On point with the Pietasters

MEGHAN MONTGOMERY / senior photographer Pietasters' bassist Jorge Pezzimenti and singer Steve Jackson give an animated show at Mainstreet Bar and Grill Wednesday night.

A trombone and saxophone blast away to an infectious melody. A guitar and keyboard provide a syncopated rhythm. Lyrics about partying and having fun are amplified as the crowd sings along.

Combining elements of ska, soul and punk rock, the Pietasters' unique sound and fun-loving attitude fueled Mainstreet Bar & Grill with tunes and excitement Wednesday night.

A popular band hailing from the Washington, D.C. area, the Pietasters has been playing its high-energy music across the United States for more than 10 years. The band has recorded six albums, most recently Awesome Mix Tape #6, released August 1999 on Hellcat Records.

At Mainstreet, the crowd sang along with the Pietasters' fan favorites like "Maggie Mae," about a favorite barmaid, and "Stay Out All Night," about, well, staying out all night. As usual, several fans joined the band on stage, dancing and singing along.

Earlier in the night, over a humble meal of buffalo wings, chicken tenders, french fries and a pitcher of Miller Lite, lead singer Steve Jackson, bassist Jorge Pezzimenti, saxophonist Alan Makranczy and trombonist Jeremy Roberts sat down to reflect on their band and their experiences.

Jackson said they enjoy playing at Mainstreet, which they have visited several times in the past few years, most recently in September 2001. They have played other locations in Harrisonburg as well.

"We played house parties for the radio station when we were first starting out and stuff like that," Jackson said. "James Madison never had a whole bunch of clubs that you could play, so when this place opened up and offered us some shows, we jumped on it. We like the neighborhood. We prefer all the college towns basically."

Makranczy said, "College towns in Virginia are usually pretty much different than anywhere else."

Jackson said, "College towns are usually good because of the ladies that are between 18 and 24 and the beer that is usually under $6 a pitcher, and we can get away with being the drunk louts that we are."

They agreed that their attitude and style fit well with the partying aspect of college life.

"We're definitely good beer-drinking music, which goes along with the college scene," Jackson said. "Definitely music to get drunk by and hopefully wake up in someone else's room."

They recalled their earlier visits to college towns and how they had to stay with friends and fans in their dwellings following shows.

Jackson said, "We'd have to find places to stay. It's like, 'All right, we're gonna stay with this friend, they're gonna stay in this girl's dorm room …'"

Shows at college towns also brought back memories of lost instruments. "Our old guitar player [used to give] guitars to hippie girls," Pezzimenti said.

The Pietasters received a major blow when their former bassist, Todd Eckhardt, died of a viral heart infection in November. Since Eckhardt already had left the band by that point, Jackson said it didn't affect the band's lineup, but it did affect them emotionally. "It had more of an effect from the standpoint of your friend dying," he said.

The Pietasters came to Mainstreet on a two-day trip to play Harrisonburg and Newport News. When they're not out performing, they're in the studio working on a new album.

"For the longest time, we were telling people we were in the studio just to get them off our backs, but now we're actually in the studio," Pezzimenti said. "It's not a lie anymore."

They were very confident about the material on the upcoming album, which they hope will be out this spring on Fueled by Ramen Records.

"It's the same wonderful blend of Pietasters sounds that you've come to expect from us, but the next step in the Pietaster progression," Jackson said.

The wave of ska bands that the Pietasters emerged with in the '90s was known as the "third wave" of ska, following the first wave in the '60s and the second wave in the late '70s and early '80s. The Pietasters commented on the recent decline in popularity and numbers of the third wave of ska.

"The fruits are not what they were like two, three years ago," Pezzimenti said.
Jackson said, "But you know what? On that show we played with the Slackers (another current ska band) a couple weeks ago, I felt that the scene was very optimistic. The people all seemed to be digging the idea that all the bands were trying out new material, and it was almost like ska had turned another corner. We're into the fourth wave …"

The Pietasters have accepted its role in the music world and thrive on the music it makes and the fans it entertains.

"The goal is just to have a good time," Jackson said. "We've tried to make money; you can't do that. We've tried to get laid. That doesn't always work. You might as well just have fun and get drunk."

Jackson said he believes ska will prevail as groups add unique elements to their music and maintain their own personalities.

"It's nice when a band has a personality," Jackson said. "We get lucky by being drunk guys playing sloppy old soul music. So … sign me up."