With their unique blend of punk rock, reggae and soul, The Pietasters have been playing since 1993, everywhere from the Warped Tour to the occasional frat party. This Friday, the 8-piece ska/soul band will headline at Starr Hill, along with The Stabones, Star City Wildcats, Band Formerly Known As Fun Junkies and Lucky So Far. Tableau spoke with lead vocalist Steve Jackson about ska music, touring and the recent demise of WHFS, D.C.'s rock station.
Q: There are a lot of ska bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish who were really popular around the mid-90s but aren't as popular anymore. What do you see as the state of ska music today?
A: Well, that's a tough one. I guess we're not the most traditional ska band. We definitely play some ska songs, and we've toured with ska bands and so on and so forth, but we have all kinds of styles from soul to punk rock thrown in. Straight up, straight up ska music is pretty much a bunch of old Jamaican guys who were playing in 1960 and are still playing. And that's cool. [That's] a real ska band. I mean, we're a bunch of white guys from Virginia -- we're not Jamaican.
Q: Who are your biggest musical influences?
A: Lots of Jamaicans [laughs] Like Alton Ellis and Ken Booth. All the old reggae and ska and rocksteady stuff. And then, growing up as a suburban, punk rock kind of kid, everything from The Clash to Minor Threat to The Bosstones to Bouncing Souls and stuff like that.
Q: I read on your web site that you all have been around the scene since the early '90s. How has your music changed over time?
A: We've become more proficient. We definitely were sloppy, not the greatest band in the world. But we never try to take ourselves too seriously, and we never have tried to set any kind of goals for albums such as rock operas or capturing the mood of night or anything like that. It's straight music that's good for drinking to. Hopefully, we have honed our craft, and we'll get people even drunker nowadays than before.
Q:What do you like about your fans?
A: That they're pumped; just enjoying themselves. As long as you're not really hurting anybody else, then knock yourself out.
Q: What is the worst part of touring?
A: Being away from my lovely lady and my little girl.
Q: How old is your daughter?
A: She's about 11 months old. From 1995 to 2000 we were on the road non-stop and 11 months out of the year. I did not have a kid at that time, and my wife was very understanding.
But that's the toughest thing: just being away. Because it's this weird virtual reality when you're out on the road and time slows down and the bill collectors can't catch you. [laughs]
Q: You've played some bigger venues like the 9:30 Club in D.C. and smaller places like Starr Hill here in Charlottesville. What do you like about playing the smaller venues?
A: It's a lot more intimate, and you feel like you're more connected to the people. It's fun to play big shows, but we got our start playing in Charlottesville and Blacksburg and the college towns in the Virginia area. That's what we enjoy.
So it's nice to go out and play big, crazy tours, but then it's also a lot of fun for us to play 200-person capacity bars and sweat right along with everybody else.
Q: What's the funniest description of your music that you've ever heard?
A: The best is when people come up and say, 'Man, I really like your singing. You remind me a lot of Joe Cocker.' I guess that's a good thing because he's a successful guy, but it's kind of funny.
One time in Germany, they said that our bass player played bass 'too much like an American.' [laughs]
Q: If you could play with any band, living or dead, what would it be?
A: I guess The Rolling Stones would probably be the end-all for us. Maybe Rolling Stones circa 1972 or something like that.
Actually, one time, I got to go to the bathroom next to Mick Jagger. I got that close. That's pretty much the best we could ask for.
Q: You're originally from the D.C. area and appeared on [the radio station] WHFS. Do you have any thoughts on its recent replacement with a Spanish language station?
A: [laughs] Oh man. It's crazy. I wish WRNR, which is out in Annapolis, had a stronger signal because they have a lot of the alumni from HFS and it's closer to their format.
Near the end, it got pretty bad as far as [WHFS'] programming. It's sad that they're gone, but we had a lot of fun. I know that a bunch of them are already gainfully employed elsewhere. I hope that they land on their feet.
Q: So, I saw you have a live CD on E-music and recently released a live DVD. What are your future plans?
A: We're working on some songs. We've actually got to buckle down and record them and get that out.
I don't know what's taking us so long, to be honest with you. But the DVD was recorded last year, and it's got interviews and commentary and extra stuff. It turned out really well.
That's the latest ware we're hawking. And the new record is in the works, and it'll be out, hopefully, this summer.
Q: Where would you guys like to be in five years?
A: Still alive.
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