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/
Ask the Magic 8 Ball
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fuck have I become
I've become the product of the sum
Caught in an endless circle
I've become the stupidest man in the world
"Chalk another one up to experience"
Y'know it doesn't make any sense
To do it all over again
Then do it all over again
I've become the stupidest man
I think I'm drawing a blank again
This dizziness never seems to end
Never seems to end
You know it never seems to end
Drunk and sitting in and thinking
Change it never seems to come when I'm thinking
The lyrics of Less Than Jake's song, "Ask The Magic 8 Ball," explore the feeling of being stuck in a cycle and struggling to break free of it. The singer is frustrated with himself and seems to have lost control of his life. He feels like he's become a "product of the sum," meaning that he's just a result of all of his experiences and the circumstances around him.
The line "chalk another one up to experience" shows that the singer has made mistakes in the past and has learned from them, but he's still struggling to move forward. He's caught in an "endless circle" and keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again. He recognizes that this behavior doesn't make sense, but he can't seem to stop himself from doing it.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I've become the stupidest man," which highlights the singer's feelings of self-blame and frustration. He's drawing a blank and feeling dizzy, which represents his inability to find a way out of this cycle. He's drunk and thinking, but change never seems to come when he's thinking.
Overall, "Ask The Magic 8 Ball" is a song about feeling trapped in a self-destructive cycle and struggling to break free from it. The lyrics highlight the frustration and hopelessness that can come with this situation, and the repetitive nature of the chorus emphasizes the feeling of being stuck.
Line by Line Meaning
What the fuck
Expression of anger and dismay towards oneself
The fuck have I become
Reflecting on one's behavior and actions leading up to present moment
I've become the product of the sum
Feeling like a result of all past decisions and experiences
Caught in an endless circle
Feeling stuck in a repetitive cycle of behavior and thoughts
I've become the stupidest man in the world
Feeling like a failure or lacking intelligence and common sense
"Chalk another one up to experience"
Using past failures as a lesson to learn from
Y'know it doesn't make any sense
Questioning the reasoning behind repeating past mistakes
To do it all over again
Repeating the same behavior and expecting different results
And then again
Acknowledging the cycle of repeated behavior
Then do it all over again
Expressing frustration and disappointment towards oneself for failing to break out of the cycle
I've become the stupidest man
Repeating self-doubt and lack of confidence
I think I'm drawing a blank again
Experiencing difficulty in finding solutions or answers
This dizziness never seems to end
Feeling overwhelmed and disoriented by the cycle of repeated behavior and mistakes
Never seems to end
Reiterating the feeling of being trapped in the cycle
You know it never seems to end
Reaching out to a higher power for guidance and help
Drunk and sitting in and thinking
Expressing the feeling of being lost and trying to make sense of it all
Change it never seems to come when I'm thinking
Expressing the feeling of helplessness and inability to break free from the cycle of behavior
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind