Photo courtesy of the band.
Chris DeMakes says “Hostage Situation is about my son and daughter. At the time I wrote it, they were 7 and 6 years old, respectively. It was inspired by morning time with them, before being sent off to school. Some days it was as smooth as silk, and other days, it was a full blown thunderstorm. Ya know, the joys of parenting little ones. The “hostage” was me, and the “situation” was the chaos of that particular morning. My kids are amazing, and the lyrics are as tongue in cheek as you can get.”
The release arrives as Less Than Jake prepare for a run of live dates throughout 2026, with appearances in the US, Australia and New Zealand. The band’s upcoming schedule includes appearances at Riot Fest in Chicago, as well as dates in Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland before returning to the US for shows in December.
Full list of tour dates below:
18 September — Riot Fest, Chicago, IL, USA
19 September — Riot Fest, Chicago, IL, USA
30 October — Metropolis Fremantle, Fremantle, Australia
31 October — Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide, Australia
2 November — Forum Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
5 November — Enmore Theatre, Newtown, Australia
6 November — Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Australia
7 November — Studio The Venue, Auckland, New Zealand
10 December — Capital City Music Hall, Harrisburg, PA, USA
11 December — Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT, USA
12 December — The Strand Ballroom & Theatre, Providence, RI, USA
The story of ska-rockin’ maestros Less Than Jake isn’t told in their sizeable discography. It can’t be calculated by the amount of road miles they’ve logged. (But if we’re forced to calculate, we think they might be a block or two short of the Van Allen belts.) Nah! Less Than Jake’s cumulative worth is all about what they bring to your party. From sweaty club shows to uproarious festival dates to opening up for America’s most beloved rock acts, these five lifers’ deeds are best measured in the smiles they’ve slapped on the faces of true believers and new listeners, alike.
Silver Linings is the name of Less Than Jake’s latest album, their first full-length for the Pure Noise label and the follow-up to 2013’s See The Light. It also doubles as a bunch of sonic diary pages and a mission statement that cements their conviction after two decades in this rock ‘n’ roll circus. Indeed, LTJ—frontman/guitarist Chris DeMakes, bassist/vocalist Roger Lima, trombonist Buddy Schaub, saxophonist Peter “JR” Wasilewski, and drummer Matt Yonker—have escaped most (but not all) forms of ennui, depression and violence against screen-based objects to create an endorsement of humanity.
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