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/
The Troubles
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been chasing peace of mind that's already left
All this progress is a waste of time that came and went
And we were always happy 'cause we don't make any sense
And we were always happy 'cause we don't make any sense
I've been going between bolting streams
And maybe it's just me, but that seems so naive
I live through these catastrophes
Even though they get the best of me
I'll just take all the highs and lows
'Cause it's the only thing I'll ever know
You know I peaked but I can't say when
It's been years and I've been cursing underneath my breath
And this process is the shallow side of stuck in the deep end
And we were always happy when it's broke and not just bent
And we were always happy when it's broke and not just bent
I've been going between bolting streams
And maybe it's just me, but that seems so naive
I live through these catastrophes
Even though they get the best of me
I'll just take all the highs and lows
'Cause it's the only thing I'll ever know
'Cause it's the only thing I'll ever know
I've been slipping between bolting streams
And maybe it's just me, but that seems so naive
I live through these catastrophes
And the troubles get the best of me
The Troubles by Less Than Jake is a song about feeling lost and uncertain in life, despite the pursuit of progress and peace of mind. The lyrics suggest that the singer has experienced success at some point in their life, but they are unsure when that peak occurred and have been struggling to find that same level of happiness since then. The line "All this progress is a waste of time that came and went" implies that even though the singer has made progress in their life, it hasn't necessarily led to a sustained sense of contentment. The repetition of the line "And we were always happy 'cause we don't make any sense" suggests that sometimes ignorance can be bliss and perhaps overthinking things can lead to unhappiness.
The line "I've been going between bolting streams" feels like a metaphor for feeling pulled in different directions, and yet the singer still sees their own desire for peace of mind as being naive. The song seems to suggest that despite the struggles and catastrophes that the singer has faced, they are still willing to endure the highs and lows of life because it's the only thing they know. The final line, "And the troubles get the best of me" reinforces the idea that even though the singer's outlook may be somewhat bleak, they are still resilient and willing to persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
You know I peaked but I'm not sure when
I feel like I had my best moment, but I can't pinpoint when it happened.
I've been chasing peace of mind that's already left
I'm searching for something that I had before, but I can't find it now.
All this progress is a waste of time that came and went
I've been working towards something, but it's already happened and I missed it.
And we were always happy 'cause we don't make any sense
We were happy without logic or reason, just because we were.
I've been going between bolting streams
I've been moving between different options or paths.
And maybe it's just me, but that seems so naive
It might be my fault for thinking this way, but it seems childish.
I live through these catastrophes
I survive through difficult situations.
Even though they get the best of me
Even though they overwhelm and defeat me.
I'll just take all the highs and lows
I'll accept all the good and bad experiences in life.
'Cause it's the only thing I'll ever know
Because it's the only thing that's certain in life.
You know I peaked but I can't say when
I feel like I had my best moment, but I can't remember when it happened.
It's been years and I've been cursing underneath my breath
It's been a long time and I've been secretly angry about it.
And this process is the shallow side of stuck in the deep end
This situation is only the beginning of a much bigger, deeper problem.
And we were always happy when it's broke and not just bent
We were happy when things were completely broken, not just slightly damaged.
I've been slipping between bolting streams
I've been losing my grip and losing my way.
And maybe it's just me, but that seems so naive
It might be my fault for thinking this way, but it seems childish.
I live through these catastrophes
I survive through difficult situations.
And the troubles get the best of me
The problems and difficulties overwhelm and defeat me.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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