The album which impacted my life the most is turning 25 this year! As such, Less than Jake is going on tour to play the album in its entirety. They are coming to Philly on July 14th and I already bought my ticket! I cannot WAIT!
Less than Jake is absolutely my favorite band of all time. I cannot pinpoint when I discovered them. However I am pretty sure it was in 2003 with my cousin Matt. He showed me their new (at the time) album “Borders and Boundaries”. Specifically, I remember hearing the second track ‘Kenhoe’ and being floored at the melody of the chorus. Roger’s voice stuck in me like a pin. I then dated a girl in 2004 who had Hello Rockview on a burned CD. I knew I enjoyed what Matt showed me previously so I asked if I could listen to it. I borrowed this disc and would listen to it morning to night. My Mom had a portable Panasonic CD player which I would use to listen to it. No matter where I went or what I was doing, this album was playing in my ears. I couldn’t get enough! The energy of the songs! The crisp harmonies of the brass. The lyrics being spoken as if written about me. It was just everything you could want in an album! I still have the burned copy of Hello Rockview which I would LOVE to get signed.
This album means the world to me. Sure I’ve heard the songs 100s of times and it will never impact me on the same level as it once did, but I will always find my way back to it every year and give it a listen through.
“Last one out of Liberty City – burn it to the ground!”
