The Pietasters

by William RuhlmannThe Pietasters, a ska revival band, were founded in Washington D.C. in 1990 by singer/songwriter Stephen Jackson. In 1992, the group got their first big break when they were chosen as the opening act for a tour by the British ska band Bad Manners. Their first album, The Pietasters, was released by Moon Ska Records in 1993. Oolooloo followed on May 22, 1995. Strapped Live! was issued on April 30, 1996. In 1997, the Pietasters signed to Hellcat/Epitaph, with which they released two albums, Willis (October 7, 1997) and Awesome Mix Tape, Vol. 6 (August 3, 1999). They switched to the Fueled by Ramen label for Turbo (August 6, 2002). All Day was released by Indication Records on August 21, 2007. By that time, the lineup for the group, which had changed throughout its history, was: Jackson, Toby Hansen (guitar and vocals), Jon Darby (keyboards), Jorge Pezzimenti (bass, songwriter), Rob Steward (drums), Carlos Linares (trumpet), Jeremy Roberts (trombone), and Alan Makranczy (saxophone).