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
Malmo
The Pietasters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Border guard is fading fast
A green wet pile in front of him
Five clear bottles are waiting there
Flanked by little silver cans
With blue stripes climbing up the side
One is gone
Third is fading fast
Two more waiting on the window sill
Frankenstein's making time in the can with eva brown
Jorge is hiding down the block
Let's show these vikings how to rock
Malmo, malmo, malmo
The Pietasters' song "Malmo" begins with a rather cryptic verse that paints a picture of someone crossing a bridge into what may be a remote and desolate region near the Arctic. The border guard seems to be losing consciousness, perhaps due to the numbing cold, and "a green wet pile" is in front of him. The next verse introduces the idea of bottles and cans, which may suggest someone drinking to stay warm, though the "blue stripes climbing up the side" may hint at the possibility that the bottles contain something other than alcohol. The chorus chimes in with "Malmo, malmo, malmo" repeated three times, which acts as both a branding of sorts for the song and a call to action for the listener or the characters in the song.
The third verse introduces a few characters by name, including Frankenstein and Eva Brown, which may or may not be references to historical figures, the former clearly being a famous literary monster. Meanwhile, Jorge is hiding down the block, suggesting that there may be some kind of danger lurking in the area. With this context established, the final line of the song, "Let's show these vikings how to rock," drives home the idea that the characters in the song are in some kind of Arctic wasteland and are looking to assert their own brand of energy and attitude in a place perhaps not known for its liveliness or excitement. Overall, "Malmo" is a song that is both abrasive and intriguing, as it manages to create a vivid and wild world in just a few verses.
Line by Line Meaning
Rolling cross the bridge to the arctic
Traveling across a bridge leading to the cold North.
Border guard is fading fast
The immigration officer is getting tired or uninterested.
A green wet pile in front of him
A stack of passports, possibly kept in a damp environment.
Five clear bottles are waiting there
Five empty bottles are left on the ground, visible.
Flanked by little silver cans
The bottles are surrounded by small metallic containers.
With blue stripes climbing up the side
The metallic cans have patterns of blue stripes on their surface.
Malmo, malmo, malmo
A repetitive chant of the name of a Swedish city.
One is gone
One bottle has been consumed and is no longer there.
Third is fading fast
One of the remaining bottles is almost empty.
Two more waiting on the window sill
Two new beer bottles are sitting on a ledge.
Frankenstein's making time in the can with eva brown
Someone is using the restroom and referring to themselves as Frankenstein; with someone named Eva Brown also in their location.
Jorge is hiding down the block
One person named Jorge is hiding nearby.
Let's show these vikings how to rock
A call to party and dance with the Swedish, who are historically known as vikings.
Contributed by Chase T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
johngferguson
My favourite Pietasters song!
Cristo BillLumberg
if you cant have fun at a pietasters show then you aren't human
Alex Bassler
Badass!
bluejjboy
:D
Carlos Goncalves
shit fuck they r coming to VAB and i am most likely the person to get kicked out for having too much fun. It happened with Less Than Jake last week!