Episode 34 - Vinnie Fiorello (Less Than Jake)

Welcome back! This week on the show Damian is joined by Vinnie from the legendary, Less Than Jake. Sit back as the two discuss the almost 30 year history of the band as well as Vinnie’s other career as head of Fuelled By Ramen Records and Paper And Plastic Records. Also chewed over: -A brief history of Riverdale -Amnesia Rockfest -Getting into punk through a New Wave older brother -Lamors in Brooklyn -Cro Mags -“I like DRI, is there anything else?” -The importance of Record Stores -NJ, “where punks, were punks”. -No Fraud -Skater and Surfers versus Skinheads at the Accused And GBH show in Florida -Needless Guilt, the pre Less Than Jake band the thrash Crimpshrine. -Lookout Records -Fuel the blueprint of the Florida sound -Leatherface’s Mush: Social conscious and personally speaking that you keep turning back -Var and No Idea Records: first the zine and then a label that built the Gainesville Punk Mecca -Moving to the Blue Dot in the Red Sea -Bands Disappearing: The transient nature of University Town Punk Bands -Good Grief begets Less Than Jake -Toybox Records and Sean Bonner -Jon Resh of Spoke: One of the embracing guys in a hardened scene. -The punk explosion in Florida in the early 90’s -“Can we go on tour?” -Facing resistance on both sides: being a ska-punk band -Book Your Own Fucking Life and schoolbreaks: the birth of a touring band -Slapstick: Pre Tuesdays, Broadways, Alkaline Trio and Lawrence Arms -Hearing Propagandhi’s How To Clean Everything? -Snuff: the main influence on Less than Jake -Suicide Machines -Jersey -Meet the majors: Capitol Records -The power of soundtracks -Collaborating on the Goodburger Theme -Getting a form letter rejection from Fat Records for Pezzcore… and then signing there -Starting Fuelled By Ramen to put out bands -Working with Jimmy Eat World -The J4 comp: the other side of Fuelled By Ramen -Alison Discount transformation into Alison Kills -Working with Billy Bragg… twice -Toy Collecting and Less Than Jake -Leaving Fuelled By Ramen -Stereo: The band that could of been -Pushead -Junior Battles -The Rise of Toy Micro-manufacturing -Touring with Bon Jovi