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/
Channel 1
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
somehow the world will change for me
and be so wonderful
Live life, breathe air
I know somehow it's gonna get there
and feel so wonderful
It's all for real
I'm telling you just how I feel
So wake up the members of my nation
it's your time to be
there's no chance unless you take one every time
to see the brighter side of every situation
somethings are meant to be
Leave it all to me
leave it all to me
leave it all to me
just leave it all to me
The lyrics to Less Than Jake's song Channel 1 express a strong sense of optimism for the future. The singer believes that the world is capable of changing for the better and becoming a more wonderful place. They urge their audience, the members of their nation, to wake up and take advantage of the opportunities that are available to them. The singer acknowledges that there may be challenges and obstacles along the way, but they remain confident that by working together and maintaining a positive attitude, they will be able to overcome anything.
What makes these lyrics particularly interesting is how they are situated within the context of the song. Channel 1 was written as the theme song for the Nickelodeon television show iCarly, which was aimed at a younger demographic. The show was known for its lighthearted humor and positive messages about friendship, individuality, and perseverance. The lyrics to Channel 1 capture the show's overall ethos, conveying a message of hope and possibility that is especially resonant for young viewers. By framing their message in such an upbeat and catchy way, Less Than Jake was able to create a song that is both entertaining and uplifting.
Overall, the lyrics to Channel 1 offer a simple but powerful message about the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and working towards a brighter future. They are an excellent example of how music can be used to convey messages of hope and inspiration to audiences of all ages.
Line by Line Meaning
I know, you see
I understand your perspective
somehow the world will change for me
I have hope that the world will get better for me
and be so wonderful
and I'll feel content
Live life, breathe air
live your life
I know somehow it's gonna get there
I have faith that things will work out
and feel so wonderful
and I'll feel content
It's all for real
What I'm saying is sincere
I'm telling you just how I feel
I'm being honest with you
So wake up the members of my nation
Let's all come together
it's your time to be
It's our time to take action
there's no chance unless you take one every time
We need to take risks and seize opportunities
to see the brighter side of every situation
We need to be optimistic
somethings are meant to be
Certain things are destined to happen
so give it your best and leave the rest to me
Do your best and let me handle the rest
Leave it all to me
Trust me to take care of it
leave it all to me
Trust me to take care of it
leave it all to me
Trust me to take care of it
just leave it all to me
You don't need to worry about it because I'll handle it
Contributed by Evelyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.