The Pietasters (thing)

I saw them perform live at a venue in an old hotel on Dundas Ave in London, Ontario. The opening act was The Pilfers who seem to also have gone on to fame.

Before then I'd only heard the Pietasters in my buddies' cars (with the excellent intro "This next song goes out to all of you who suck boners in truck stop toilets") but the piles of increasingly underground Pietasters CDs grew and eventually I was dragged to the concert.

After a drawn out opening act by The Pilfers where Coolie (the lead singer) tried to get the crowd to sing along but failed because of his mumbled instructions, the Pietasters came on. The almost shouted vocals, combined with the lively and talented brass players got my feet moving, and I hadn't even had any beer.

At the end of the concert my buddies went and talked to the bands, who recognized them from a previous gig in Toronto (the second of which we'd been trying to go to had not one of my friends been mugged on the Spadina Subway). Then and there they decided to follow the band on tour to Philly, New York and Washington D.C. There's a whole other story to that one.

However, the Pietasters had won me over with their sheer energy and cool songs (Drinkin' and Drivin' is my favourite). Oh, and they kick ass live. IMHO, the best CD is 'Get Slapped'.

The Pietasters are:

Pietasters Discography:

I wear my t-shirt with pride - it always attracts attention.

It is unfortunate to note that the bass player and songwriter, Todd Eckhardt, died in his sleep on November 14, 2001 of a viral heart infection. A scholarship has been started in his honour.

Sources: www.amazon.com
www.thepietasters.com