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/
Hell Looks a Lot Like L.A.
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gotta leave it all behind if he wants to feel alive
19 and lost and never thought he'd ever leave this place
Vacant mind from endless grind so what's to lose anyways
Another fast food job?
Another 8 to 5 day?
Ten minutes and two miles is just a mile too many today
And you can see why it's easy to say
Y'know that hell looks a lot like L.A.
Six months ago was the last she felt alive
Moved down from the north and told herself she'd try
18 and lost and never thought this place would change
Ignored and bored the same feelings as yesterday
She said it's way too much more than she could take
It's one less car that's in the way
Y'know that hell looks a lot like L.A.
The lyrics of Less Than Jake's "Hell Looks a Lot Like L.A." seem to be telling the stories of two young individuals who are desperate to escape the monotony and mundanity of their current lives. The first verse talks about a guy who is feeling stuck in his dead-end job and life, and has finally decided to take the leap and leave everything behind in his car. The lines "Gotta leave it all behind if he wants to feel alive" convey his desperation to escape the grind and find something that will make him feel alive.
The second verse tells the story of a girl who moved to Los Angeles with the hope of starting a new life and breaking free of the monotony. However, she finds that life in the city isn't as exciting as she had hoped and she's stuck in the same routine as before. The lines "Ignored and bored the same feelings as yesterday" and "It's way too much more than she could take" show her frustration and disappointment at the reality of her new life.
The song's chorus, "Y'know that hell looks a lot like L.A." is a commentary on the idea of the grass being always greener on the other side. It suggests that even though both these characters have escaped their mundane lives, they find themselves in situations that are not much better. The song seems to be questioning the idea of chasing after happiness and the futility of running away from one's problems.
Line by Line Meaning
He got in his car and told himself to drive
He enters his vehicle with the intention of leaving his current situation
Gotta leave it all behind if he wants to feel alive
He needs to abandon everything in his life to find happiness
19 and lost and never thought he'd ever leave this place
At 19 years old, he feels directionless and never expected to leave this location
Vacant mind from endless grind so what's to lose anyways
He's been working a monotonous job for so long that he feels numb, so leaving wouldn't be much of a loss
Another fast food job?
He's stuck in another low-paying fast food job
Another 8 to 5 day?
He's working an uninspiring 8-5 job
Ten minutes and two miles is just a mile too many today
Even a short ten minute two mile drive is too much for him to bear today
And you can see why it's easy to say
It's clear why he finds it easy to leave this place
Y'know that hell looks a lot like L.A.
His current situation feels like hell, similar to what people say about LA
Six months ago was the last she felt alive
It's been six months since she's felt happiness
Moved down from the north and told herself she'd try
She's relocated from the North to attempt a new life
18 and lost and never thought this place would change
She's young and feels stuck, believing this new location won't bring a change in her life
Ignored and bored the same feelings as yesterday
She's feeling ignored and uninterested, much like the day before
She said it's way too much more than she could take
She's reached the point where she can't handle it anymore
It's one less car that's in the way
She's made the decision to leave, making the streets one car emptier
Y'know that hell looks a lot like L.A.
Just like the previous individual, her current situation feels like hell, similar to what people say about LA
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind