Jen chats to Vinnie from Less than Jake before their Melbourne Show.

Hi Vinnie, thanks for letting me interview you, I know you are keen to get on with soundcheck and then dinner before the show.   Last time I saw you guys other than SW was the show with BFS and ZH That gig is still one of my top 5 gigs ever. One reason is I love your shows is there seems to be so much connection between the crowd and the band. Pulling people on stage and drinking antics, is that we can expect from Tonight’s performance?  

You know it all depends on what the crowd is giving. Sometimes if the crowd is really stiff that is different than if the crowd screaming and jumping and having a really good time, I think that all depends on the crowd and are willing to interact. If there is a group of people in the chemistry is not right, we can only do so much. If the crowd is up for it and we are up for it  we will do it!

Awesome! it is Melbourne, the crowd will be up for it!

What’s your motto you live by after 23 years of touring?

You want to know what is? Everything in moderation including moderation.

I like that!

You guys are now super experienced when it comes to being on the road, is there anyone that has given you some good advice and you have used it?

You know what we had to with The Descendants in 1997 during their comeback tour and we were sitting with Carl from The Descendants and he said “ when he had been a band from long time, you want to start taking everything back.” So what he meant by that, when you first start being a band you print your own T-shirts and book your own shows and do everything within the band.He said “After you have been a band for so long, that comes back in a full circle and you start doing all that stuff again. We we took that advice and we we are now self managed and do other things internally.

Roger, our bass player also recorded our last album and a lot of other things and so we handle a lot of things internally.

You guys have been here so many times now, what is one thing that you look back fondly about Australia?

Yes, it was the first time that we were here, we will here on Warped Tour and we drove an RV around Australia, it was very very very very wild.

Was that just the East Coast?

No, we went all the way to Adelaide from the Gold Coast. Then we got into a plane and flew to Perth.

Good idea!

What is one thing that you look back and say omg I hated that!

Australia reminds me of Florida and California mixed together. So every time I am here I think it is very similar to where I live.Frankly the Australian people as a whole are much cooler than the people that live in Florida. The only downside to Australians is the timing, when someone says they will meet at five? They won’t get there until 5.30. I put in an Australian time buffer when I am here.  (laughing)

What are your thoughts on Vegemite?

It tastes like dirt but is pretty good on toast.

How do you think touring is different now than when you started?

Frankly it is different because of technology. So when we  first started we had a paper map and a beeper when my girlfriend at the time could beep me and that meant phone sex! Oh I thought I better call my girlfriend it is 911! (laughing) Now  technology makes it easy for me because I can live through the things that I had to find a pay phone or I had to look at a map and go “the street is not on that map! As it was printed 10 years ago. I don’t take technology for granted, I have a four year old daughter at home and I get to see her face to face every day,or a couple of times a day and that is a great thing. You know if I literally want to know where the doughnut shop is that I went to today, I can hit directions, and find out that it is .7 miles away, I can take Flinders Lane down to Elizabeth street and take a left and go to little Lonsdale, so technology makes my day easy you know?

What is something that stops you from enjoying a live show?

Usually a security guard. Usually someone that we want to term ‘The Punisher” who happens to be in my peripheral and he is trying to make it his show when it is not his or her show, it is the people who paid the money, not people that got in on the guest list or bothered someone enough to have a pass. it is usually those people that I can’t like as they get under my skin a bit.The people that paid and what to have fun, like a small vacation sometimes through their work week and they think it is something cool and someone is out there ruining it, it is not bothering that they are there it is bothering me because they are ruining it. I can turn of shitty behavior in a second but if they are taking away from other people’s experience then I don’t enjoy that.

What is something that you are OCD about while on tour?

You know what? Not really. I am fairly flexible about things, I like good food and if I don’t get it, I can get grumpy.

For our readers who have never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words

PUNK, SKA , ROCK, POP, and REGGAE.

My fav song of yours and the one I connected to when it came out because my life was a bit of a mess then, is  The Science of Selling yourself Short. That on the set list tonight?

It is!

Is there one song that you like to play live the best or is it to hard to decide between all your songs?

Great American Sharpshooter is my favorite currently to play live.

Is that on the set list tonight?

Yes it is!

Is there any Australian bands that you are really in to atm?

The Bennies are great,  I also listened to a band today that someone told me that were great, an Australian band called The Resignators. They were great! So I downloaded their record today and I listened to it 3 or 4 times and it is good stuff! But one older band that we had done some shows with before is Grinspoon, i thought they were really good.

What is your most annoying habit that annoys your band mates on tour?

I generally talk to much, so I think that when someone says something I immediately add something to it. It is not me thinking that I know better, it is me thinking that it is me just kind of filling up space.

What is next for LTJ after your Australian tour?

The rest of the Australian tour and then we go to Hawaii to do a show, then to a Festival in California called It is not dead, all punk rock bands from the 90’s and beyond.

Thanks so much for your time Vinnie, I wish you all the best for the rest of your Australian tour.

Thanks Jen, Enjoy the show.

Well I sure did enjoy the show, it was one of the best yet. The Bennies were awesome as were Reel Big Fish. Of course Less than Jake were fantastic too and I look forward to the time that I can see them again!

Written by Jen Rees.