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/
Econolodged
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spent round the clock
Has got me running on a treadmill with no time to stop
And competition has put a price on time,
See all the people you left behind
And step on all the people that have fell behind,
Competition has put a price on time.
I'm all I've got,
Like it or not,
I'm all I've got.
I'm Econolodged.
The lyrics to Less Than Jake's song "Econolodged" are about the struggles of modern life and the constant competition and pressure to succeed. The character in the song feels like he is running on a treadmill with no time to stop and sees the people he has left behind as he strives for success. This theme of competition is particularly significant as it has put a price on time, meaning that every moment spent not pushing towards success is seen as a wasted opportunity. However, the character recognizes that he is all he has and that he is "Econolodged" - paying a low price for the basic necessities of life.
The lyrics of "Econolodged" are reflective of the pressures of modern society to always be striving for success and how these pressures can make you feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of competition. The reference to the "Econolodge" hotel chain is also significant, as it highlights how many people are forced to live in less-than-ideal conditions due to financial pressures. Overall, the lyrics of "Econolodged" are about the struggle to balance the pressures of modern life with the need to find meaning and fulfillment beyond success and competition.
Line by Line Meaning
Step it up my life
I need to improve my life and do better.
Spent round the clock
I'm working constantly, with no break or rest.
Has got me running on a treadmill with no time to stop
My life is like a never-ending cycle of work, with no time for anything else.
And competition has put a price on time,
The pressure to compete has made time into a valuable resource, and I feel like I'm always running out of it.
See all the people you left behind
When you're caught up in the competition of life, it's easy to forget about the people you've left behind or neglected.
And step on all the people that have fell behind,
Sometimes in the rush to get ahead, we trample over others who may have fallen behind.
Competition has put a price on time.
Again, the stress of competition has made time seem more valuable than ever before.
Man,
An expression of frustration or exasperation.
I'm all I've got,
At the end of the day, I only have myself to rely on.
Like it or not,
Whether I like it or not, this is my reality.
I'm all I've got.
I can't rely on anyone else to help me or save me from my problems. It's all up to me.
I'm Econolodged.
This is a term used to describe the feeling of being stuck in a cheap hotel, which can be a metaphorical representation of feeling stuck in one's current situation or life. It connotes feelings of disappointment or being trapped.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris Warburton
competition puts a price on tiiiiiime