012 – Less Than Jake’s Hello Rockview

Hello Rockview

Wow, it’s been a minute since Eric recorded an episode of I Love That Record, but he’s back in style with not one but two special guests.

First up is Less Than Jake’s guitar player and lead singer Chris DeMakes. That’s right — Eric managed to convince Chris to chat with him about how the band wrote and recorded Hello Rockview, how he and the band felt about the album after they made it (hint: it passed the Dad Test), and what it feels like to meet people at every show who still connect with the band’s music.

To round out the episode, Eric invited his sister Becca Jorgensen onto the show to talk about their favorite songs on the album.

Jump into the car and don’t be the last one out of Liberty City — it’s time to dig into Hello Rockview!

Tidbits from Wikipedia

Hello Rockview is the third studio album by ska punk band Less Than Jake, released on October 6, 1998. Produced by Howard Benson, it is the band’s second and final album on Capitol Records, and recorded at Mirror Image Studios in Gainesville, Florida. The album is the first to feature trombonist Pete Anna, who joined the band during its recording. The album is dedicated in memory of Niki Wood.

The album yielded two singles, “History of a Boring Town” and “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads“, with “History of a Boring Town” reaching #39 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart.

The CD booklet had the unorthodox format of a comic book. It was illustrated by Steve Vance, who would later illustrate the song artwork for “The Ghosts of Me and You” on Anthem. Stylistically, it is similar to Dick Tracy. Each page is a separate song, with all dialog, thoughts, and captions being the lyrics to each song. The lyrics themselves all appear in proper order, but the order of the individual songs is different from that of the track list.

Album Details

Band: Less Than Jake
Year Released: 1998
Label: Capitol
Producer: Howard Benson

Becca’s Favorite Songs

  • “Help Save the Youth of America From Exploding”
  • “History of a Boring Town”
  • “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads”
  • “Nervous in the Alley”
  • “Last One out of Liberty City”

Eric’s Favorite Songs

  • “History of a Boring Town”
  • “Last One out of Liberty City”
  • “Help Save the Youth of America From Exploding”
  • “Five State Drive”
  • “Scott Farcas Takes it on the Chin”

Episode Links