DC based "3rd Wave" ska band The Pietasters have the sort of history behind them that makes for interesting copy. The group has plodded along for more than a decade, balancing “real jobs” with a nice dose of touring, beer, broads, beer….did I mention beer? After watching the Pietasters’ first DVD release, The Pietasters Live at the 9:30 Club, one thing is for certain. The boys love beer. They have enough stories to captivate a group of hard partying frat boys for a few hours, including one about members of the band stumbling into a porn shoot and becoming part of the film….sort of. You’ll have to grab the disc for all of the details.
The DVD covers a concert done in the Pietasters' backyard of Washington, DC. The band doesn’t disappoint, with a set list of fan favorites, along with some nice surprises. The only notable omission is "Pleasure Bribe", a moody track about the world’s oldest profession. Its oddly missing considering the band takes time during the disc to discuss the history behind the song, and a fight that broke out in the pit during the playing of "Pleasure Bribe" at a show.
The quality of the concert taping is excellent, including some nice camera angles that provide great perspective of the band and the pit tearing up the 9:30 Club. But, what makes this disc notably superior to many concert videos (with presumably far bigger budgets and ‘production values’) is that the songs are not necessarily seen to their fruition every time, in deference to cutaways to interviews with the individual group members as they walk you through the history of the group. The main concert plus these interviews last only about an hour, but it is an hour well spent. There is a genuineness to the group that is refreshing. You could watch this DVD with no prior knowledge of the band, and finish up an hour later with a history lesson and a nice look at the better side of their ska catalog. The group members are “everyguys”—frankly half of them look like the staff accountants at HR Block with their suit jackets and button downs, until they pick up the trumpet or mic and bust out a ska-terrific track like “Freak Show”.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
The Pietasters are great, and especially fun live. They helped introduce me to ska, actually, when I saw them as part of the Skavoovie Tour (with The Toasters and Scofflaws) at a little bar in Ithica, New York. It must have been 1993 or 1994, which means these guys have been going strong for at least a decade.
In between sets, I recall that one of the guys from The Pietasters bounded right over me and started up a conversation about music. He told me when their next album was coming out, and was a super nice guy, very "every day" as you mention.
It's great to see nice guys with a passion (for music and beer, among other things) doing their thing and having success over the long haul. Very inspirational.
Good job with this post, Matt.
Eric Berlin
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