The band's name derives from a bird Vinnie had while growing up, which was treated better than the rest of the family. It's also a reference to the phrase "everything is jake," which is an old phrase meaning everything is cool.
Less Than Jake released their debut album, Pezcore, in 1995, following a series of independent seven-inch single releases. The band's subsequent two studio albums, Losing Streak (1996) and Hello Rockview (1998), were released on major label, Capitol Records, leading to increased exposure. The band's fifth studio album Anthem (2003) was their most commercially successful to date, featuring the singles, "She's Gonna Break Soon" and "The Science of Selling Yourself Short".
In 2008 the band founded its own label, Sleep It Off Records, and released its seventh full-length album, GNV FLA. The band has recently stated its preference for EP releases, and independently issued Greetings from Less Than Jake (2011) and its counterpart, Seasons Greetings from Less Than Jake (2012). In late 2012, the band combined the two to create the compilation album, Greetings and Salutations (2012) Their eighth studio album, See the Light, was released on November 12, 2013.
Miscellaneous Info:
Vinnie was previously the owner of the independent record label Fueled by Ramen, as well as a toy company called Wünderland War (formerly Monkey Vs. Robot). This label has signed bands such as Fall Out Boy, Punchline, The AKAs, Gym Class Heroes, Panic! At The Disco and Days Away. Roger, meanwhile, is in a second band, called Rehasher, for whom he composes lyrics and plays guitar. JR played sax on the last track of Off Key Melodies. JR works with a promoting company called the CT Mafia, as well as composing solo music. He contributed one track to the Drive-Thru compilation tribute to Bob Dylan, using the band name The Stay At Home Joneses (Roger sang backup for this track).
Roger and Vinnie have an unexplained fetish for Pez candy and they reportedly have sizeable dispenser collections. This love for Pez goes so far as to name one of their albums, Pezcore (parodying of the way in which many bands are described as [something]-core, starting with hardcore) and Pez dispenser motifs are a common feature of their merchandise.
Roger's employment history includes a smoke shop in the band's hometown Gainesville, Florida known as Knuckleheads which has since been transformed into a similar establishment named Smoke. Band member haunts have included Eddie C's, the Hardback (which was transformed into the Lyric), and Insomnia (which used to be the Covered Dish, and is now the new location of Common Grounds).
The members of Less Than Jake also served as backup musicians for Asian Man Records owner Mike Park in the B.Lee Band (once called "the Bruce Lee Band", changed for legal reasons).
The track "Look What Happened" appeared on two of their albums, "Borders & Boundaries" (2000) and "Anthem." (2003) The "Anthem" version is completely re-recorded, and has eschewed the brass at the beginning of the song that was featured in the previous recording. The re-recording features guest vocals from Teen Idols/Bullets To Broadway's Heather.
They have also re-recorded many other songs, including "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts," "Jen Doesn't Like Me Anymore" and "Shotgun".
They recorded the main theme song "We're all Dudes" for the 1997 film "Goodburger" based on the sketch from the Nikelodeon TV show "All That." The song features Kel Mitchell (main character, Ed, in the movie). The song is based off of the jingle "Ed" would always sing while waiting for the next situation to come up in the Goodburger sketches. At the end of the song Mitchell says "Ah, Ed and Less than Jake, oh, uh... no?"
In 2004, Less Than Jake appeared on the Projekt Revolution Tour, joining such artists as The Used, Snoop Dogg, Korn, and the headlining band: Linkin Park.
Lineups:
Chris DeMakes - vocals and guitar (1992–present)
Roger Lima - vocals and bass (1993–present)
Buddy ''Goldfinger'' Schaub - tenor trombone and backing vocals (1993–present)
Peter ''JR'' Wasilewski - tenor saxophone and backing vocals (2000–present)
Matt Yonker - Drums (2018–present)
Past members:
Jessica Mills - alto saxophone (1993–1998)
Derron Nuhfer - tenor and baritone saxophone (1995–2000)
Pete Anna - tenor and alto trombone (1998–2001)
Vinnie Fiorello - drums (1992–2018)
Website: http://www.lessthanjake.com/
A.S.A.O.K
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Programed, hardwired, that I'd self-destruct
They'd say I was destined to always be desperate
They'd say I was destined to always fuck up
And I was voted the first one to crumble and break
I'd never have a chance, the biggest waste
But now I'm the one who's laughing last
You're the one that's fading away
So I say
This song is for everyone that said I was
Programed, hardwired, that I'd self-destruct
They'd say I was destined to always be desperate
They'd say I was destined to always fuck up
And I was voted the first one to crumble and break
I'd never have a chance, the biggest waste
But now I'm the one who's laughing last
Because you're the one that keeps looking back
You're the one that's fading away, fading away
The lyrics to Less Than Jake's song "A.S.A.O.K." address the idea of being underestimated and misunderstood. The singer describes being labeled and judged by others, who believe that he is programmed or hardwired to self-destruct. They have no faith in him, and they believe that he is destined to always be desperate and to always mess up. However, the singer proves them all wrong. He doesn't crumble or break like they predicted. Instead, he becomes the one who is laughing last, because the people who once doubted him are now fading away.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea that the song is for everyone who said the singer was programmed or hardwired to self-destruct. He is reclaiming the narrative and proving his critics wrong. The song is a powerful anthem for anyone who has felt misunderstood or underestimated. It is a call to action for anyone who has been told they're destined to fail, to rise up and prove their critics wrong.
Overall, "A.S.A.O.K." is a song about resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. It encourages listeners to take control of their own lives and to never give up on themselves, no matter what others may say.
Line by Line Meaning
This song is for everyone that said I was
This song is a response to those who claimed that I was incapable of success.
Programed, hardwired, that I’d self-destruct
These individuals believed that my behavior was predetermined and that I was bound to fail.
They’d say I was destined to always be desperate
According to them, I was fated to live a life characterized by hopelessness and despair.
They’d say I was destined to always fuck up
The same people believed that I would always make mistakes and fail to achieve my goals.
And I was voted the first one to crumble and break
In their eyes, I was the most vulnerable and the most likely to fail.
I’d never have a chance, the biggest waste
They believed that I was hopeless and that any attempt to succeed was a waste of time and effort.
But now I’m the one who’s laughing last
Despite their predictions, I have achieved success, and now I am the one who finds their skepticism amusing.
Because you’re the one that keeps looking back
Despite my success, those who doubted me continue to ruminate on the past and their own wrongness.
You’re the one that’s fading away
While I continue to thrive, their negativity and skepticism is causing them to fade away into oblivion.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind