2002. The new album's blend of Jamaican riddims and Northern Soul won praise from fans and critics alike. 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 2003. The following year, The Pietasters released their first ever DVD, Live at The 9:30 Club. In 2006, The Pietasters played the International Ska Circus in Las Vegas.
On August 21, 2007, seventeen years after their inception, The Pietasters released a new studio album entitled, "All Day".
Discography:
Studio albums:
The Pietasters - 1993 on Slug Tone Records
Oolooloo - 1995 on Moon Ska Records
Willis - 1997 on Epitaph Records
Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6 - 1999 on Hellcat Records
Turbo - 2002 on Fueled by Ramen
All Day - 2007 on Indication Records
Rare Albums, EP's, Singles, and Others:
The Ska-Rumptious 7 Inch"" - 1992 on Slug Tone Records
All You Can Eat (EP) - 1992 on Slug Tone Records
Soul Sammich - 1994 on Slug Tone Records
Ocean - 1996 on Moon Records
Strapped Live! (live album) - 1996 on Moon Records
Comply - 1996 on Moon Records
Out All Night (Promo) - 1997 on Hellcat Records
Out All Night (EP) - 1998 on HellCat Records
Yesterday's Over (Promo) - 1999 on Hellcat Records
The Pietasters 1992-1996 - 2003 on VMS Records
Live at the 9:30 Club (DVD) - 2005 on MVD
Band members:
Current lineup:
Stephen Jackson - vocals
Toby Hansen - guitar, trumpet
Jorge Pezzimenti - bass
Rob Steward - drums
Alan Makranczy - saxophone
Jeremy Roberts - trombone
Carlos Linares - trumpet
Jon Darby - keyboard
Past members:
Talmage Bayer - vocals
Tom Goodin - guitar
Pat Kelley - guitar
Todd Eckhardt - bass
Chris Watt - bass
Ben Gauslin - drums
Eric Raecke - tenor saxophone
Rob French - trombone
Caroline Boutwell - farfisa
Paul T. Ackerman - keyboards
Erick Morgan - keyboards
Jeb Crandall - keyboards
02 Dollar Bill
The Pietasters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way up on the hill Her father owns some banks,
I'd say he'd like to play in the vault Her eyes felt money,
Honey and in her I couldn't find no fault
When her name was Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill,
One dollar bill I said Jill, Jill, Jill, one dollar bill.
She squeezed me so hard and tight, I nearly,
I lost my will Her eye's they sparkle like diamonds,
Her teeth were as white as pearls And when she shuts my light, you know she really changed my world
When her name was Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, five dollar bill
I said Jill, Jill, Jill, five dollar bill
Why don't you show, I guess I'll never really know, why can't you say,
Those words to me, never really thought of what I'm not, only what are you, Could care.
You said you'd kill my way, I say I'll never be the same, 'cause you only play in this stupid fucking game, and the only thing is that you were a lady, and I'll never be the same.
I met a girl last night pretty as a ten dollar bill Something missing in my life,
You know she could fulfill Never really stopped to think,
Could I really love her Always seem to miss the truth hidden now under the covers
When her name was Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, ten dollar bill
I said Jill, Jill, Jill, ten dollar bill
Why don't you show, I guess I'll never really know, why can't you say,
Those words to me, never really thought, of what I'm not, only what are you, Could care.
You said you'd kill me way, I say I'll never be the same, 'cause you only play,
With this stupid fucking game, and the only thing is that you were a lady.
The Pietasters' "02 Dollar Bill" is a song about the singer, who meets three women who are as pretty as different denominations of dollar bills. He first meets Jill, who is pretty as a one dollar bill and lives in a wealthy family with a banker father. Her eyes feel like money, but the singer cannot find a fault in her. Next, he meets a girl as pretty as a five dollar bill who embraces him so tightly that he nearly loses his will. Her eyes sparkle like diamonds and her teeth is as white as pearls. She changes his world when she shuts his light. Finally, he meets a girl as pretty as a ten dollar bill who fulfills what was missing in his life. However, he realizes that he has always missed the truth and is now hidden under the covers.
The song seems to showcase the singer's fleeting relationships with women who he describes using money metaphors. The fact that the women are not named but rather are referred to as Jill shows that the singer is not interested in a genuine connection with them. Furthermore, his relationships seem to be driven by the financial status of the women, which is evidenced by his description of Jill's father as a banker.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a girl last night, pretty as a one dollar bill
I met a girl who was quite attractive
She lived in a big old house, Way up on the hill
She lived in a large, mansion-like house atop a hill
Her father owns some banks, I'd say he'd like to play in the vault
Her father is wealthy and probably enjoys managing his bank(s)
Her eyes felt money, Honey and in her I couldn't find no fault
She had a confidence and allure about her that screamed wealth and I found her almost perfect
When her name was Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, One dollar bill I said Jill, Jill, Jill, one dollar bill.
Her name was Jill and I referenced the comparison I made to a one dollar bill when describing her
I met a girl last night pretty as a five dollar bill
I met another girl who was also attractive
She squeezed me so hard and tight, I nearly, I lost my will
She physically embraced me so tightly and passionately that I almost lost control
Her eye's they sparkle like diamonds, Her teeth were as white as pearls
She had striking, sparkling eyes and perfectly white teeth
And when she shuts my light, you know she really changed my world
She had a significant impact on my life and worldview when we were intimate
When her name was Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, five dollar bill I said Jill, Jill, Jill, five dollar bill
Her name was Jill and I referenced the comparison I made to a five dollar bill when describing her
Why don't you show, I guess I'll never really know, why can't you say, Those words to me, never really thought of what I'm not, only what are you, Could care. You said you'd kill my way, I say I'll never be the same, 'cause you only play in this stupid fucking game, and the only thing is that you were a lady, and I'll never be the same.
The singer is confused as to why the girl won't express herself honestly. He is only focused on her and doesn't care about his own shortcomings. She threatened to harm him and he feels changed by their involvement, but realizes she is only playing games and regrets it
I met a girl last night pretty as a ten dollar bill
I met yet another girl who was very attractive
Something missing in my life, You know she could fulfill
I feel like something is lacking in my life and I believe she could provide it
Never really stopped to think, Could I really love her
I haven't considered whether I am capable of genuinely loving her
Always seem to miss the truth hidden now under the covers
I often overlook or miss important truths that are now being revealed in our intimate moments
When her name was Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, Jill, ten dollar bill I said Jill, Jill, Jill, ten dollar bill
Her name was Jill and I referenced the comparison I made to a ten dollar bill when describing her
Why don't you show, I guess I'll never really know, why can't you say, Those words to me, never really thought, of what I'm not, only what are you, Could care. You said you'd kill me way, I say I'll never be the same, 'cause you only play, With this stupid fucking game, and the only thing is that you were a lady.
The artist is still confused and frustrated that the girl won't be honest with him. She threatened to harm him and he feels like a changed person because of her, but knows it was just a meaningless game to her
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS GLENN GOODIN, STEPHEN LEWIS JACKSON, TALMADGE HUGH ROSS BAYER, ROBERT FRENCH, BEN GAUSLIN, CAROLINE JACKSON, LUIS CARLOS CARLOS JR. LINARES, ERIC RAECKE, CHRIS WATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dead
on Set Me Up
The song is about former DC mayor, Marion Barry.
On January 18, 1990, Barry was arrested with a former girlfriend, Hazel Diane Moore, in a sting operation at the Vista International Hotel by the FBI and D.C. police for crack cocaine use and possession. Moore was an FBI informant when she invited Barry to the hotel room and insisted that he smoke freebase cocaine before they had sex, while agents in another room watched on camera, waiting for Barry to accept her offer. During the videotaped arrest, Barry says of Moore, "Bitch set me up.”