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/
Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all of my boring stories keep reminding me
Cause in all honesty,
I used to be an authority on irony and remembering,
My broken dreams and everything that used to be around
And it's not so complicated
Please pass some sanity,
Saint to be mediocrity,
And keep me out of my sobriety
14 and 23, bridge and tunnel authority
Will keep me out of my sobriety
I say we just celebrate (I say we just celebrate)
All of my past mistakes
And all my too little too lates
Cause in all honesty,
I used to be an authority on irony
And remembering my broken dreams and
Everything that used to be around
And did I forget to mention
That I've lost all my best intentions
Please pass some sanity,
Saint to be mediocrity,
And keep me out of my sobriety
14 and 23, bridge and tunnel authority
Will keep me out of my sobriety
And it's not so complicated
To explain why these feelings faded
Please pass some sanity,
Saint to be mediocrity,
Please pass some sanity,
You know it means so much to me
14 and 23, bridge and tunnel authority
Will keep me out of my sobriety
My sobriety
The lyrics of "Bridge and Tunnel Authority" by Less Than Jake revolve around the theme of reminiscing the past, particularly the singer's reckless behavior during his younger years. The first stanza paints a picture of the singer recalling all the bridges he has jumped off of without hesitation. He acknowledges that his stories tend to be boring, but they remind him of who he used to be.
In the chorus, the singer admits that he used to be an expert in sarcasm and nostalgia. However, he now finds that explaining why he feels the way he does is simple. He then pleads to be kept away from his sober state, implying that he feels better when he is not sober. Additionally, he mentions the "14 and 23 bridge and tunnel authority," which can be interpreted as a youth organization or experience that greatly influenced the singer's behavior.
In the second verse, the singer wants to celebrate his past mistakes and failures, acknowledging that he has been wrong in the past with many things. He then laments that he has lost all his good intentions and is in need of sanity to keep him from slipping back into his old ways. The chorus then repeats, reinforcing the theme of nostalgia and the singer's past behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember every bridge I've ever jumped off blindly
I recall all the reckless actions I've taken in the past without thinking about the consequences.
And all of my boring stories keep reminding me
My own uneventful experiences serve as a constant reminder of the poor decisions I've made in life.
Cause in all honesty, I used to be an authority on irony and remembering, My broken dreams and everything that used to be around
In all honesty, I was once knowledgeable on using sarcasm and reminiscing over my failed aspirations and things that no longer exist.
And it's not so complicated to explain why these feelings faded
It's not difficult to understand why my emotions have diminished over time.
Please pass some sanity, Saint to be mediocrity, And keep me out of my sobriety
I'm asking for some sense to be imparted onto me so that I don't continue down a path of mediocrity and avoid becoming sober.
14 and 23, bridge and tunnel authority Will keep me out of my sobriety
Being underage and having access to the bridge and tunnel authority will enable me to continue avoiding sobriety.
I say we just celebrate (I say we just celebrate) All of my past mistakes And all my too little too lates
Let's celebrate all of the blunders I've made in the past and the things I've neglected to do in a timely manner.
And did I forget to mention That I've lost all my best intentions
I failed to point out that I no longer have any good intentions.
Please pass some sanity, Saint to be mediocrity, Please pass some sanity, You know it means so much to me
I'm reiterating my plea for someone to help me find clarity so that I don't live a life of mediocrity, as it's essential to me.
14 and 23, bridge and tunnel authority Will keep me out of my sobriety My sobriety
Once again, I mention that having access to the bridge and tunnel authority at a young age will allow me to continue avoiding sobriety.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind