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 Upwards War and the Down Turned Cycle
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stories of moving on and getting out
Then packing up and heading south
Their heads full of hopes and dreams
They're just like me
My friends aren't going anywhere
My friends all act so unaware
Their best plans have all gone up in flames
They're just looking for something to take
To break up the day to day and all it's
Loneliness, vacant space
The tragedy of minimum wage
All my friends always talk about
The stories of moving on and getting out
Then packing up and heading south
Their heads full of hopes and dreams
They're just like me
My friends are worried about last calls
And working jobs at shopping malls
Because they're in between
A mixed up pride and apathy
So tonight they'll talk of calling in
Calling in with bitter grins
Laughing at the state they're in
What a mess, I'm just like them
All my friends always talk about
The stories of moving on and getting out
Then packing up and heading south
Their heads full of hopes and dreams
They're just like me
So they're sleep walking their way through life
Sitting there and getting by
Like all the other friends of mine
Wishing for something more
Wishing for something more
All my friends always talk about
The stories of moving on and getting out
Then packing up and heading south
Their heads full of hopes and dreams
They're just like me
The Upwards War And The Down Turned Cycle by Less Than Jake tells the story of a group of friends who are stuck in a rut in their hometown. They dream of leaving and making something more of themselves, but they are held back by the mundanity of their everyday lives. The song speaks to the universal experience of feeling stuck and wanting something more out of life.
The opening lines, "All my friends always talk about the stories of moving on and getting out" showcases the desire for a more adventurous life. The lyrics continue, "then packing up and heading south, their heads full of hopes and dreams, they're just like me." However, the following lines, "My friends aren't going anywhere, my friends all act so unaware", challenges this view, where it appears that the friends have succumbed to the difficulties that come with wanting to leave but not being able to.
The theme of feeling stuck is further explored in the lines "So they're sleep-walking their way through life, sitting there and getting by, like all the other friends of mine, wishing for something more." The song ends with a repetition of the opening lines "All my friends always talk about the stories of moving on and getting out, then packing up and heading south, their heads full of hopes and dreams, they're just like me" creating a cyclical feel to the song.
In conclusion, The Upwards War And The Down Turned Cycle by Less Than Jake is a poignant depiction of the universal experience of feeling stuck and wanting something more out of life.
Line by Line Meaning
All my friends always talk about
The song focuses on the general theme that the singer's friends discuss a lot.
The stories of moving on and getting out
The friends talk about leaving their current lifestyle and embarking on a new journey.
Then packing up and heading south
The friends plan on moving and heading towards the South.
Their heads full of hopes and dreams
The artist's friends have high aspirations and ambitions for their future.
They're just like me
The artist feels that his friends' aspirations and attitudes towards the future reflect his own.
My friends aren't going anywhere
Contrary to what they talk about, the singer's friends do not have any solid plans of leaving.
My friends all act so unaware
The friends are ignorant of the fact that their plans and hopes are unrealistic.
Now they have to face
The friends will soon have to confront their disappointment and unfulfilled dreams.
Their best plans have all gone up in flames
Their ambitious plans have turned out to be failures.
They're just looking for something to take
The artist thinks that his friends are searching for a solution to their problems.
To break up the day to day and all its
To feel a sense of relief from the mundane routine of their daily lives.
Loneliness, vacant space
A reference to their emotional and mental state of feeling empty and alone despite being surrounded by people.
The tragedy of minimum wage
Working a low-paying job despite having big dreams and aspirations has become a sad reality for the friends.
My friends are worried about last calls
The friends are concerned about closing time at the bars and clubs.
And working jobs at shopping malls
The friends have had to settle for jobs that they are not passionate about.
Because they're in between
They are stuck in a state of confusion and uncertainty.
A mixed-up pride and apathy
They have a combination of arrogance and indifference towards their current situation.
So tonight they'll talk of calling in
The friends will likely call off from work tomorrow and use it as an excuse to drink.
Calling in with bitter grins
They will do so with a sense of disdain and dissatisfaction.
Laughing at the state they're in
They will find some humor in their current situation.
What a mess, I'm just like them
The artist acknowledges that he is in the same boat as his friends.
So they're sleepwalking their way through life
The friends are not making conscious decisions and are simply existing rather than living.
Sitting there and getting by
The friends are content with surviving in their current situation.
Like all the other friends of mine
This is a common trend among the artist's peer group.
Wishing for something more
The friends have a desire for something better, but they are not taking action to achieve it.
Wishing for something more
The song ends with a repetition of the same line, emphasizing the theme of unfulfilled aspirations and dreams.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind