You
people are so lucky. What I would do to be in your place - to hear Less
Than Jake for the first time in your life - it almost makes me weep. To
be round-housed with those jerky ska riffs bouncing along a wall of distorted,
breakneck pop on the first listen, all dirtied with punk guitars and polished
with sharp horns, all so irresistible it demands that you get out of your
seat and shake your ass like a fool - it makes me wish I was you.
Losing
Streak is the new Less Than Jake album and yes, it is their first for Capitol,
or any major label for that matter. Produced by Michael Rosen and Less
Than Jake, Losing Streak reveals the band’s ability to mix raw, hardcore-oriented
guitar riffs with ska’s uptempo horns and rhythms. Although several TV
theme songs were considered for the album, (they have recorded a vast repertoire
of TV themes in the past including takes of Happy Days and Laverne and
Shirley), all sixteen songs are Less Than Jake originals. “The Magic 8
Ball” was used to decide the fate of the song order.
You
say you don’t know Less Than Jake? Then it’s time you got yourself aquainted.
Having risen from the fertile punk rock grounds of Gainesville, Florida,
a college town boasting a thriving scene long before MTV or mainstream
radio ever got wind of the pop-punk phenomenon, Less Than Jake - or LTJ,
as they’re known around these parts - have evolved into a hybrid monster
boasting the genetic heritage of, say, The Toasters crossed with The Ramones,
or maybe The Specials sired by Screeching Weasel. Their blend of
ska- punk, thoroughly distinct from other progenitors of the genre (i.e.
Operation Ivy, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones), meshes three-chord exuberance
with high impact brass power, leaving kids high stepping seemingly anywhere
they play. Their live shows, which have taken place everywhere from 15,000
seat arenas to condemnation-ready divas (for acts as varied as Green Day,
Bootsy Collins and Voodoo Glowskulls), usually end with an array of stuffed
animals in the clutches of an army of worn, sweaty, happy, danced-out,
youths, many chanting LTJ’s patented hook-laden choruses with throats cracked
hoarse, most of whom exhibit sprayed silly string dangling from their hair
- all staples of the LTJ live experience.
Fueled
from the start by the band’s passions - guitarist/vocalist Chris’ infatuation
with early ‘80s anything (particularly The Dukes of Hazzard and Quiet Riot),and
drummer Vinnie’s rabid obsession with the Pez universe. - LTJ formed as
a three-piece in the summer of 1992, adding horns about six months later.
The name itself, for those unfamiliar with esoteric North American vernacular,
means “not up to par,” the word “jake” is a synonym for “cool,” “swell,”
“fine,” etc. It also refers to Vinnie’s bulldog Jake, who as the story
goes, was weaned on Red Lobster meals while Vinnie was fed nothing but
TV dinners while growing up; hence Vinnie ‘s been “less than Jake” for
years.
Since
their inception, LTJ has maintained a born-from-the-mud-up DIY ethic, booking
their own tours, producing their own records, making their own t-shirts,
stickers and accouterments, leaving creative control in nobody’s hands
but their own. In that time they’ve been featured on a whopping 23 different
releases, ranging from home spun 7-inch platters to international CD compilations,
culminating in their full length debut, “Pezcore” on Dill Records, selling
8,000 in its first four months. While prospering independently, the band
landed an amiable deal with Capitol Records, giving LTJ the freedom to
continue their DIY pursuits while enjoying the distribution a major label
offers.
From
here, we could bombard you with the impressive critical praise LTJ has
garnered, ranging from laudatory rants in the pages of purist hardcore
zine Maximum Rock ‘N’ Roll to the selection of LTJ as the Band of the Year
by Gainesville’s alternative monthly Moon Magazine. We could continue to
fill this bio with even more hyperbolic propaganda than we already have,
and try our best to convince you that Less Than Jake are the coolest thing
since Vienna wieners. But now that you’ve read the proverbial writing on
the wall, rather than waste your time any further in print, we trust that
you’ll do something far more beneficial for your soul: throw this paper
to the wayside, turn the volume way up and dive head first into the sonic
playground that is Less Than Jake.
I sure
as hell wish I was in your shoes when you do.
