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/
Flag Holders Union
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and I'll ask myself if this feels like it's a bait and switch
so who am I to ask the whens and wheres and ifs
if I can't ask myself if that's how I wanna live
It's impossible
to know what lies ahead
and it's improbable
what's faith and what's just fate
are treading way too close
and it's a slippery slope
I'll judge the world by what we did not what we wish
between what's called the facts
and what becomes our fiction
I'll be the one who follows blindly up a hill
I can look at this glass
half empty or it's half filled
My reality
becomes a check mark for
every week that I live
and stay out on this course
while we continue on
with all this back and forth
who's awake keeping score
I've thrown most of my life away
Call me a demographic, lost the truth or never had it
I've thrown most of my life away
I'm not asking questions, I'm not learning lessons
I'm a young statistic, lived my life blinked and missed it
I've thrown most of my life away
Carelessly and clearly bent on living to forget
[Talking:]
The path you have chosen for the present is full of hazards
many months of sacrifice, and self discipline lie ahead
many threats and enunciations keep us away of our danger
but the greatest danger of all, would be to do nothing
I've thrown most of my life away
call me a demographic, lost the truth or never had it
I've thrown most of my life away
I'm not asking questions, I'm not learning lessons
I've thrown most of my life away
I'm a young statistic, lived my life blinked and missed it
I've thrown most of my life away
carelessly and clearly bent on living to forget
(life away) I've thrown most of my life away
"Flag Holders Union" by Less Than Jake is a song that delves into the themes of self-reflection and introspection, all while offering a commentary on the state of society. The lyrics suggest that the singer is judging the world not by its successes, but instead by its missed opportunities. The song suggests that the human tendency is to keep ourselves away from the danger by not taking risks, but ultimately, the greatest danger of all is to not do anything at all. The lyrics indicate that the singer feels like they haven't made the most out of their life, which makes them a young statistic.
The song explores the balance between fate and faith, with the lyrics implying that these two ideas are dangerously close to each other. The lyrics suggest that the singer has spent their life carelessly, and they are living to forget. The song suggests that it's easy to get caught up in the mundanity of everyday life and to lose sight of our goals and aspirations. The lyrics provide an interesting commentary on society and the way in which people tend to live their lives without questioning if they are making the most out of their opportunities.
Line by Line Meaning
I judge the whole world not with hits but what I miss
I don't care about what's popular or trendy, but about what I've been missing out on
and I'll ask myself if this feels like it's a bait and switch
I'll question if I'm being misled or deceived
so who am I to ask the whens and wheres and ifs
I can't demand answers to every detail
if I can't ask myself if that's how I wanna live
If I can't question my own choices, then I'm not really choosing at all
It's impossible
It's not possible
to know what lies ahead
to predict the future
and it's improbable
it's unlikely
so say good luck, my friend
so I wish you good luck
what's faith and what's just fate
what's predetermined and what's up to chance
are treading way too close
are too closely related
and it's a slippery slope
and it's a dangerous path
I'll judge the world by what we did not what we wish
I'll judge reality, not fantasy
between what's called the facts
between what's considered true
and what becomes our fiction
and what we imagine
I'll be the one who follows blindly up a hill
I'll be the one who blindly follows the masses
I can look at this glass
I can view my circumstances
half empty or it's half filled
as either negative or positive
My reality
My current state
becomes a check mark for
becomes a progress marker for
every week that I live
every week that I'm alive
and stay out on this course
and maintain the path I'm on
while we continue on
while we carry on
with all this back and forth
with all this indecision
who's awake keeping score
who's aware of the consequences
I've thrown most of my life away
I've wasted most of my life
Call me a demographic, lost the truth or never had it
I'm just a number, disconnected from the truth or ignorant of it
I'm not asking questions, I'm not learning lessons
I'm not curious or willing to learn
I'm a young statistic, lived my life blinked and missed it
I'm one of many who will go through life without living it
Carelessly and clearly bent on living to forget
I'm recklessly determined to forget my life
The path you have chosen for the present is full of hazards
Your current path is risky
many months of sacrifice, and self discipline lie ahead
You'll need to work hard and make sacrifices to succeed
many threats and enunciations keep us away of our danger
Many warnings and concerns try to keep us safe
but the greatest danger of all, would be to do nothing
But the greatest danger is to take no action at all
Contributed by John V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.