The Pietasters
On
Sunday 18th May, 2008
DC’s ska-soul brothers, who’ve sold over 200,000 albums & backed James Brown…
The first break came early for D.C.’s ska darlings, when in 1997, Rancid’s Tim Armstrong signed them to Hellcat/Epitaph, where they recorded two albums with producer Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion): the genre-defining Willis (SPIN Magazine called it “An equal opportunity dancehall crasher — part ’60s keg rock, part 2Tone and part Motown”) and Awesome Mix Tape 6 (CMJ noted it for “lacing a Stax shout-out feel with Caribbean rhythms”). These were followed up by the soul-charged Turbo, released in 2002 by Less Then Jakes’ Fueled by Ramen label.
The Pietasters shared bills with NOFX and Less Than Jake on the epic ’98 and ’99 Warped Tours, and followed with a stateside run with Joe Strummer 3 years later, they worked as James Brown’s back-up band for one surreal evening.
“We may not be rich but we can claim some amazing experiences,” says lead singer Jackson. It’s that experience, combined with a commitment to expand beyond their humble beginnings as a ska band, which are at the foundation of thier latest album and first for Rockers Revolt, All Day, a journey through the swingin’ ’60s and the soulful ’70s that sounds right on time. While The ’tasters have always favored a little bit o’soul, they have not left their signature skank or die style behind for All Day. While the song “Change My Ways” may ring with notes of Northern Soul, “Don’t Wanna Know” riffs on the high-stepping style of an earlier era. Meanwhile, the very specific blueprint for sound left by Trojan Records, is what fuels songs like “Late Night Call,” “Dream of You” and “G to F.”
Originally influenced by the 2 Tone sounds of The Specials, the third ska wave’s Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and punk acts like Minor Threat and the bands on D.C.’s Dischord label, Jackson says they took a friend’s sound advice: “If you like someone, listen to what they listen to.” The Pietasters’ debut album of traditional 2Tone-inspired songs arrived in 1993, and the more polished Oolooloo followed. Later that decade, the band’s influences opened to such Jamaican institutions as Trojan and Lee “Skratch” Perry, which broadened to soul and its subgenres. “All along we had friends who were DJs sending us rare soul mixes,” Jackson says.
Their deep musical education served the band well when it came time to tour with Strummer: as one member circulated out, Pezzimenti jumped in at a moment’s notice. “It was daunting at first,” he says of his time as the new kid. But his entry marked the next phase for the already legendary band. Next on the list of epic adventures: a shot with James Brown.
“When we were asked to play with James Brown in D.C. we’d just gotten back from a European tour,” remembers Jackson. “Just by coincidence, every night after our shows we’d been listening to James Brown Live at the Apollo, and the guys in the band knew all the music…a couple of nights later, James Brown was standing outside of the little studio where we were rehearsing! The next night, we were on stage in front of 25,000 people at the MCI Center—-with James Brown.” Jeff Watkins, JB’s sax player, joined The Pietasters in the studio for All Day’s “Anj Gil” and “Oolooloo.”
One of Jackson’s favorite tracks on the new album is their roots reggae version of the’70s radio hit, “Listen to Her Heart,” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. “We had all kinds of debate about whether or not to do the song and then we went to see Tom Petty and it was the first song he played. We decided it was a sign,” says Jackson. The Pietasters have been served well by the signs they’ve encountered along the road during their 17 years as a band. As the sun comes up on All Day, the experience and commitment that defines The Pietasters as an entity will always find friends among the faithful as well as to first-timers to the ska-soul sound.
www.thepietasters.com
www.myspace.com/thepietasters
