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
Crawl Back Home
The Pietasters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I find that you're all gone.
When I look up all I see is just how far
You have led me down.
Awake at night, I don't feel right unless you're here,
So I take it too far.
But in my brain you're here again, I close my eyes,
I know that you're not the only one. You aren't the only one.
I know that you won't wait. I have to crawl back home.
Can you look over just one more time?
Would you look over one more time?
Everyday I stumble out into the evening light,
And I chase you downtown.
But when I show up all I get is something else,
Every man's passed around.
You shouldn't think how far we went was anywhere,
Yeah, that's all that's all from.
And even though we didn't go, I lost you when
I was picking it up.
I know that you're not the only one. You aren't the only one.
I know that you won't wait. I have to crawl back home.
Can you look over just one more time?
Would you look over one more time?
I know that you're not the only one. You aren't the only one.
I know that you won't wait. I have to crawl back home.
Can you look over just one more time?
Would you look over one more time?
I know that you're not the only one. You aren't the only one.
I know that you won't wait. I have to crawl back home.
Can you look over just one more time?
Would you look over one more time?
I know that you're not the only one. You aren't the only one.
I know that you won't wait. I have to crawl back home.
Can you look over just one more time?
Would you look over one more time?
The Pietasters' song Crawl Back Home is about a man who is feeling lost and devastated after his lover has left him. He wakes up every morning on the kitchen floor, realizing that she has left him, and feels like she has led him down a path of destruction. He is aware that he has taken things too far in the relationship, but he cannot help but think about her all the time, even when he knows that she might not feel the same way. He is hopeful that she might take him back, just one more time, and is willing to do whatever it takes to win her back.
Despite knowing that there are other women out there, he feels like he needs her to be happy. He spends his days chasing her around town, hoping to get a glimpse of her or to see her again, but all he gets is disappointment. He knows that he lost her when he was not paying attention, and he now has to deal with the consequences of his actions.
The lyrics of this song are quite emotional and honest, and they capture the pain and desperation that the singer is feeling. The song has a ska feel to it, with upbeat horns and a lively tempo, which contrasts with the sadness of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I wake up here upon the kitchen floor,
Every time I find myself in a miserable state on the kitchen floor,
And I find that you're all gone.
And I realize that you have left me,
When I look up all I see is just how far
As I look up, I see how much you have led me astray,
You have led me down.
You have led me down a destructive path.
Awake at night, I don't feel right unless you're here,
I cannot feel comfortable without you next to me at night,
So I take it too far.
So I resort to excessive and unhealthy behaviors to cope.
But in my brain you're here again, I close my eyes,
But in my mind, I imagine that you are back with me and I close my eyes,
You might fake it all.
But I know that it may just be a fantasy.
I know that you're not the only one. You aren't the only one.
I realize that there are others out there, not just you.
I know that you won't wait. I have to crawl back home.
I understand that you will not wait for me, so I must return home alone.
Can you look over just one more time?
Can you please give me one more chance?
Would you look over one more time?
Can you please give me one more opportunity to make things right?
Everyday I stumble out into the evening light,
Every day, I leave my despair behind and venture out into the world,
And I chase you downtown.
And I try to find you in the city,
But when I show up all I get is something else,
But when I arrive to the scene, I am faced with something unexpected,
Every man's passed around.
Something that has already been used or taken by another.
You shouldn't think how far we went was anywhere,
You shouldn't assume that our journey meant anything,
Yeah, that's all that's all from.
Everything that happened between us is now in the past.
And even though we didn't go, I lost you when
And even though we didn't end up together, I lost you when
I was picking it up.
I was trying to hold on to something that was never meant to be.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEREMY ROBERTS, STEPHEN LEWIS JACKSON, TOBY HANSEN
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.”