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/
Shotgun
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No money, no respect and too much bad luck
Desperation had gotten to him at last
It was dark
Dark alley and a shot gun blast
And I knew a man everyone thought
Was out of his mind
And it's a shame, when a car rolls past
It was dark
Dark alley and a shot gun blast
Shotgun - no one ever thinks about it
Until your out of your head
The lyrics to Less Than Jake's Shotgun tell a story about a kid who had hit rock bottom due to seemingly endless misfortunes. He was so low he couldn't stand up and didn't have any money or respect. The desperation had taken over and he found himself in a dark alley with a shotgun blast. The darkness and desperation of the kid's situation is further exemplified by the mention of another man who was always around, seemingly out of his mind, with a cane.
The lyrics are a sobering reminder of how quickly things can turn dark and the importance of mental health. The mention of the car rolling past symbolically represents how society as a whole sometimes turns a blind eye to the struggles of others until it's too late. The chorus, "Shotgun - no one ever thinks about it, until you're out of your head", is a cautionary tale about the consequences of ignoring warning signs and how it's important to take action before it's too late.
Overall, the lyrics of "Shotgun" showcase a somber depiction of a person who has lost all hope, and through the powerful lyrics, Less Than Jake reminds us of the importance of reaching out to those who may be struggling before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a kid so low, he couldn't stand up
A young individual was feeling down, to the point where they couldn't stand up.
No money, no respect and too much bad luck
This person lacked money, respect, and was experiencing an excessive amount of bad luck.
Desperation had gotten to him at last
The person finally reached a point of extreme desperation.
It was dark
The setting was clouded by a lack of light.
Dark alley and a shot gun blast
In this dark alley, a shotgun was fired.
And I knew a man everyone thought
Was out of his mind
The singer of the song was acquainted with an individual who was perceived as crazy by the masses.
He had a cane and seemed to be around all the time
This man was frequently around and relied on a cane for assistance.
And it's a shame, when a car rolls past
It's unfortunate when a car happens to drive by.
It was dark
The atmosphere continued to be void of light.
Dark alley and a shot gun blast
Another shotgun blast resonated through the dark alley.
Shotgun - no one ever thinks about it
People don't typically contemplate the severity of using a shotgun.
Until your out of your head
One doesn't realize the gravity of a shotgun's danger until the situation has escalated beyond comprehension.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: John Everett Otto, Samuel Robert Rivers, Wesley Louden Borland, William Frederick Durst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind