The Pietasters prepare to cream Rehoboth Beach

Steve Jackson of Washington, D.C., band The Pietasters said he and his band mates grew up vacationing in Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City, Md.  “We jump at the opportunity to play that area,” Jackson said.

The Pietasters are scheduled to hit Rehoboth Beach Saturday, June 18, for one night only at Arena’s on Rehoboth Avenue.  The show starts at 10 p.m.  Tickets are $25 at the door for individuals 21 and up.

Jackson, one of only two original members of The Pietasters, said the band is doing a small, localized tour to break in a new bass player, Dave Vermillion, who has worked on a nuclear submarine for the past seven years.  He is leaving the confines of a submarine to enter the confines of a tour bus, Jackson joked.  “We’re breaking him in,” he said.

Lewes resident Jeb Crandall is a former keyboard player for The Pietasters.  Jackson contacted Crandall and asked him to help the band book a show at the beach. “He asked me back in April if I thought I could get him a show out here and I thought it would be no problem,” Crandall wrote in an email.

Crandall said he dropped out of college to join the band on their tour with Mighty Mighty Bosstones. “To this day, I feel like I learned more about life and people than I did all throughout college,” he said.

Crandall recorded a number of albums with The Pietasters, including the band’s most recent album, All Day.  Crandall said his participation in the band dwindled when he bought a beer and wine store in Maryland. “We recorded All Day, and I pretty much had to call it quits because the store was my responsibility,” he said.

Crandall said The Slackers, another ska band and friends of The Pietasters, had played at Arena’s in the past and told the band about the venue.  Jackson, The Pietasters’ lead vocalist, said The Slackers gave Arena’s good reviews.

The Pietasters have toured with the Bosstones and Reverend Horton Heat, as well as legendary acts like Joe Strummer and James Brown.  “We’ve never had a bad touring experience,” Jackson said.

The Pietasters had their first tour in 1993, and though band members have come and gone, the ensemble has been steadily touring and releasing albums for nearly two decades.  “We’ve learned a lot in 20 years of playing music,” Jackson said.

Besides ska, The Pietasters incorporate elements of punk, reggae and soul into their songs.  “It’s always been kind of like a mix tape,” Jackson said.

The Pietasters’ released their last album, All Day, in 2007.  Jackson said he does not want to rush a new album.  “We don’t want to put out something for the sake of putting it out,” he said.  The Pietasters have enough material to release a new full-length album, but Jackson said he would rather work out the kinks and make sure the album is ready.

At Arena’s, Jackson said the band is planning to play a little bit of everything in their catalogue.  “There are certain songs we can’t get away with not playing,” he said, including tracks from the album Oolooloo, released in 1995 and Willis, released in 1997, during what Jackson calls the heyday of ska, when bands like Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reverend Horton Heat saw considerable commercial success.

“We try to please the audience,” Jackson said.  “I promise, you’ll have fun.”  For more information, call Arena’s on Rehoboth Avenue at 302-227-1272.