4P FANZINE: Can you tell me about how Less Than Jake formed?

Vinnie: First off, hello i'm vinnie i play drums. i'm drinking coffee and listening to the refused E.P. at home in gainesville. me and chris were in other high school bands together and when we both went to college here in gainesville we started LTJ, that was about 8 years ago.

4P FANZINE: What shall Less Than Jake mean? Whose idea was it to call the Band so?

Vinnie: Less than jake refers to my families dog jake who waas treated better than any other person in my family, so everything in my house was  treated less than the dog jake. it was my idea for the name.

4P FANZINE: How is the tour going? Was it the first time in Germany? Do you like the fans or the clubs?

Vinnie: it was our second time in germany, i absolutley love germany, everyone just seems to have a good time, everyone treated us so kind and it was just cool to be in germany for the second time and have kids dancing and singing along.

4P FANZINE: Your new album "Borders and Boundaries" is alittle different from the others, some songs you play with a second guitar and other songs you play without sax or trombone. No doubt that the new better sound than the others, but where are the ohohoh- parts like in "My very own flag"?

Vinnie: Its funny, because we just sat in rogers basement and took the best songs, we had other songs that were ska and others that were completely different but we just recorded the ones we thought were best, we started to write new songs and it is very much like our old stuff so i guess if thats what you really like our next stuff will make you go crazy

4P FANZINE: The song "is this Thing on?" sound for me like typical neo-punk song, but better, do you want to show the people that you can do these songs too, or was it a try to go in another direction?

Vinnie: Actually it was a song about my friends overdose on drugs so the music had to fit with my mood and the lyric ideas.

4P FANZINE: For whom is the song "Pete Jackson is getting married" and is it true?

Vinnie: That song is about our old sax player derron, and yes it is all true. its kinda meant to be a good luck on getting married but is just comes off sarcastic.

4P FANZINE: Now you're at Fat-Wreck, what was the reason for you to change the label?

Vinnie: Capitol and us just didn't see eye to eye anymore, it was time for us to leave to a label that understands punk rock and its ethics and ideals.

4P FANZINE: Is there a special event which brought you to music-making? What are your motivations now to go on with this?

Vinnie: You know the motivation to keep going is the feeling you get while youre playing, i can't really describe it, but its this energy and communication between people..its what drives the band to go onthrough the good and bad.

4P FANZINE: Do you have a kind of band-philosophie? What is your point of view to your music?

Vinnie: The band philosophy? treating everyone with respect and saying thanx to everyone that supports LTJ in everything that we do.

4P FANZINE: What's the message of your music? Just to have fun or are there any serious lyrics?

Vinnie: Theres serious lyrics everywhere, about traditions, beliefs, being a slave to the clock, suicide, drugs, and violence.

4P FANZINE: How do you create the lyrics of a song, are these life experiences you made? How are your lyrics to understand, serious or more the funny way?

Vinnie: All the lyrics are based on real life experiences, lots are serious but some are funny too, we try not to get to heavy on either side.

4P FANZINE: With which bands did you grow up? How did you find to your kind of music? And what bands can be named as your influences?

Vinnie: Descendents, snuff, screeeching weasle, and iron maiden.

4P FANZINE: What's your opinion about Bands like the Mad Caddies or the Bosstones? In my opinion your are a perfect combination of these both bands, but better.

Vinnie: I like alot of ska punk, sometimes the genre gets too repetitive though, thanx for the compliment too, we really try to write songs that are a bit different than the rest of the other bands in our genre.

4P FANZINE: On your new album you show us some different styles, for example more in the direction of rock or metal and then near neo-punk. Do you want to change the style of your music a little in future or will you be straight?

Vinnie: Our next record will be all ska and punk rock, or atleast i can say for sure is that it will be the best songs we can come up with for that record. Thanx for the interview, we'll see everyone in germany in march..come buy us beer and get us drunk...

Dieses Interview wurde von Nils Manegold geführt.