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/
Glumble
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tries to sleep
But he only winds up walking all night
Tries to remember when his head was right...
Sees his breath in the corner light
He walks away from his life
He tries to find...
Can't sleep
She always seems to cry all night
Smokes another as the neighbors fight
Can't seem to keep her head on right
She wonders where's her life
She tries to find...
And when your thoughts are all you're finding
Can't you feel your gears are grinding you into the ground.
The lyrics of Less Than Jake's song Glumble tell the story of two individuals on separate streets, both struggling with introspection as they attempt to escape their troubles through aimless wandering. The first character, located on "second street west of 39th," can't seem to fall asleep at night and instead finds himself walking aimlessly through the city. He longs for the days when his head was clear and free from the burden of whatever keeps him up at night. The second character, positioned on "third street east of 49th," also can't get a handle on her life. She stays up late into the night smoking and listening to her neighbors fight, unable to shake the feeling that she's lost her way.
What ties these two characters together is their sense of being lost and unable to turn off their internal struggles. They are prisoners of their own thoughts, and as the lyrics suggest, their "gears are grinding [them] into the ground." It's a poignant representation of the feeling of being trapped, both within oneself and one's circumstances.
In many ways, Glumble is a song about internal conflict and the difficulty of finding peace in a chaotic world. The lyrics speak to a sense of restlessness and unease that many people experience, and the song ultimately serves as a reminder that we are not alone in our struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Second street west of 39th
The singer describes the location of a place.
Tries to sleep
Someone is attempting to rest.
But he only winds up walking all night
Instead of sleeping, the individual wanders outside throughout the entire night.
Tries to remember when his head was right...
The person attempts to recall a time when they felt more sane and at ease in their thoughts.
Sees his breath in the corner light
The individual observes their breath in the glow of a nearby light fixture.
He walks away from his life
The person metaphorically separates themselves from their personal struggles and hardships by escaping into the night.
He tries to find...
The person seeks some sort of resolution or solace, though it is not specified what that entails.
Third street east of 49th
The artist describes the location of another place.
Can't sleep
A person cannot rest their mind or body.
She always seems to cry all night
The individual is consistently troubled, upset, or overwhelmed, and spends their nights crying.
Smokes another as the neighbors fight
The individual responds to loud arguing from nearby by smoking a cigarette.
Can't seem to keep her head on right
The person's thoughts and emotions are unsteady and difficult to manage or control.
She wonders where's her life
The individual contemplates their place in the world and feels lost or unfulfilled.
She tries to find...
The person searches for meaning or purpose in life.
And when your thoughts are all you're finding
When someone cannot escape their own negative thoughts and feelings, it can be overwhelming and all-consuming.
Can't you feel your gears are grinding you into the ground.
Allowing one's negative thoughts and emotions to take over can be mentally and physically exhausting, and can prevent individuals from achieving progress or happiness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind