Peter "JR" Wasilewski - Less Than Jake (19/12/2013)
Less than Jake have a more than well respected name in the contemporary punk scene. With their lively aesthetic yet punk like attitude, the band has travelled the world and shared their upbeat sound with people around the globe. The band has just released another smash hit album, See the Light which is available now through Fat Wreck Chords.
Less than Jake will make a big appearance at next year Soundwave 2014 and as a result, The 59th Sound spoke with saxophonist JR about the festival.
“My last experience on Soundwave was back in 2011. I don’t remember much of it, whether through substance or bad memory I can’t say, but I was told we had a good time. We hung out with New Found Glory a lot and they’re okay I guess. So no, it was good… I think,” he laughs.
All humour aside, JR is actually looking forward to come back after a three year hiatus from the land down under.
“It’ll be three years, since we’ve been because it’ll be 2014 when we arrive. Damn, can you believe that? So I look forward to seeing you’re beautiful country once again.”
JR was also pretty keen to speak about the new record, See the Light.
“It’s a record. For the world. It’s on Fat Wreck Chords. Fat Mike likes it. (laughs) Everyone keeps saying we approached it naturally but all we did was write songs how you write songs in 2013. We write songs with us all around a table with some lyrics, some acoustic guitars and ideas. And it’s really cool. Everyone was definitely involved from the foundation of writing this record. We’re really happy with how it came out and we hope that everyone, fan or not, listens to it and likes it. If not, everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
“We also sole produced it,” JR continues. “Roger was the engineer and we recorded it at his studio, the Moathouse. And it was really cool because it was basically the five of us in his house, recording the record. Our tour manager/day-today-guy/everything guy, Matt Yonkerdale, came in so it was the six of us all working on this record. It was really cool you know? We had a good time, wasn’t too stressful. Roger still think he needed another week but it tell him that if he had that week than he’d just want another one, you know?”
We had a bit more of chat and got onto the topic of band’s name and what it actually means.
“The name is driven from our drummer, Vinnie’s English bulldog named Jake. Jake had his own couch, his own bed and his own fucking door from the garage. And every time his parents went out to dinner, they’d bring Jake home lobster tail and steak and Vinnie and his brother would have noodles; so pretty much everything in his house was less than Jake. It’s an interesting but sad story.”
Less than Jake have also been driving for over two decades now. JR tells us what it is like being in a band for 21 years.
“It’s pretty good. We’re legal to drink in the United States finally, woo! It’s also sore. Not like a sore you get in your mouth from making out with a hooker but the sore you get from work. It’s like “Ow, I’m sore.” That’s how it feels.”
After our discussion, JR would like to leave fans with this: “Thank you so much for your support, without you we wouldn’t be a band for twenty one years.”
Matty Sievers
Less than Jake will make a big appearance at next year Soundwave 2014 and as a result, The 59th Sound spoke with saxophonist JR about the festival.
“My last experience on Soundwave was back in 2011. I don’t remember much of it, whether through substance or bad memory I can’t say, but I was told we had a good time. We hung out with New Found Glory a lot and they’re okay I guess. So no, it was good… I think,” he laughs.
All humour aside, JR is actually looking forward to come back after a three year hiatus from the land down under.
“It’ll be three years, since we’ve been because it’ll be 2014 when we arrive. Damn, can you believe that? So I look forward to seeing you’re beautiful country once again.”
JR was also pretty keen to speak about the new record, See the Light.
“It’s a record. For the world. It’s on Fat Wreck Chords. Fat Mike likes it. (laughs) Everyone keeps saying we approached it naturally but all we did was write songs how you write songs in 2013. We write songs with us all around a table with some lyrics, some acoustic guitars and ideas. And it’s really cool. Everyone was definitely involved from the foundation of writing this record. We’re really happy with how it came out and we hope that everyone, fan or not, listens to it and likes it. If not, everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
“We also sole produced it,” JR continues. “Roger was the engineer and we recorded it at his studio, the Moathouse. And it was really cool because it was basically the five of us in his house, recording the record. Our tour manager/day-today-guy/everything guy, Matt Yonkerdale, came in so it was the six of us all working on this record. It was really cool you know? We had a good time, wasn’t too stressful. Roger still think he needed another week but it tell him that if he had that week than he’d just want another one, you know?”
We had a bit more of chat and got onto the topic of band’s name and what it actually means.
“The name is driven from our drummer, Vinnie’s English bulldog named Jake. Jake had his own couch, his own bed and his own fucking door from the garage. And every time his parents went out to dinner, they’d bring Jake home lobster tail and steak and Vinnie and his brother would have noodles; so pretty much everything in his house was less than Jake. It’s an interesting but sad story.”
Less than Jake have also been driving for over two decades now. JR tells us what it is like being in a band for 21 years.
“It’s pretty good. We’re legal to drink in the United States finally, woo! It’s also sore. Not like a sore you get in your mouth from making out with a hooker but the sore you get from work. It’s like “Ow, I’m sore.” That’s how it feels.”
After our discussion, JR would like to leave fans with this: “Thank you so much for your support, without you we wouldn’t be a band for twenty one years.”
Matty Sievers