Nearly 30 years into an already impressive career β which includes 8 studio albums, tours with Descendents, Blink-182, Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, Snoop Dogg, Bad Religion, and more, and over 365 shows on the Vans Warped Tour β LESS THAN JAKE has never been a band to rest on its laurels. Today the ska punk veterans have shown the best is yet to come with the release of their first new song in 3 years βLie To Meβ and announcement of their new album “Silver Linings” out December 11th via Pure Noise Records.
βWe made a new record! Our first full length with our new drummer, Matt Yonker and it sounds amazingβ shares vocalist/guitarist Chris Demakes: βMore vocal hooks than a tackle box, horns galore and that bombastic and upbeat energy that weβre known for. We didnβt try to reinvent the wheel with this one, itβs still undeniably Less Than Jake. Just a bit punchier and in your face. We canβt wait for our fans to hear it!β.
On how it feels to still be writing music together after so many years, vocalist/bassist Roger Lima shares: βIt’s still so freaking exciting!! After decades of working on songs together, we still love it, and with our new drummer Matt Yonker, we feel reignited and refueled. Personally, I feel that this is the first step of a new era for the band. While the music feels undeniably Less Than Jake, the flow of the tracks and the attitude of the horns and lyrics have a freshness to them and I look forward to sharing these songs with our amazing fansβ.
Less Than Jake has no plans of slowing down any time soon as they prepare for the release of their 9th studio album, “Silver Linings” out December 11th via Pure Noise Records.
The story of ska-rockin maestros Less Than Jake isnβt told in their sizable discography. It canβt be calculated by the amount of road miles theyβve logged. (But if weβre forced to calculate, we think they might be a block or two short of the Van Allen belts). Nah! Less Than Jakeβs cumulative worth is all about what they bring to your party. From sweaty club shows to uproarious festival dates to opening up for Americaβs most beloved rock acts, these five lifers deeds are best measured in the smiles theyβve slapped on the faces of true believers and new listeners, alike.
“Silver Linings” is the name of the new Less Than Jake album, their first full-length for the Pure Noise label and the follow-up to 2013βs “See The Light”. It also doubles as a bunch of sonic diary pages and a mission statement that cements their conviction after two decades in this rock βnβ roll circus. Indeed, LTJβfrontman/guitarist Chris DeMakes, bassist/vocalist Roger Lima, trombonist Buddy Schaub, saxophonist Peter βJRβ Wasilewski, and new drummer Matt Yonkerβhave escaped most (but not all) forms of ennui, depression and violence against screen-based objects to create an endorsement of humanity.
“Silver Linings” also does a good amount of myth-exploding in its pursuit of joy. The songwriting core of DeMakes, Lima and Wasilewski wrote all the lyrics. New drummer Matt Yonker, whose former positions included LTJ tour manager and hammering along with such punk outfits as the Teen Idols and the Queers, helps bring a new sense of urgency. And that album title? Yeah, that was decided upon long before bands began to offer face masks in their online merch stores. Pro tip: Dial back your preconceived notions. The only things the Jakes have to prove are to themselves. Their laurels arenβt so comfortable that theyβd willingly choose to be painted into a retro- colored corner.
While “Silver Linings” doesnβt skimp on the joy, fun or grooves, careful listeners will sense a bit more reality seeping into LTJβs escapism. The callisthenic bounce of βLie To Meβ is slightly undercut by Limaβs tales of how βthe flames we hold the closest burn the worseβ. On the urgent track βThe Testβ, DeMakes dares to seek some self-examination through someone elseβs prism. βDear Meβ might be the first rock song that doesnβt couch its disdain for technology with poetic metaphors. That track addresses the loss of friends via distance and tragedy. The word βloveβ also appears in the album’s lyrics at three junctures. That detail should not be lost on anyone.
What else do you need to know about Less Than Jake in 2020? The band would tell you quite unpretentiously that they are here to bring a good time. Of course LTJ wouldβve said the exact same thing back in β97, 2006, 2011 or 2018 when the Warped Tourβs punk βnβ roll roadshow was coming to an end. What makes things different now? Why, nothing less than a divided nation and a dangerous pandemic. Consider Less Than Jake the first responders when your psyche doesnβt think it wants to continue. Because we do need all the joy and levity a seasoned ska-punk band can dish out. The reality that LTJ are also feeling reminds us that some kind of triumph is within our reach.
In 2020, thereβs no βsceneβ, merely good times and worse ones. For Less Than Jake to call their new album anything else but “Silver Linings”? Well, that would be fronting.
Alongside the announcement of their brand new album, Less Than Jake are happy to announce their European Tour in 2021! Check the dates below.
13.10.21 FR Paris – Gibus
14.10.21 NL Amsterdam – Melkweg
15.10.21 DE Cologne – Live Music Hall
16.10.21 BE Edegem – Hangar 27
17.10.21 DE Wiesbaden -Schlachthof
19.10.21 DE Nuremberg – Z-Bau
20.10.21 DE Munich- Backstage
21.10.21 DE Leipzig – Felsenkeller
22.10.21 DE Hanover – Faust
23.10.21 DE Hamburg – Gruenspan
24.10.21 DE Berlin – SO36
26.10.21 PL Wroclaw – Stary Klasztor
27.10.21 HU Budapest – A38
28.10.21 CZ Prague – Futurum
29.10.21 SI Ljubljana – Kino Ε iΕ‘ka
31.10.21 DE Lindau – Club Vaudeville
02.11.21 IT Mezzago – Bloom
03.11.21 CH Zurich – Dynamo
04.11.21 FR Toulouse – Connexion Live
05.11.21 ES Bilbao – Stage Live
06.11.21 ES Madrid – Sala Nazca Conciertos
07.11.21 ES Badalona – Estraperlo
