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 5
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
to the beat of just one drum
what might be right for you
may not right be right for some
a man is born
he's a man of means
then along come two
they got nothing but their jeans
Diff'rent strokes, it takes
diff'rent strokes, it takes
diff'rent strokes to move the world
Everybody's got a special kind of story
everybody finds a way to shine
it don't matter that you got
not a lot, so what?
they'll have theirs, you'll have yours and I'll have mine
and together we'll be fine
It takes
diff'rent strokes to move the world, yes it does
it takes diff'rent strokes to move the world
mmmmmmmmm
The lyrics of "Channel 5" by Less Than Jake talk about the diversity of the world and how we all have different stories that make us unique. The opening lines establish that the world doesn't move to the beat of just one drum, meaning there is no singular path or way of life that everyone follows. What may be right for one person might not work for someone else, and that is okay. The second stanza goes on to talk about people being born with different means, but it doesn't matter because at the end of the day, we all have our own stories and ways of shining.
The chorus then reinforces this idea that it takes different strokes to move the world. We all have something to contribute, and our differences make us stronger together. The song ends with the repetition of this line and an extended "mmmmm", emphasizing the importance of accepting and celebrating differences.
Overall, "Channel 5" is a call for unity and understanding in a world that can often feel divided. It encourages listeners to embrace their uniqueness and to appreciate the diversity around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the world don't move to the beat of just one drum
The world doesn't operate uniformly, there are variations in behavior and habits
what might be right for you, may not right be right for some
What is right for one person, might not be right for someone else based on different perspectives
a man is born, he's a man of means
At birth, a man may have resources that make him better off
then along come two, they got nothing but their jeans
Two people may have fewer resources than one man alone
but they got diff'rent strokes, it takes, diff'rent strokes, it takes, diff'rent strokes to move the world
Individuality and diversity are what make things move in the world
Everybody's got a special kind of story, everybody finds a way to shine
Everyone has their own unique story and ways of standing out
it don't matter that you got, not a lot, so what?
How much one has doesn't define them, there's no shame in having just a little
they'll have theirs, you'll have yours and I'll have mine, and together we'll be fine
Everyone will have their share, but collectively everyone will be alright
It takes diff'rent strokes to move the world, yes it does, it takes diff'rent strokes to move the world
The world can't function without diversity and different ways of approaching situations
Contributed by Cooper T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.