After three decades of ska-punk anthems, endless touring, and enough crowd-surfing to throw out your back, Less Than Jake are still somehow writing their best songs. At least that’s how Chris DeMakes sees it. The co-founder and vocalist of the Florida legends sat down with Kyle Meredith With… to talk about Silver Linings, the band’s ninth full-length album, which blends classic LTJ bombast with lyrics more reflective than fans might expect—especially if their last point of contact was “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads.”
“People are calling it mature,” DeMakes laughs. “I’m pushing 50—if I’m not mature now, I’m never gonna be.”
He’s not kidding. Silver Linings was recorded in 2019, but lyrically it comes from a deeper place, tracing heartbreak, loss, and self-examination in tracks like “The Test” and “Keep on Chasing.” And yes, the word “love” finally shows up in a Less Than Jake song. “We’d never used the word before,” DeMakes says. “It’s not like, ‘Hey baby I love you,’ but more ‘Love is like a drug.’ It felt like the right time.”
It’s the band’s first LP without longtime drummer and lyricist Vinnie Fiorello, who departed in 2018 to focus on his family. And while every member had contributed lyrics in the past, DeMakes admits it was strange taking full reins. “You can’t step inside someone else’s brain,” he says. “You have to mine yourself, and I was pulling lyrics from notebooks I’d written 10 years ago.”
One of those, “The Test,” is a standout on the record—a postmortem on a toxic relationship that hits hard even years after the heartbreak. “It was real,” DeMakes says, “but it doesn’t hurt anymore. And that’s how I knew I could sing it.”
Elsewhere, “King of the Downside” channels Huey Lewis by way of warped horn lines—DeMakes remembers hearing Roger Lima’s demo and thinking, “This is The Power of Love in disguise.” But maybe the most touching moment comes in “Bill’s Pill,” a tribute to longtime friend and legendary punk drummer Bill Stevenson. “Why do we always wait till someone’s dead to pay tribute?” DeMakes asks. “I wanted to write about a friend while he’s still alive—and weird as ever.”
Though drummer Matt Yonker has been part of the Less Than Jake world for 20 years—as a sound guy, manager, and all-around utility player—this is the first record where he’s officially part of the lineup. “It was seamless,” says DeMakes. “We didn’t have to learn someone’s personality. We already knew him.”
If all that wasn’t enough, DeMakes has been quietly building a multimedia empire. His podcast Chris DeMakes A Podcast goes deep with artists like Mark Hoppus and Bill Stevenson to dissect individual songs—no gossip, no fluff, just structure and intent. “I’ve had artists tell me, ‘That wasn’t an interview. That was different.’ And it’s because we’re talking songwriter to songwriter.”
In his other side hustle, DeMakes writes custom songs for fans—anniversary tracks, business jingles, whatever people request. “It strips the mystery away a bit,” he admits. “But the reactions are beautiful. I’ve had grown men cry getting a song about their wife.”
He’s also published a book, Blast From the Past, compiling 365 days of stories and photos from his Less Than Jake life. “I missed whole seasons of Seinfeld touring in the '90s,” he says. “But I’ve got the scrapbooks.”
With Losing Streak turning 25 and the band’s 30th anniversary just around the corner, Less Than Jake plan to celebrate every step of the way. “We’ve got so much cool stuff planned for the next three years,” he teases. “Fans want the album shows, the merch, the memories. And we’ve got it all documented.”
Still, the big question remains—how the hell does a ska band stay this good for this long?
“I don’t know, man,” DeMakes says. “We just do our thing. And people still show up. That’s the silver lining.”
Watch the interview above and then check out the videos below.
