Less Than Jake Biography
Less Than Jake were originally formed in 1992 as a power-pop band from Florida. Initially there were three members in Chris Demakes (Guitar), Vinne Fiorelli (Drums) and Shaun Grief (Bass) but not long after the group formed Shaun became the roadie and Roger Manganelli learned bass to join the band in his place. The band then introduced a horn player in Jessica Mills and a trombonist, Buddy Schaub, transforming their power-pop music into a ska-punk sound. Four of these members are still in the band today but Jessica left after Less Than Jake had released several of their initial albums to pursue a career as a teacher.
The band's name, Less Than Jake, came from the members referring to good and bad in relation to Vinnie's dog. Something would be Greater Than Jake or Less Than Jake, and hence the name was born. Before releasing thir first studio album in 1994 (Pezcore) the band released several 7" records. Throughout their career of 9 studio albums, Less Than Jake established a love of releasing 7" tracks and compiled an album in 2002 to publish all the better ones.
During the bands lifetime, now spanning over a decade, they have seen many personnel changes and have had countless musicians featured in tracks and tours. Alongside the wide range of performers in and with the band, they have also issued albums on almost as many labels as their total discography tally. Their major label publishers have included Capitol Records and Warner Brothers Records.