Stephen Jackson (musician)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Jackson is a musician from Washington D.C.. Most notably he is a founding member, singer and songwriter for the Washington D.C. based band The Pietasters
and the record labels Slug Tone! and Indication Records.
, Bad Manners
and Bim Skala Bim
. The Pietasters soon began recording their first musical tracks, and released early EP's and a full-length self-titled tape on their own SlugTone! label in 1990 and 1991.
Jackson began touring extensively with the Pietasters in 1992 after graduating with a degree in Architecture, and has continued to do so to the present day. He has released seven full-length albums with the Pietasters.
Jackson continues to manage the band and is currently the only remaining original member of the band that has performed with the band full-time since 1990. He has appeared as one of the lead songwriters on every Pietaster album.
like Alton Ellis
, Two-Tone Ska, Northern Soul
, Stax
, Motown Marvin Gaye
, Punk Rock
, The Beatles
, Mick Jagger
, U2
, The Police
, and The Clash
amongst his numerous influences.
, the Reverend Horton Heat, the Slackers
, Pennywise
, No Doubt
, NOFX
, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
, the Toasters, the Specials, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, the Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake
, the Ramones
, They Might Be Giants
, the Meatmen, the Damned
, Rancid
, Ozomatli
, Hepcat
, Bad Brains
and many others.
The Pietasters
The Pietasters are a seven-piece ska/soul band hailing from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia.- History :In 1990, a group of friends were attending college at Virginia Tech in the mountains of Virginia...
and the record labels Slug Tone! and Indication Records.
Musical career
While attending college at Virginia Tech, Stephen Jackson and high school friends Tal Bayer, Chris Watt and Tom Goodin formed the ska, punk-rock band the Slugs in 1990. After changing the name to the Dancehall Crashers and eventually the Pietasters, the band soon began playing shows with bands like The SkunksThe Skunks (ska band)
The Skunks were a third wave ska band formed in 1988 by a group of high school friends from suburban Maryland. They recorded three albums, performed extensively in the Washington, DC/Baltimore, Maryland area, and toured the United States.-History:...
, Bad Manners
Bad Manners
Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
and Bim Skala Bim
Bim Skala Bim
Bim Skala Bim, formed in Boston, Massachusetts, was a third wave ska band that started in 1983 and remained active until 2002. They were influenced by the bands in England's 2 Tone movement, as well as bands such as the Clash, UB40 and Bob Marley...
. The Pietasters soon began recording their first musical tracks, and released early EP's and a full-length self-titled tape on their own SlugTone! label in 1990 and 1991.
Jackson began touring extensively with the Pietasters in 1992 after graduating with a degree in Architecture, and has continued to do so to the present day. He has released seven full-length albums with the Pietasters.
Jackson continues to manage the band and is currently the only remaining original member of the band that has performed with the band full-time since 1990. He has appeared as one of the lead songwriters on every Pietaster album.
Musical influences
Jackson has credited early SkaSka
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
like Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis
Alton Nehemiah Ellis, OD, was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.-Biography:Ellis was born in 1938 and...
, Two-Tone Ska, Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
, Stax
Stax
Stax can refer to:* StAX, Streaming API for XML. An API for reading and writing XML in Java.* Stax Earspeakers, a Japanese brand of electrostatic earspeakers* Stax Records, an American record company...
, Motown Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Punk Rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
amongst his numerous influences.
Touring history
Jackson has toured extensively with many bands during his career with the Pietasters: The Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
, the Reverend Horton Heat, the Slackers
Slackers
Slackers is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Dewey Nicks and stars Jason Schwartzman, Devon Sawa, Jason Segel, and Michael Maronna.-Plot:...
, Pennywise
Pennywise
Pennywise or Penny Wise may refer to:* Pennywise , an American punk rock band* Jon Vitti, writer for The Simpsons, who has used the pseudonym Penny Wise* A monster that took on the disguise of a clown from Stephen King's novel It...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid , the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman currently remaining from the original line-up.The Daddies' music...
, the Toasters, the Specials, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, the Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
, the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
, the Meatmen, the Damned
Damned
Damned or The Damned may refer to:* Damnation, a concept of condemnation by God, and use of the term as a profanity- Music :* The Damned , a British punk rock group* "Damned"...
, Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
, Ozomatli
Ozomatli
Ozomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band...
, Hepcat
Hepcat
Hepcat is a ska and reggae band formed in southern California in 1989.Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave....
, Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
and many others.
Studio albums
- The PietastersThe Pietasters (album)The Pietasters, also commonly referred to as Piestomp, is the first album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters. It was released in 1993 on Slugtone. Alternative recordings had earlier been released on cassette as All You Can Eat and The Ska-Rumptious 7 Inch. The CD was reissued in 2000 and made...
- 1993 on Slug Tone! Records - OoloolooOoloolooOolooloo is the second album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters. It was released in 1995 .In November of 2011, Connecticut's Asbestos Records and Chicago, IL's Underground Communiqué Records launched a fundraiser together on Kickstarter to release "Oolooloo" on vinyl, among other third-wave ska...
- 1995 on Moon Ska Records - WillisWillis (album)Willis is the third album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters. It was released in 1997 This album was released during the mid- to late-1990s ska explosion, and reached 44 on the Heatseekers chart, a record for the Pietasters....
- 1997 on Hellcat RecordsHellcat RecordsHellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an off-shoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz carp Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, the latter of whom is generally responsible for... - Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6 is the fourth album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters. It was released in 1999 .-Track listing:# "...This Precious Record" – 0:24# "Chain Reaction" – 2:46...
- 1999 on Hellcat Records - TurboTurbo (The Pietasters album)Turbo is the fifth album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters. It was released in 2002 .-Track listing:# "Told You the First Time" – 2:28# "Set Me Up" – 2:51...
- 2002 on Fueled by RamenFueled by RamenFueled by Ramen is an American record label which operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida, is based in New York City... - All DayAll Day (The Pietasters album)All Day is an album by The Pietasters, released on August 21, 2007 on Indication Records. It includes material that the band had been writing for the previous three years. The band released a free preview of the album at concerts on 1 and 2 June 2007...
- 2007 on Indication Records
Rare Albums, EPs, Singles, and Others
- The Ska-Rumptious 7 Inch - 1992 on Slug Tone! Records
- All You Can Eat (EP) - 1992 on Slug Tone! Records
- Soul Sammich - 1994 on Slug Tone! Records
- Ocean - 1996 on Moon Records
- Strapped Live!Strapped Live!Strapped Live! is a live album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters, recorded at two shows in 1995 and released in 1996 .-Track listing:#"Without You" – 3:02#"Tell You Why" – 4:16#"Something Better" – 3:57...
(live album) - 1996 on Moon Records - Comply - 1996 on Moon Records
- Out All Night (Promo) - 1997 on Hellcat Records
- Out All Night (EP) - 1998 on HellCat Records
- Yesterday's Over (Promo) - 1999 on Hellcat Records
- The Pietasters 1992-1996 - 2003 on VMS Records
- Live at the 9:30 Club (DVD) - 2005 on MVD
- NCAA Football 2006 (Game Menu and Minigame Soundtrack)
- Crazy Baldhead: The Sound of '69 singing on Monkey Man
Videos
- New Breed - a Burning Toast / Slug Tone! Records Production (or see it on YouTube)
- Stoned Feeling - a Burning Toast / Slug Tone! Records Production
- Out All Night - an Epitaph / Hellcat Records / Slug Tone! Records Production
- Yesterday's Over - an Epitaph / Hellcat Records / Slug Tone! Records Production