Berube Communications

LESS THAN JAKE
Re-releasing 3 Classic Albums, plus 1 DVD with Bonus Material
Irish Release Date 14th March 2008 on Cooking Vinyl
Albums - Losers, Kings and Things We Don’t Understand / Pezcore / Goodbye Blue And White
DVD - The People’s History of Less Than Jake

::: Currently writing music for ninth studio album :::

16 years in this hyper-transient music scene is practically unheard of, but don’t tell that to punk/pop/ska band Less Than Jake, who aren’t only soldiering on with planned new music for mid-2008 but re-releasing back catalogue with bonus material. But before they get started, they needed to take back control and return to the DIY spirit that embodies their music and their headspace. Voluntarily emancipated from their record deal with Warner Bros recently even though they still had one more album in their contract, the band decided to create their own label Sleep It Off and continue their rich legacy, unhindered by major label requirements and sometimes questionable budgets. “It’s an amazing concept that a band can actually participate in 360 degrees of its career,” explains founding member/drummer Vinnie Fiorello. “After a decade an a half of being in the band, we are now our own bosses for real and the excitement of that can peel paint off the walls.”

The first four re-releases out of the gate in Ireland on Friday 14th March, will be “Losers, Kings And Things We Don’t Understand”, “Pezcore”, “Goodbye Blue And White”, and a DVD of “Peoples History of Less Than Jake”. Packed with new artwork and a bonus DVD component for each of the albums, these will not only be must-haves for their legion of fans but a great introduction to the new breed of indie punk kids. “We wanted to start with Losers, Kings, And Things We Don’t Understand, which was our first recorded material as a band,” Vinnie continues. “These literally are some of the first songs we recorded together, and it seemed obvious that it should be one of the first releases on our newly started label. As a musician, the fact that I can help not only in creative marketing, but release the actual audible history of our band on our own label is mind blowing. I think it’s a great time for the music industry that, despite lagging sales, you are allowed to write and rewrite the rules. These days, it’s like the Old West, so to speak.”

The excitement isn’t just limited to the band and its fans however. UK alternative music magazine Big Cheese reminisces, “We’ve had some great times with Less Than Jake over the years whether it’s been with the band (from getting trashed with them onstage at Warped Tour to a massive fruit fight while photographing them for one of many covers) or watching the band from the (often fancy-dressed) chaos of the pit every time they’ve hit the UK. If you’re looking for a band with integrity, passion and straight-up heart, Less Than Jake put everyone else to shame.”

Less Than Jake will be entering the studio in March to record their ninth album, due for release in summer 2008. “We’re holed up in Fort Hooker, our warehouse, finishing up songs and dodging the homeless that hang around the parking lot,” Vinnie adds. “With the new record, we’ve been more focused on heavy horns and a lot of melody. I personally look forward to some time in the studio. I miss that cabin fever feeling.”