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/
Mr. Chevy Celebrity
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then I met this kid in the fourth grade
"Let's go throw rocks through the neighbor's windows"
I never wanted to go but he would always make me
I want to know what you were thinking
I want to know what you were drinking
Mark Cruce
He's the guy passing out and crashing on your couch
Mark Cruce Have another drink Mark Cruce
He's the guy pissing in the front yard of your house
Mark Cruce
Through all the years not a whole lot's changed
How 'bout that party where you stole the beer tap
Off some burnout's keg
I really hope that you know
I almost got my ass beat
Have another drink Mark Cruce
He's the guy with the bat that took your mailbox out
Setting fire to bags of shit outside your Neighbor's house
The song "Mr. Chevy Celebrity" by Less Than Jake is all about the antics of a guy named Mark Cruce. The song is mainly about the hilarious memories that the band members have of him, which they recount in detail. The band highlights how much of a troublemaker Mark was as a child and how he continued with his wild behavior even as he aged.
In the first verse, the band members talk about how Mark would always find ways to get them in trouble as kids. They recall how he would convince them to throw rocks through the neighbor's window, despite knowing better. The band members wonder what made him do all these things and consider if alcohol played a role in it as they repeat the words “Have another drink Mark Cruce”. The chorus then goes on to inform the listeners of what kind of person Mark Cruiser is, - a guy that has no regard for anything and will always find a way to cause problems.
The second verse of the song continues with the short-story style of the first verse, with the band members sharing memories from another party where Mark had done some damage. They discuss how Mark stole the beer tap from a burnout's keg and ended up getting them into trouble. The chorus then repeats, with the band saying that Mark is the drunken friend who will pass out on your couch, urinate in your yard, and destroy your property. Overall, the song is a humorous tribute to an old friend whom the band members recall so fondly.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I thought all my friends were sane
I believed all of my friends were sensible.
Then I met this kid in the fourth grade
But in fourth grade, I encountered a child who was not like that.
"Let's go throw rocks through the neighbor's windows"
This child asked me to join him in vandalizing our neighbor's property.
I never wanted to go but he would always make me
I never wanted to participate, but he always pressured me into doing it anyway.
I want to know what you were thinking
I am curious about what went through your mind.
I want to know what you were drinking
I am interested in what you were consuming at the time.
Mark Cruce
The person involved in the incident was Mark Cruce.
Have another drink Mark Cruce
The singer is suggesting that Mark Cruce should have another drink.
He's the guy passing out and crashing on your couch
Mark Cruce is the type of individual who drinks so much he passes out on people's furniture.
He's the guy pissing in the front yard of your house
Mark Cruce has a tendency to urinate in public areas, specifically front yards.
Through all the years not a whole lot's changed
Over the years, Mark Cruce's behavior has not improved.
How 'bout that party where you stole the beer tap
The artist is bringing up an instance where Mark Cruce stole a beer tap from a party.
Off some burnout's keg
The tap was taken from someone who had been smoking a lot of marijuana.
I really hope that you know
The singer is expressing concern for Mark Cruce's awareness of his actions.
I almost got my ass beat
As a result of Mark's actions, the singer almost faced physical harm.
He's the guy with the bat that took your mailbox out
Mark Cruce used a bat to destroy a mailbox.
Setting fire to bags of shit outside your Neighbor's house
Mark Cruce lit bags of excrement on fire and left them outside of a neighbor's house as a form of vandalism.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind