The Pietasters

The ska band formed in 1990 and performed at Olde Towne as one of their first shows outside of their homebase of Washington, D.C.

"We've always been kind of a party band," said band founder, vocalist and co-songwriter Steve Jackson. "In 1990 or '91, we were just playing parties, goofing off, before anyone had any pretensions about making money on being in a band."

They were touring by '92 -- albeit a tour across the country, selling albums out of a school bus.

"We thought maybe we could get some free beer and meet girls in some other cities," he said.

That was during their underground days.

After that tour, half the band left.

In its 17 years, that was only the first lineup change. Besides Jackson, Carlos Linares (trumpet) is the only early member still in the band.

It didn't take long for The Pietasters to achieve underground fame, and around '94, they were touring full time.

In 1997, they got a record deal with Rancid's Tim Armstrong on Hellcat/Epitaph, and they recorded two albums with producer Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion): "Willis" and "Awesome Mix Tape 6."

They stepped it up a notch from the school bus for Warped Tour in '98 and '99.

And then it got better.

They later played a stateside run with Joe Strummer and accepted a last-minute gig to back up James Brown at in front of 25,000 people at the MCI Center in 2003.

Their latest album, "All Day," was produced by James Brown's engineer, Todd Harris.

"We've been so blessed with these experiences," Jackson said. "Ska took a beating in the '90s -- a little over-exposed there."

But they stick to it.

Throughout the years, they were influenced heavily by soul -- which is apparent when listening to their body of work -- as well as Lee Scratch Perry and some reggae styles and a little punk.

But at the heart of their sound is ska. They are the self-described D.C. ska darlings.

"It's the cross we bear," he said, laughing. "There's something good about what we're doing."

Jackson's proud to say they've never sold out and never would, even if presented with the opportunity.

"We're never gonna fire our horn section or change our hair and write slow-tempo acoustic ballads," he said. "It's always been about having fun. I'd rather play to 250 people packed in a bar having a great time."

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