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/
Rest of My Life
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Underneath polluted skies
I walked alone in those Jersey nights
And I
Saw the board walk start to fall
The empty ness starts to drown
The quiet corners of this town tonight
It was the only thing I felt I could do
Said goodbye to my best friend
Sometimes there's no one left to tell you the truth
It's gonna kill me the rest of my life
Let me apologize while I'm still alive
I know it's time to face
All of my past mistakes
It's gonna kill me for the rest of my life
This is my all time low
Somehow it feels so familiar
Somehow it seems so familiar
I fell like letting go
And every second that goes by
I'm screaming out for second tries
Said goodbye to my best friend
Sometimes there's no one left to tell you the truth
It's gonna kill me the rest of my life
Let me apologize while I'm still alive
I know it's time to face
All of my past mistakes
I've got to live with them the rest of my life
This is the mess I've made
These are the words I can't erase
This is my life support
Shutting down
For the final time
And it swings like a blade?
And kills me for the rest of my life
If you won't forgive me the rest of my life
Let me apologize while I'm still alive
I know it's time to face
All of my past mistakes
It's gonna kill me for the rest of my life
It's gonna kill me for the rest of my life
It's gonna kill me for the rest of my life
The song "The Rest of My Life" by Less Than Jake is a woeful lamentation about regret and the aftermath of poor decisions. The song is about a person who is coming to terms with their life choices that have led them to their current state of despair. The first verse sets the scene for the song, with the singer feeling lost and alone while walking the boardwalk in a polluted, empty town. The singer then reflects on their past, thinking of the choices they have made that led them to where they are now. The second verse is about the singer saying goodbye to their best friend, who may have been the only one to tell them the truth about their actions. The singer acknowledges that they must face their past mistakes, and that they will continue to regret them for the rest of their life.
The chorus opens with the line, "It's gonna kill me the rest of my life," which serves as a powerful reminder of the weight of regret. The repetition of this line throughout the song reinforces the depth of the singer's sorrow. The song ends with the singer pleading for forgiveness, knowing that they will have to live with the consequences of their actions for the rest of their life. Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the impact of regret on one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I fell asleep last Saturday
I passed out recently on the weekend
Underneath polluted skies
Beneath hazy, smog-filled clouds
I walked alone in those Jersey nights
I strolled solo through the streets of New Jersey in the evening
And I saw the board walk start to fall
I noticed the pier beginning to crumble
The emptiness starts to drown
The desolation overwhelms me
The quiet corners of this town tonight
The calm areas of this city in the evening
Late last night I made my plans
At a later hour, I devised my course of action
It was the only thing I felt I could do
It seemed like the lone option available to me
Said goodbye to my best friend
Bid farewell to my closest companion
Sometimes there's no one left to tell you the truth
Occasionally no one remains to be honest with you
It's gonna kill me the rest of my life
This will haunt me until I die
Let me apologize while I'm still alive
Permit me to express regret while I'm still breathing
I know it's time to face all of my past mistakes
I'm aware it's required to confront every error I've made
This is my all time low
This is the absolute rock-bottom for me
Somehow it feels so familiar
However, it seems eerily familiar
I fell like letting go
I feel like giving up
And every second that goes by
Every passing moment
I'm screaming out for second tries
I'm pleading for another opportunity to make it right
This is the mess I've made
These are the circumstances I've created
These are the words I can't erase
These things I cannot undo
This is my life support shutting down for the final time
This is my final chance to survive
And it swings like a blade?
And it stabs like a weapon?
And kills me for the rest of my life
And will end me for the entirety of my existence
If you won't forgive me the rest of my life
Should you refuse to pardon me until my dying day
Let me apologize while I'm still alive
Allow me to express remorse while I'm still breathing
It's gonna kill me for the rest of my life
This will haunt me until I die
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christopher Demakes, Vincent Phillip Fiorello, Peter John Wasilewski, Mark Hoppus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ThePowerOf42
Oh, waves of time
Seem to wash away the scenes of our crimes
For you this never ends
Can you stay strong?
Can you go on?
Kristy, are you doing okay?
A rose that won't bloom
Winter's kept you
Don't waste your whole life trying to get back what was taken away
Though the marks on your dress
Had been neatly repressed
I knew that something was wrong
And I should have spoke out
And I'm so sorry now
I didn't know 'cause we were so young
(Another Brilliant song about forgiveness.. y'all should check it out..
Its Called "Kristy Are you doing okay" by The Offspring.
If you have the time (and stomach, its pretty heartwrenching) you should go look up the story behind this song.. it really hits you in the gut
Jenna Dincesen
Please tell me I'm not the only one who still cries every time I watch this video
Eduardo
You're not the only one. Believe me
brian R
Nope. Reminds me how bad i fucked up as a father
Andrew St Aubin
Every time.
UnitedWeStand
You are. I only cry about 100 times.
Richard Alcocer
This song brings me tears. I started apologize once I turned 40 to those I hurt. Some forgave, some did not. For those who didn't, I respect thier decision. I feel at peace with myself🙏
bigbrother
Better late than never
PingPongPaddleHead
One day at a time my bro!
Loony Singer
Im wondering what was so bad that you have done that its not Worte to forgive 30 years or so later
Richard Alcocer
@Loony Singer some people are like that unfortunately. I still respect thier decision. I still feel at peace to say "I'm sorry"