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 WĆ¼nderland 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 (1992āpresent)
Roger Lima - vocals and bass (1993āpresent)
Buddy ''Goldfinger'' Schaub - tenor trombone and backing vocals (1993āpresent)
Peter ''JR'' Wasilewski - tenor saxophone and backing vocals (2000āpresent)
Matt Yonker - Drums (2018āpresent)
Past members:
Jessica Mills - alto saxophone (1993ā1998)
Derron Nuhfer - tenor and baritone saxophone (1995ā2000)
Pete Anna - tenor and alto trombone (1998ā2001)
Vinnie Fiorello - drums (1992ā2018)
Website: http://www.lessthanjake.com/
Cheeze
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Not Rich, not George
Civilized until the keg runs dry
And he's tried to drink from 9 to 5 and then from 5 to 9
Always drunk and going crazy
Always drunk, going crazy, you'd better believe it
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Not Rich, not George
I'm Cheez
Chesterfield, where the keg's never dry, it's always filled
Have another beer with Fear, have another beer or two, he'll show you his Cheez tattoo
Always drunk and going crazy
Always drunk, going crazy, you'd better believe it
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Not Rich, not George
I'm Cheez
The song "Cheeze" by Less Than Jake is an eccentric ode to a friend of the band's named Cheeze. The lyrics repeat the same line over and over again, "Don't call me Rich, don't call me George, Just call me Cheeze, that's who I am," highlighting that the singer of the song prefers to be called by his nickname. There is a sense of pride in the character's moniker as it defines who he is rather than his given name. The song is a celebration of a carefree lifestyle, living day-by-day, and the unwavering bond shared between friends over drinks.
The lyrics also mention a place called "Chesterfield," where the keg never runs dry, and the singer of the song, Cheeze, has a tattoo representing his love for beer. This imagery creates a nostalgic, almost romanticized depiction of never-ending parties, where the only things that matter are good times and good company. There is also a hint of rebellion in the song, showing that Cheeze is unapologetically himself, and nothing can change that, even if society labels him as rich or George, his actual name.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't call me Rich, don't call me George
I don't identify as Rich or George, so please call me Cheez instead
Just call me Cheez, that's who I am
Cheez is my true identity, so that's the name I prefer to go by
Civilized until the keg runs dry
I can maintain a sense of normalcy until the alcohol supply is depleted
And he's tried to drink from 9 to 5 and then from 5 to 9
I've attempted to drink alcohol constantly throughout the day, with no break
Always drunk and going crazy
I'm frequently inebriated and lose control of my actions
You'd better believe it
My behavior is not an exaggeration, it's the truth
Chesterfield, where the keg's never dry, it's always filled
Chesterfield is a location where alcohol is readily available at all times
Have another beer with Fear, have another beer or two, he'll show you his Cheez tattoo
Fear, another person, is willing to drink more beer with me and will reveal his Cheez tattoo as a sign of camaraderie
Not Rich, not George
I am not the person that society expects me to be, I am my own individual
I'm Cheez
Cheez is the truest version of myself, this is who I am
Contributed by Nolan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@teikouarc
I've always loved this song, it's so much fun! Thanks for putting it up!
@ladysnake8449
š¶š¾š·šøš¹šŗš» Always drunk going crazy you'd better believe it!
@chinesecooking1757
This song is deadass about my uncle
@pseudofox
Superb! :-D
@utubeeducatedrockafella6336
drunk and listening to this
@SkaMasta097
Check out their song "Three Quarts Drunk" as well :)
@FTWorWTF
@SkaMasta097
NOW I'M
@whoohaaXL
@@FTWorWTF OUTTA TIME!
@Jt-0101
Just saw this in person for the first time
@liptonchickennoodle
awsome