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/
Shindo
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it takes me away
From a world too small, too small to stay
Something's out there (yeah), something's out there
Something's out there
And it takes me away
From a world too small, too small to stay
Another day in this place so small,
I'd rather be somebody else
Maybe if my mind wasn't so tall,
I wouldn't be able to tell
And I've walked these streets
It seems like 10 million times
And I've seen things up and leave
Time after time
(and its just another day) in this place so small
I'd rather be somebody else
Old habits die hard
Something's out there
And it takes me away
From a world too small, too small to stay
Something's out there (yeah), something's out there
Something's out there
And it takes me away
From a world too small, too small to stay
Something's out there (yeah), something's out there
Another day in this place so small,
I'd rather be somebody else
Maybe if my mind wasn't so tall,
I wouldn't be able to tell
And I've walked these streets
It seems like 10 million times
And I've seen things up and leave
Time after time
(and its just another day) in this place so small
I'd rather be somebody else
Old habits die hard
Something's out there
And it takes me away
From a world too small, too small to stay
Something's out there (yeah), something's out there
Something's out there
And it takes me away
From a world too small, too small to stay
Something's out there (yeah), something's out there
Less than Jake rockz Greetz to all Fans, lol41
The lyrics to Less Than Jake's Shindo speak to the yearning for something greater than the monotony of everyday life. The repetition of "something's out there" and the description of a "world too small to stay" suggest a restlessness and a desire for adventure. The singer expresses a feeling of being out of place in their current surroundings and the desire to be someone else. However, the reference to "old habits" dying hard highlights the difficulty of breaking out of one's routine.
The line "maybe if my mind wasn't so tall, I wouldn't be able to tell" is especially poignant, as it suggests that the limitations placed on oneself are self-imposed. The singer recognizes that their own mindset is what keeps them stuck in their current situation. The repetition of "another day in this place so small" emphasizes the suffocating feeling of being trapped in one's surroundings. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, further emphasizing the theme of wanting something more.
Line by Line Meaning
Something's out there
There's an external force or opportunity that exists.
And it takes me away
This force is powerful enough to remove me from my current circumstances.
From a world too small, too small to stay
My current world or situation is too limiting to remain in.
Another day in this place so small,
This is just another day in a place that feels restrictive.
I'd rather be somebody else
I wish I was someone else or in a different situation.
Maybe if my mind wasn't so tall,
If my aspirations weren't so high, maybe I wouldn't feel this way.
I wouldn't be able to tell
I wouldn't be able to perceive or recognize the limitations of my current situation.
And I've walked these streets
I'm familiar with this place.
It seems like 10 million times
I have navigated this place countless times, to the point where it feels routine.
And I've seen things up and leave
I have witnessed things come and go or disappear from my life.
Time after time
This is a recurring theme or experience.
(and its just another day) in this place so small
This is a reminder that this is just another day in a small, limiting place.
Old habits die hard
It's difficult to break old patterns or ways of thinking.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind