Flying Garter Exclusive: Chris DeMakes of Less Than Jake
- Cha Cha Cherry
- Jun 25
- 3 min read
That Evo Kid air freshener in my car needs replacing. If you don't know who Evo Kid is lemme tell you - or better yet let Chris DeMakes of Less Than Jake.
Somewhere on this blog I've talked about my love of Less Than Jake that spans over three decades. In college I feel in love with their catchy tunes, sing along anthems, stage presence/antics (Evo Kid skanking and toilet paper being launched into crowd) and so much more. I mean I'm an OG fan. I was seeing them ALONE at Starland when it was called Hunka Bunka and I was literally the only girl there over 21 doing shots with them at the bar. I have all my old CDs - including the ever elusive Greased album. I remember bringing PEZ dispensers to give to them. I have a pic of Vinny's dog Jake (the band's namesake AND the original drummer/founder) that he sent me when I asked him to.
Now try seeing them at Starland with wall-to-wall fans from Gen Xers who now bring their kids who love them (like mine).
It's come full circle.
Can you imagine being a major fan gurl for over 30 years and scoring an interview with one of the founders and frontman of one of your favorite bands? Me neither - so I'm still coming down off this high.
Let's start here....I see an announcement that Less Than Jake is going to open for Bouncing Souls on The Stone Pony Summer Stage. I immediately buy a ticket within seconds. Next thing I do is reach out to Chris DeMakes and ask him he will do a SoundBites pre- or post-show. He got back to me and said they weren't doing interviews but he would give me a written one. Get me some smelling salts.
Enough about my love of Less Than Jake - let's here from Chris.
Flying Garter: You've been a band for over 30 years. You have fans, like me, who've been loyal for those 30+ years. What do you think keeps them coming back decades later?
Chris: We keep it fun. Punk Rock is about individuality. You can be yourself at a LTJ show. We only take things as seriously as we have to. No rockstar crap.
Flying Garter: When you look back at your early records vs now, what feels the most different—and what hasn’t changed at all?
Chris: I think we've grown tremendously as musicians, but our attitude and goals have never weathered. We are still playing music, first and foremost, for the love of it.
Flying Garter: Why do you think your long-time mascot EVO Kid resonates with your fan base still? (Evolution Kid)
Chris: The EVO Kid reminds people that not long ago, they too, were kids. The EVO kid is about having a great time!
Flying Garter: What song do you think energizes the crowd the most?
Chris: All My Best Friends are Metalheads!
Flying Garter: Not everyone may know you have a podcast. Why don't you give it a plug?
Chris: Yeah, check it out wherever you listen to pods - it's called Chris DeMakes Makes a Podcast." It is a podcast about songwriting. I promise you'll love it, or your money back!
HUGE MASSIVE THANK YOU to Chris for taking the time to do this interview with Flying Garter! Can't wait to see Less Than Jake (again) at The Stone Pony this weekend! Tickets still available but will likely sell out!
Some (shitty) pics of my last Less Than Jake show 6/20/25 Starland Ballroom.
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