GNV FLA
Encyclopedia
GNV FLA is the seventh studio album by Less Than Jake
, released on June 24, 2008. Guitarist Chris Demakes states that the band "wrote a quintessential Less Than Jake record" and that the album includes "lots of horns and lots of vocals."
The album's title is an abbreviation of the band's hometown, Gainesville, Florida
. Corey Apar from Allmusic writes that: "Less Than Jake have essentially created a bittersweet tribute to their hometown of Gainesville, sparing no detail in naming the album GNV FLA, stringing the liner notes together with bleak snapshots of the city, and littering song names and lyrics with nods to both the state of Florida and the beloved college town of their inception." In the album's liner notes, the band thank the city, calling it: "the town that inspired the record."
In an interview promoting the record, saxophonist JR states that when the band were:
Similarly, the press release for the album reads:
The album debuted at #61 on the Billboard 200 and at #9 on the Top Independent Albums charts on the week ending on July 12, selling 10,300 copies in that week.
Scott Klopfenstein
, from Reel Big Fish
, provided additional trumpet parts on several tracks, while Neil Hennessy
, from The Lawrence Arms
, provides additional percussion throughout the album.
"Malachi Richter" is based on a real person, Malachi Ritscher
(he's credited as Malachi Richter on the Arsenal
EP he played bass for in 1989). Richter is the latest person to self-immolate
in the US when he did so alongside the Kennedy Expressway
in Chicago
during rush hour on November 3, 2006, protesting the Iraq War. The beginning speech in the song is an actual excerpt from Richter's suicide note.
Tony Pascarella from AbsolutePunk.net said that "They're dedicated to putting out the best record possible, and this new collection of songs is going to rank right up there among their best work".
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
, released on June 24, 2008. Guitarist Chris Demakes states that the band "wrote a quintessential Less Than Jake record" and that the album includes "lots of horns and lots of vocals."
The album's title is an abbreviation of the band's hometown, Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. Corey Apar from Allmusic writes that: "Less Than Jake have essentially created a bittersweet tribute to their hometown of Gainesville, sparing no detail in naming the album GNV FLA, stringing the liner notes together with bleak snapshots of the city, and littering song names and lyrics with nods to both the state of Florida and the beloved college town of their inception." In the album's liner notes, the band thank the city, calling it: "the town that inspired the record."
In an interview promoting the record, saxophonist JR states that when the band were:
"conceptualizing what we wanted to do with the next record, we were like, "We should do what we've always done, and do what we do best. I think that's why we ended up calling the record "GNV FLA' (Gainesville Florida), because it's like we've come full circle, we've come home.
Similarly, the press release for the album reads:
It's a return to form that could be called the “traditional” Less Than Jake sound, complete with their trademark bouncy ska grooves and horns galore, GNV FLA comes full circle with the band’s beginnings, when they were scrapping up money from gigs to augment their Pez collections.
The album debuted at #61 on the Billboard 200 and at #9 on the Top Independent Albums charts on the week ending on July 12, selling 10,300 copies in that week.
Sleep It Off Records
Regarding the band's decision to release the record on their own label, JR mentions that the band:"could have gone with Epitaph RecordsEpitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
or Fat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck ChordsFat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
, but we figured we had enough experience among the five of us doing almost every facet of what it takes to run a label. Now we control everything we do. It's kind of scary, kind of creepy and a lot of fun; I wake up every day at, like, 9 o'clock in the morning and I work on my band. And it's not just the music side of things; it's marketing, online promotion, talking to dudes at radio stations. We work really hard and try to do it as best as we can. We're our own band, we're going to go on tour, put out records, and go on tour. That's it."
Song information
"Does the Lion City Still Roar?", was uploaded to their official website on May 25, 2008 for fans to download for free, and released as a single on June 17, 2008 with a b-side entitled "All Time Low."Scott Klopfenstein
Scott Klopfenstein
Scott Allen "Scotty" Klopfenstein is an American musician and a former member of the band Reel Big Fish. He plays trumpet, guitar, keyboard, and sings....
, from Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
, provided additional trumpet parts on several tracks, while Neil Hennessy
Neil Hennessy
Neil Kevin Hennessy is a musician and music producer/engineer from Chicago, Illinois.Hennessy currently plays in The Lawrence Arms, Colossal, The Falcon, The Smoking Popes and Demon Beach. He has also been a member of Noise By Numbers, Baxter, The Killing Tree, and Quattro.Hennessy works at Atlas...
, from The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...
, provides additional percussion throughout the album.
"Malachi Richter" is based on a real person, Malachi Ritscher
Malachi Ritscher
Malachi Ritscher was a musician, recording engineer, human rights activist, and anti-war protester. He came into the national spotlight through his self-immolation, an act of protest against the 2003 invasion of Iraq.-Biography:Mark David Ritscher was born in Dickinson, North Dakota on January 13,...
(he's credited as Malachi Richter on the Arsenal
Arsenal (Chicago band)
Arsenal was an American band, formed by the former Big Black guitarist Santiago Durango, after Big Black broke up. Durango was in law school at the time...
EP he played bass for in 1989). Richter is the latest person to self-immolate
Self-immolation
Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
in the US when he did so alongside the Kennedy Expressway
Kennedy Expressway
The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a long highway that travels northwest from the Chicago Loop to O'Hare International Airport. The expressway is named for the 35th U.S. President, John F. Kennedy. The Interstate 90 portion of the Kennedy is a part of the much longer I-90...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
during rush hour on November 3, 2006, protesting the Iraq War. The beginning speech in the song is an actual excerpt from Richter's suicide note.
Track listing
Box Set- "Malachi Richter's Liquor's Quicker (Live)" - 2:24
- "Antidote for the Underdog" - 2:28
- "Settling Son (Demo)" - 3:01
- "Conviction Notice (Demo)" - 2:31
- "Does the Lion City Still Roar? (Live)" - 2:44
- "All Time Low" - 2:54
- "Handshake Meet Pokerface (Demo)" - 2:45
- "Summon Monsters (Live)" - 2:45
- "Conviction Notice (Acoustic)" - 2:27
- "Malachi Richter's Liquor's Quicker (Acoustic)" - 2:20
- "Golden Age of My Negative Ways (Acoustic)" - 1:43
- "Malachi Richter's Liquor's Quicker (Demo)" - 2:17
- "Sleep It Off (Live)" - 2:21
B-Sides
- "All Time Low" – 2:56
- "Antidote for the Underdog" – 2:27
- "Settling Son" (Demo)
- "Malachi Richter's Liquor's Quicker" (Demo)
Personnel
- Chris Demakes - guitar, lead vocals
- Roger ManganelliRoger ManganelliRoger Manganelli is the bassist and one of the two lead vocalists for ska-punk band Less Than Jake. He is also the lead vocalist and guitarist for Rehasher, and drummer for Greenhorn...
- bass, guitar, lead vocals - Vinnie FiorelloVinnie FiorelloVinnie Fiorello is an American drummer, lyricist and founding member of the ska punk band Less Than Jake. As a child, Vinnie's family owned a dog named Jake who was "treated like a king" according to the band's website FAQ page. As a result, everything in the house became "Less Than Jake",...
- drums, lyrics, art direction - Buddy Schaub - trombone
- Peter "JR" Wasilewski - saxophone
- Scott KlopfensteinScott KlopfensteinScott Allen "Scotty" Klopfenstein is an American musician and a former member of the band Reel Big Fish. He plays trumpet, guitar, keyboard, and sings....
- trumpet - Neil HennessyNeil HennessyNeil Kevin Hennessy is a musician and music producer/engineer from Chicago, Illinois.Hennessy currently plays in The Lawrence Arms, Colossal, The Falcon, The Smoking Popes and Demon Beach. He has also been a member of Noise By Numbers, Baxter, The Killing Tree, and Quattro.Hennessy works at Atlas...
- percussion - Matt Allison - producer, engineer, mixing
- Roger Lima - producer
- Howie WeinbergHowie WeinbergHowie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
- mastering
Reception
GNV FLA has received good reviews. Corey Apar from Allmusic said that "[...] on GNV FLA, Less Than Jake are still very much alive, and their exuberant, singalong melodies are heightened this time by actually being sung with heart, feeling, and a sense of fondness".Tony Pascarella from AbsolutePunk.net said that "They're dedicated to putting out the best record possible, and this new collection of songs is going to rank right up there among their best work".