Less Than Jake Say "Canada Still Likes Punk Rock"

Gainesville, Florida pop/punk/ska band Less Than Jake are making a special trip to Toronto for a free show with The Craft Economy this Saturday at The Sound Academy, which was formerly known as The Docks.

"On our last North American tour we didn't get to Toronto, so for us it's a good chance to go to a city that we missed last summer while we were out," says drummer Vinnie Fiorello. "From what I've been told, this is going to be a new all-ages venue in the future, so they're doing free shows to sort of celebrate."

In actuality, The Sound Academy recently lost its liquor license due to a 10-year long dispute between its owners and Toronto Islands residents who complain of excessive noise from the venue.

"I'm gonna tell you this," says Fiorello, "At the Canadian shows, the kids are fuckin' crazy.

"It's always a great time. And you know what? I'll say this about Canada right now: Canada still likes punk rock. And cheers to that. They like fuckin' fast music, and that can't really be said in a lot of places.

"It's not like we're fucking Good Charlotte or anything like that where we're on pop radio, but I think we've been around and we can consistently play shows up in Canada, and I think that people respond to punk rock still in Canada."

Fiorello believes Canadian kids seem to be a lot less influenced by current trends dictated by popular media than those in the States, and says Canadians generally have a more worldly view of things.

"I think the United States is driven more by pop music and pop culture. I think, in Canada, once kids become a fan of a band they stay a loyal fan of the band. It's not so much driven by what's on MuchMusic or MTV or whatever pop radio stations you have up there."

Less Than Jake are playing in support of the launch of their new independent label, Sleep It Off, and the March re-release of their Goodbye Blue And White, Pezcore and Losers, Kings And Things We Don't Understand albums and the Peoples History Of Less Than Jake DVD. The band have been working on new songs and will enter the studio in March to record their ninth album, which should see the light this summer.