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
Moment
The Pietasters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna spend with you
Everytime I say goodbye now girl
I'm always leaving you
I'll be home one day soon
You know my love is always true
And I'm not the kind of guy
Who has a wandering eye
refrain:
Longer and stronger my love
It grows everyday
Kicking and fighting I won't
Never drag me away from you
Every moment of my life
Every moment of my life
Every moment of my life
Every moment of my life
Everytime I say decide now girl
Of what it means to you
Instead of wasting all my time now girl
I wanna spend with you
refrain
I'll be home one day soon
You know my love is always true
And I'm not the kind of guy
Who has a wandering eye
The Pietasters' song "Moment" is a love ballad about a man who wants to spend every moment of his life with his special girl. The lyrics show the man's commitment to his partner and his unwillingness to be distracted or led astray by anything or anyone else. He promises to come home soon and declares that his love for his partner is true and unwavering.
The refrain of the song emphasizes the strength and depth of the man's love for his partner. He is willing to fight for their relationship and will not let anything come between them. The repetition of the phrase "Every moment of my life" further emphasizes the man's dedication to his partner and to their relationship.
The song also touches upon the importance of communication and decision-making in a relationship. The man wants his partner to be clear about what she wants and to not waste any time. He values every moment they have together and wants to make the most of it.
Overall, "Moment" is a heartfelt love song that showcases the power of true love and commitment in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Every moment of my life now girl
I value and cherish every single moment of my life with you, my love
I wanna spend with you
I desire to devote my time to you and be with you always
Everytime I say goodbye now girl
It pains me to leave you every time we part ways, my love
I'm always leaving you
I cannot stand being separated from you and leaving you behind
I'll be home one day soon
I promise to come back to you as soon as I can, my love
You know my love is always true
I assure you that my love is genuine and unwavering
And I'm not the kind of guy
I am not the type of person
Who has a wandering eye
I am not someone who easily gets attracted to other people
Longer and stronger my love
My love for you is growing longer and stronger each day
It grows everyday
My love for you continues to increase with each passing day
Kicking and fighting I won't
I will not let anything or anyone come between us and our love, my dear
Never drag me away from you
I will not let anyone or anything separate us and take me away from you
Everytime I say decide now girl
Whenever I ask you to make a decision, my love
Of what it means to you
Of what our relationship and love means to you
Instead of wasting all my time now girl
Rather than spend my time on things that are not important
I wanna spend with you
I want to spend my time with you, my love
Every moment of my life
Every single moment of my life
every moment of my life
Every moment of my existence
every moment of my life
Every second, minute, and hour of my lifetime
Every moment of my life
I want to spend it with you, my love
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN LEWIS JACKSON, THOMAS GLENN GOODIN, TODD BRYAN ECKHARDT
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.”