Randy J. Klodz - Less Than Jake to Rock the Riv

Oct. 30, 2003

Less Than Jake to Rock the Riv

By Randy J. Klodz

Sure the Gainesville, Fla. native ska/punk band Less Than Jake has released more albums than Santa has reindeer, and makes almost every stop on each annual Vans Warped Tour, but that won’t stop the band from making a Nov. 6 Chicago stop at the Riviera Theatre.

Less Than Jake--a band which prefers publicly to use only first names--includes: Chris on vocals and guitars, Roger on bass, Vinnie on drums, Buddy on trombone and J.R. on saxophone.

Though the band has had a revolving line-up over the years, the Less Than Jake has toured relentlessly and seems to keep pumping out albums, regardless of what record label the band works with. With relentless touring Less Than Jake built a following by performing songs with titles such as “Jen Doesn’t Like Me Anymore,” “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts,” “Dopeman,” “Sugar in Your Gas Tank” and “Help Save the Youth of America From Exploding.”

The band’s latest effort, “Anthem,” released in May on Warner Bros. Records, has finally garnered the band some national radio recognition with the poppy “Look What Happened.” On the track Chris’ vocals glisten with teenage-angst while still slowing things a bit on the chorus “And I swear it's the last time / And I swear it's my last try / And we'll walk in circles around this whole block.”

The band is reportedly readying the release of its newest music video for “The Science of Selling Yourself Short,” a slow groove detailing tales of despair, especially when Chris sings “I could be an expert on co-dependency / I could write the best book on underage tragedy.”

The Riviera Theatre is at 4746 N. Racine Ave. Tickets for this all-ages show are $16 each. Showtime is scheduled for 7 p.m. with Yellowcard and Fallout Boy slated to open. For more information on Less Than Jake check out www.lessthanjake.com.