Less than Jake

Less than Jake is one of my VERY favorite bands. You probably haven’t heard of them. Which is a shame, because they have been creating high energy SkaPunk Party music for over 25 years. July 2018 marks their 26th year as a band!

Buddy, Chris and Roger.

Co-fronting the band are guitar player Chris Demakes and bass player Roger Lima. The two entertain crowds with their banter and self deprecating senses of humor. Chris and Roger also perform vocals on all the songs sometimes alternating and sometimes sharing lead. Other Less than Jake members include: Buddy Schaub on trombone, Vinnie Fiorello on drums and JR Wasilewski on saxophone. (Side note: live music HORN sections are AMAZING.)

Buddy

I am sure I have seen LTJ perform live more than any other group.

Touring is their bread and butter. Infact, Less than Jake have been on the Vans Warped Tour more times than any other band - 12 times! (1997-2001, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018). Though they are based out of Gainesville, Florida; I have been fortunate to see LTJ play twice already this year. First performance was at Back to the Beach Fest in Huntington Beach, CA; then only a few days later I had tickets for their headlining show at Seattle’s El Corazon.

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El Corazon

El Corazon is a bit of a dive, but it has a BIG history. The club has been opened in its current incarnation since 2005. However the space has “functioned as a live music venue, club or bar since 1910”.

The venue was the heart of the grunge explosion in the ’90s that changed Seattle and music forever, Pearl Jam’s first five shows were in this room, Nirvana’s first Seattle show was here and Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Mudhoney all cut their teeth here. Source

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I suspect El Corazon was breaking some kind of fire code the night of the show because the venue was PACKED! Bodies were pressed together so tightly that the crowd swayed as one entity. It was so hot everyone was sweating. When the stage diving and circle pit started things got pretty intense from our spot right in front of the stage.

Ghosts of You and Me, in the video above, is one of my favorite LTJ songs. It was the second track on the band’s fifth studio album - Anthem. The album and song were released in 2003.

Roger Lima and the band’s mascot Evolution Kid. This character, created by Peter Wonsowski in 1996, is featured on the band’s tour posters, t-shirts, pez dispensers, bobble heads and countless other collectible items.

Look What Happened is my other FAVORITE Less than Jake song. It is song number three on the Anthem album. The band has released eight studio albums and eight EP’s.

The crowd goes wild!

Less than Jake are always a great time. Their tunes are catchy, they fully engage with their audience (both on and off the stage) and plenty of hijinks can be had at every show.

I am already excited to see them again. ☺️

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All photos and videos taken by me on an iPhone7. May 2, 2018.

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