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/
Johnny Quest Thinks We're SellOuts
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Really don't know
If it matters at all so,
But we try to keep our prices low
For records and our shows
But is that enough,
Or is it that we're not punk enough,
But Johnny Quest, he thinks we're what?
Johnny Quest thinks we're sellouts
The song Johnny Quest Thinks We're SellOuts by Less Than Jake is a reflection on the pressures faced by punk and ska bands to conform to an image of what it means to be punk. The lyrics speak to a sense of insecurity and maybe even impostor syndrome, as the band grapples with whether or not they are "punk enough" or if they are selling out by trying to keep their prices low. The reference to Johnny Quest, a character from an animated television show, adds a layer of irony to the song, suggesting that even a fictional character has an opinion on the band's credibility.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of disillusionment with the punk scene and its expectations. The band questions whether it is possible to be true to their music and still be successful, or if they will always be judged for not being punk enough. The chorus, with its repetition of the line "Johnny Quest thinks we're sellouts," reinforces this sense of uncertainty and doubt.
Ultimately, the song raises questions about the relationship between authenticity and commercial success, and the pressure that musicians face to fit a particular image. By highlighting these tensions, Less Than Jake invites listeners to think critically about the ways in which we evaluate and judge the art that we consume.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I
To be honest, I
Really don't know
truly have no idea
If it matters at all so,
if it's important or not,
But we try to keep our prices low
we attempt to offer affordable prices
For records and our shows
for both our albums and performances
But is that enough,
however, is that satisfactory?
Or is it that we're not punk enough,
Possibly we're not enough of a punk-rock vibe,
Or is it that you think ska just sucks,
or is it that you simply dislike ska music,
But Johnny Quest, he thinks we're what?
But what's the view of Johnny Quest on us?
Johnny Quest thinks we're sellouts
Apparently, Johnny Quest believes we have betrayed our roots.
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