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/
Only human
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My disease is chronic and I've lost all self-control.
Have you ever had your heart ripped out your throat?
Anxious and all alone, now stop and remember we're only human
I've tried it all to kill the pain, but nothing keeps me sane.
I'll pretend that I'm stable,
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
I'm so out of focus,
I'm hopelessly hopeless,
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
Theres not a pill that can make me happy
My complains nescient and I've lost touch with my soul
Have you ever had your words choking your throat?
Another thought up in smoke, now stop and remember we're only human.
I've tried it all to kill the pain, but nothing keeps me sane.
I'll pretend that I'm stable,
I'm left, lost and labeled
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
I'm so out of focus,
I'm hopelessly hopeless,
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
I've tried it all to kill the pain, but nothing keeps me sane.
I'll pretend that I'm stable,
I'm left, lost and labeled
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
I'm so out of focus,
I'm hopelessly hopeless,
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
I've tried it all to kill the pain, but nothing keeps me sane.
I'll pretend that I'm stable,
I'm left, lost and labeled
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
I'm so out of focus,
I'm hopelessly hopeless,
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine. 2x
Less Than Jake's song "Only Human" is a powerful depiction of the struggles of living with chronic pain or mental illness. The opening lines, "There's not a doctor that can fix me, My disease is chronic and I've lost all self-control," set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is suffering, and despite seeking help, they have not found a cure.
The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer is only human and struggling to cope with their pain. They attempt to hide their feelings by pretending to be stable, but the reality is that they feel lost, labeled, and out of focus. They recognize that they have lost touch with their soul and are unable to find happiness, even with the help of medication.
The line, "Have you ever had your heart ripped out your throat?" is particularly poignant, as it conveys the physical and emotional pain that the singer is experiencing. Overall, the song is a powerful reminder that even those who appear to be doing well may be struggling in ways that are not immediately visible.
Line by Line Meaning
There's not a doctor that can fix me,
No medical intervention can cure me,
My disease is chronic and I've lost all self-control.
My condition is long-term and I have no power over it,
Have you ever had your heart ripped out your throat?
Have you ever been devastated and unable to speak of your hurt?
Anxious and all alone, now stop and remember we're only human
Feeling worried and isolated, but don't forget we're just imperfect beings.
I'll pretend that I'm stable,
I'll act as if I have control over my life,
I'm left, lost and labeled
I'm abandoned, confused, and categorized,
I'll pretend that I'm doing fine.
I'll feign that everything is okay,
I'm so out of focus,
I'm finding it hard to see things clearly,
I'm hopelessly hopeless,
I feel despair with no chance of improvement,
Theres not a pill that can make me happy
No medication can bring me happiness,
My complaints nescient and I've lost touch with my soul
My grievances are ignorant, and I've disconnected from my inner self,
Have you ever had your words choking your throat?
Have you ever been speechless or unable to voice your opinion?
Another thought up in smoke, now stop and remember we're only human.
Another idea fleeting and gone, but remember we're just human.
I've tried it all to kill the pain, but nothing keeps me sane.
I've attempted everything to relieve my suffering, but nothing works to keep me mentally stable.
Contributed by Bentley F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.