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/
Best Wishes To Your Black Lung
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll be out on the streets of Chicago
Walking all the way home from commuter trains
By this time tomorrow
You'll be back at home in Chicago
At the bars until they close
Back at places that you've known and
And it's gonna be crowded tourist stops
So it's goodbye
To your brand new life
So it's good luck
Best wishes to your black lung
By this time tomorrow
You'll be walking home through Chicago
Past the nine to five crowds underneath
Those unused fire escapes
By this time tomorrow
You'll be at the bars in Chicago
Back with people that you know
Going places you used to go
It's gonna be skylines and rooftops
And it's gonna be crowded tourist stops
So it's goodbye
To your brand new life
So it's good luck
Best wishes to your black lung
So when you're leaving the party just to beat the crowd
Just make sure that you're the first one out
The lyrics to Less Than Jake's song "Best Wishes To Your Black Lung" seem to be addressing someone who has recently left their hometown to start a new life in Chicago, but is now returning home. The lyrics give the impression that the person's new life did not work out as planned, and they are now returning disillusioned to their old haunts. They will be walking through the city, seeing familiar faces and places, but with a sense of disappointment that their dreams did not come true. The line "best wishes to your black lung" seems to be a sarcastic farewell, implying that the person's new life in the city was not worth the harm it has done to their health.
The song captures a feeling that many people experience when they move to a new city to pursue their dreams, only to find that the reality is not what they had hoped for. The lyrics highlight the sense of disillusionment and isolation that can come from living in a big city, and the longing for the familiarity of home. The line "just make sure that you're the first one out" suggests that the singer has learned from their experience, and will be quick to leave if they ever try to pursue a new life again.
Line by Line Meaning
By this time tomorrow
You'll be out on the streets of Chicago
Walking all the way home from commuter trains
Tomorrow at this time, you'll be in Chicago walking home after taking public transportation.
By this time tomorrow
You'll be back at home in Chicago
At the bars until they close
Back at places that you've known and
It'll be skylines and rooftops
And it's gonna be crowded tourist stops
Tomorrow, you'll return to familiar places in Chicago, like bars and tourist spots, where you can see the city skyline and rooftops, surrounded by crowds of tourists.
So it's goodbye
To your brand new life
So it's good luck
Best wishes to your black lung
That's the end of your new life, and good luck with your old, unhealthy habits.
By this time tomorrow
You'll be walking home through Chicago
Past the nine to five crowds underneath
Those unused fire escapes
Tomorrow you'll be walking through Chicago's crowds, underneath unused fire escapes.
By this time tomorrow
You'll be at the bars in Chicago
Back with people that you know
Going places you used to go
It's gonna be skylines and rooftops
And it's gonna be crowded tourist stops
Tomorrow, you'll be back at bars with people you know, going to places you've been before, surrounded by the same skyline and rooftops and crowded tourist spots.
So it's goodbye
To your brand new life
So it's good luck
Best wishes to your black lung
So when you're leaving the party just to beat the crowd
Just make sure that you're the first one out
Once again, goodbye to your new life and good luck with your unhealthy habits. If you're leaving a party, make sure you're the first out to avoid the crowd.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind