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/
Laverne and Shirley
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leave us any rule we'll break it
We're gonna make our dreams come true
Doin' it our way
Nothings gonna turn us back now
Straight ahead and on the track now
We're gonna make our dreams come true
There's nothing we won't try
Never heard the word impossible
This time there's no stopping us
We're gonna do it
On your marks get set and go now
Got a dream and we just know now
We're gonna make that dream come true
And we'll do it our way, yes, our way
Make all our dreams come true
And we'll do it our way, yes, our way
Make all our dreams come true
For me and you
The lyrics to Less Than Jake's song Laverne and Shirley are about following your dreams and doing things your way, no matter what obstacles may arise. The song is written in an upbeat and optimistic tone, with the lyrics asserting that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and never give up.
The first verse of the song sets the tone for the rest, with the lines "Give us any chance we'll take it, Leave us any rule we'll break it" suggesting a rebellious and determined attitude, a willingness to take risks and challenge authority. The focus is on achieving one's goals and making dreams come true, with the lyrics repeating the phrase "We're gonna make our dreams come true, doing it our way" several times.
The lyrics also emphasize the importance of teamwork and a positive attitude, with lines like "On your marks, get set, and go now, Got a dream and we just know now" suggesting that success is not just about individual effort, but about supportive relationships and a shared vision. The final lines of the song drive this point home, with "Make all our dreams come true, for me and you" emphasizing the power of working together to achieve common goals.
Line by Line Meaning
Give us any chance we'll take it
We're not afraid to take any opportunity that comes our way
Leave us any rule we'll break it
Rules are meant to be broken, and we'll do whatever it takes to succeed
We're gonna make our dreams come true
We have aspirations that we intend to achieve
Doin' it our way
We're not following anyone else's path to success
Nothing's gonna turn us back now
We will not be discouraged or deterred from achieving our goals
Straight ahead and on the track now
We're moving forward with determination and focus
There's nothing we won't try
We're willing to attempt anything to accomplish our dreams
Never heard the word impossible
We don't believe that anything is unachievable
This time there's no stopping us
We're unstoppable and will not be held back
We're gonna do it
We will succeed in our endeavors
On your marks get set and go now
It's time to act and make progress towards our goals
Got a dream and we just know now
We have a clear vision of what we want to achieve
And we'll do it our way, yes, our way
We will only follow our own rules and methods to reach our destination
Make all our dreams come true
We're committed to turning our goals into realities
For me and you
We're in this together, working towards shared objectives
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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