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/
Son Of Dick
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And has a dad that reads every sign and says
"I only drive 62.5"
Well I, yeah I don't really mind
His coordinated closet and his folded clothes
But who left the bullet in the mashed potatoes?
Well why's everybody sweating me
Well why's everybody sweating me
I'm just the son of Dick Ramsbee
His dad boils water by time
And measures sugar by the line
Who tours the country in a Winnebago
Well his dad's an anal guy
And his roommate's stalked by the FBI
"Who put the shotgun underneath the sofa?"
Hal put the shotgun underneath the sofa
Well why's everybody sweating me
Because I go to Dairy Queen
Well why's everybody sweating me
I'm just the son of Dick Ramsbee
I'm son of Dick
I'm son of Dick
I
I
I
I
The song "Son of Dick" by Less Than Jake sheds light on the life of the son of a perfectionist, named Dick Ramsbee. The lyrics describe how Dick's son's life is in perfect order, with his CDs lined up neatly, clothes folded and arranged in a coordinated closet. However, despite this seemingly perfect life, there are some underlying issues in the household. The bullet in mashed potatoes could be a symbol for a hidden problem lurking beneath the seemingly perfect exterior of the household. Furthermore, the song introduces us to the other characters in the household, such as the roommate who is stalked by the FBI and Hal, who put the shotgun under the sofa. All of these characters demonstrate how chaos is brewing beneath the surface of this seemingly perfect family. However, through all of this, the son of Dick is just trying to live his life without being scrutinized.
This song is a commentary on the pressure that perfect, overbearing parents can put on their children to create a household that is perfect and free of any issues. The song shows that despite someone's best intentions, they cannot control every aspect of life, and things will sometimes go awry. The hidden message in the song is that perfection is often an illusory goal, but sometimes the pursuit of it can cause more harm than good.
Line by Line Meaning
Well Dick's son has his CD's in neat lines
Dick's son is extremely organized and keeps his CDs in a precise order
And has a dad that reads every sign and says
His dad is a stickler for rules and regulations, always reading and following signs to a T
"I only drive 62.5"
Dick's dad is very particular about his driving speed, and refuses to go even a hairsbreadth over the limit
Well I, yeah I don't really mind
The artist doesn't have a problem with Dick's son's fastidiousness, but has a question or two...
His coordinated closet and his folded clothes
The artist admires Dick's son's perfectly coordinated and neatly folded closet
But who left the bullet in the mashed potatoes?
The singer is concerned about a new development - a bullet in the mashed potatoes. Who put it there?
Well why's everybody sweating me
The singer feels unfairly judged or harassed by others
Because I go to Dairy Queen
Perhaps the artist has gotten some flack for visiting Dairy Queen too often
I'm just the son of Dick Ramsbee
The artist is trying to make it clear that he is not responsible for his father's obsessive behavior
His dad boils water by time
Dick's dad measures everything down to the second, boiling water for exactly the right amount of time
And measures sugar by the line
Dick's dad is equally precise when it comes to measuring sugar - not a grain wasted
Who tours the country in a Winnebago
Even when they go on vacation, Dick's dad insists on traveling in their cramped, RV-style vehicle
Well his dad's an anal guy
The singer really wants it to be known that it's his dad who's the uptight one, not him
And his roommate's stalked by the FBI
Dick's son, on the other hand, has to deal with some pretty extreme circumstances, such as having a roommate who's being stalked by the FBI
"Who put the shotgun underneath the sofa?"
There's yet another perplexing problem - who put a shotgun under the sofa?
Hal put the shotgun underneath the sofa
The culprit is revealed to be Hal
I'm son of Dick
The artist reiterates his connection to Dick, but makes it clear that he's his own person
I
I
I
I
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind