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/
Richard Allen George...No It's Just Cheez
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
Just call me Cheez thats who I am
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
Just call me Cheez thats who I am
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
just call me Cheez thats who I am
But not Rich not George I'm Cheez
Until the keg runs dry
and he's tried
to drink from 9 to 5
and then from 5 to 9
always drunk and going crazy
always drunk going crazy
you'd better believe it
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
Just call me Cheez thats who I am
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
Just call me Cheez thats who I am
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
just call me Cheez thats who I am
But not Rich not George I'm Cheez
Chesterfield
where the keg's never dry
it's always filled
have another beer with fear
have another beer or two
then he'll show you his cheez tattoo
always drunk going crazy
you'd better believe it
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
Just call me Cheez thats who I am
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
Just call me Cheez thats who I am
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
just call me Cheez thats who I am
But not Rich not George I'm Cheez
ay ya ya ya
cinco de mustache
the kids that are hip
they grow hair on their lip
they don't have their razors
and don't give a shit
they grow and grow and grow
so let your mustache show
oh yeah oh yeah whoo!
The song "Richard Allen George... No It's Just Cheez" by Less Than Jake is about a person who drinks excessively and presents himself under the name "Cheez" rather than his real name, Richard or George. The chorus repeats the message of who he is and who he is not, emphasizing the importance of his nickname. The first verses touch upon the idea of being civilized until the keg runs dry and he starts to get drunk and crazy. The second verse mentions Chesterfield, a place where the keg never runs dry, and he is always drunk and willing to have another beer or two. The bridge of the song talks about Cinco de Mustache, adding the idea of hipsters growing mustaches and being proud of it.
Overall, the lyrics of the song speak about the culture of drinking and excessive escapism, emphasizing the concept of hiding behind aliases and losing one's identity when under the influence of alcohol. The song is intended to be light-hearted, featuring tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and making references to popular culture staples.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyone to the bar
It's time to head to the bar and start drinking!
Don't call me Rich dont call me George
My name isn't Rich or George, call me by my nickname Cheez.
Just call me Cheez thats who I am
Even though my real name is Richard Allen George, I prefer to go by Cheez.
But not Rich not George I'm Cheez
I don't want to be called Rich or George, only Cheez.
Civilized?
Cheez isn't the most civilized person, especially when he's drinking.
Until the keg runs dry
He will keep drinking until there's no more beer.
and he's tried
He's tried to stop drinking, but he can't help himself.
to drink from 9 to 5
He drinks all day, from 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening.
and then from 5 to 9
After taking a short break, he starts drinking again from 5 in the evening to 9 at night.
always drunk and going crazy
Cheez is constantly drunk and acting crazy.
you'd better believe it
This is no joke, Cheez really is always drunk and going crazy!
Chesterfield
This is the name of the bar where Cheez drinks.
where the keg's never dry
This bar always has beer, there's never a time when the keg is empty.
it's always filled
There's always a fresh keg waiting to be tapped at the Chesterfield.
have another beer with fear
Cheez encourages others to join him in drinking, but with some hesitation.
have another beer or two
Like he says, just have a couple more beers with him!
then he'll show you his cheez tattoo
If you're lucky, Cheez will show off his tattoo dedicated to his nickname.
ay ya ya ya
This is simply a cheerful exclamation, usually when drinking and having fun.
cinco de mustache
This is a reference to people celebrating Cinco de Mayo with mustache-themed parties.
the kids that are hip
The younger, trendier crowd often participate in this type of party.
they grow hair on their lip
As part of the celebration, people usually draw or attach mustaches to their faces.
they don't have their razors
They didn't bother shaving their mustaches for the party.
and don't give a shit
They don't care what anyone thinks, as long as they're having a good time.
they grow and grow and grow
Their mustaches just keep getting bigger and more prominent throughout the night.
so let your mustache show
Cheez offers up some advice to embrace the theme of the party and show off those mustaches!
oh yeah oh yeah whoo!
Cheez is having a great time, and this exclamation shows it.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@teikouarc
I've always loved this song, it's so much fun! Thanks for putting it up!
@ladysnake8449
🍶🍾🍷🍸🍹🍺🍻 Always drunk going crazy you'd better believe it!
@chinesecooking1757
This song is deadass about my uncle
@pseudofox
Superb! :-D
@utubeeducatedrockafella6336
drunk and listening to this
@SkaMasta097
Check out their song "Three Quarts Drunk" as well :)
@FTWorWTF
@SkaMasta097
NOW I'M
@whoohaaXL
@@FTWorWTF OUTTA TIME!
@Jt-0101
Just saw this in person for the first time
@liptonchickennoodle
awsome