It's been a wild and crazy ride for Gainesville's Less Than Jake, who first met at the University Of Florida over a decade and a half ago. But instead of kicking their feet up and resting on their laurels, the ever-busy quintet have been working hard on the next chapter of Less Than Jake. Successfully extricating themselves from their major label contract (even though they still owed one more record to the label), they started their own label, Sleep It Off Records, and now are in the driver's seat. "After a decade an a half of being in the band, we are now our own bosses for real and the excitement of that can peel paint off the walls," says drummer Vinnie.

Before the band starts recording a new album this Spring (for release in the Summer 2008), however, they are planning the re-release of albums from their catalog… and first up are Pezcore, Losers, Kings and Things We Don't Understand, Goodbye Blue and White, and the DVD The People's History of Less Than Jake (more re-releases are planned for the future). "We wanted to start with Losers, Kings, And Things We Don't Understand, which was our first recorded material as a band," Vinnie continues. "These literally are some of the first songs we recorded together, and it seemed obvious that it should be one of the first releases on our newly started record label Sleep It Off. As a musician, the fact that I can help not only in creative marketing but release the actual audible history of our band on our own label is mind blowing. I think it's a great time for the Music Industry that, despite the lagging sales, you are allowed to write and rewrite the rules. These days, it's like the Old West, so to speak."

Through their decade and a half career, they've traveled the world multiple times -- with the Warped Tour, opening for Bon Jovi, and as headliners. "Each record is a snapshot of who the band is and was at the moment of writing and recording," Vinnie says. And what better way to revisit their history than with a fresh new take on their old material. Each re-release will come with all new artwork and a bonus DVD of previously unreleased material.

"If you look at the career of our band you have the roots of the tree and that's our initial inspiration that we used for the band, which was East Bay pop/punk; Screeching Weasel, early Green Day, Operation Ivy," Vinnie says. "If you look at that as the roots, then you have our career as the body of the tree, and the leaves are the latest inspirations of things, whether they're friends, family, or whatever."

"People have a preconceived notion that Less Than Jake is a ska/punk band, that we're wacky and silly, and that may be a certain side of ourselves live, but there's also another side and that's a beautiful thing about our band - it's multi-headed," he says proudly. "We can be different things at different times; we can be socially relevant and we can still be musically relevant 16 years after being together, still progressing musically, not only as players, but as far as musical direction. We can jump outside the box of what people expect, and now that we're in control, what you'll be getting is Less Than Jake -unfiltered and over-amplified."

How does one gauge the success of a band pushing the envelope of a genre that receives little to no credit by the mainstream media? In the case of A Wilhelm Scream, the answer is "Who cares?" – As a band playing punk rock for over a decade, members Trevor Reilly, Nuno Pereira, Nick Angelini, Brian Robinson and Mike Supina haven't focused on success, image or whatever bandwagon a group can jump on to get their music into the ears of listeners: It's the ideal of music from an honest place, playing to the kids who want to hear more than a simple love song, or want an opinion rammed down their throats.

Despite operating just below the radar A Wilhelm Scream have carved out a reputation as one of the best live bands around, bolstered by their staggeringly rich albums of ultra-technical melodic punk rock firestorms. Playing 250+ worldwide shows each year, the band posses a work ethic best described as 'heroic'.

Some bands have coined themselves as revolutionary, but Fear Nuttin Band is evolutionary. With their musical roots fusing the intensity of metal, the rhythm of Jamaican dance hall and the social consciousness of hip hop, this band is defining a genre.

The Fear Nuttin Band sound is as diverse as the cultures the band members represent. The hot West Indian sun incubated the talents of frontmen Roosta (vocals), Prowla (vocals) and Jay Chung (guitar), while instrumentalists Matt Penza (drums), Chris Regan (guitar), Brian Daigle (bass) represent New England’s finest. The union of these six individuals was in the stars: with Chris, Jay, Penza and Brian lending their musical talents to heavy bands all over the Pioneer Valley, the four always found themselves in and out of bands together. It was the same day that Matt, Chris and Brian found themselves without a frontman that Roosta and Prowla called up and asked them to jam. These final Fear Nuttin Band members have been together since.

Much can be said about their home of Springfield, Massachusetts, and its reputation for breeding original artists and ideas. Put on the map for growing groundbreaking entertainers from the powerful reggae dynasty that is the Morgan Heritage, to the mixed melodies of one of the country’s biggest new rock acts Staind, the metal onslaught of Shadows Fall, and All That Remains, Springfield has become a musical hotbed. Fear Nuttin Band took the area by storm with their infamous live shows, and became hometown heroes when they were awarded wins in the Valley Advocate Grand Band Slam four years in a row, taking home the honors for best new band, best new reggae/ska band, and best party band.

Most recently, Fear Nuttin Band triumphantly competed in the nationwide Bodog Music Battle of the Bands, making them Boston’s champions and landing them a recording contract with Bodog Music. Fans watched as Fear Nuttin Band trekked the nation on the Bodog Battle reality TV series, winning the hearts and respect of their competitors and fans, and becoming a favorite among esteemed judges Johnny Rotten, Bif Naked and Billy Duffy. Fear Nuttin Band victoriously returned for the explosive Bodog Battle finale as the Alternative Press Magazine’s popular vote-back winner. Kevin Lyman, founder of the Warped Tour, told the band once, “All you need is one man to believe in this band and the rest is history.” Bodog Music’s founder Calvin Ayre is that man. Calvin was so excited about the public’s response to Fear Nuttin Band that even though they had been previously voted out of the competition, he made them a part of the Bodog Music roster alongside the Bodog Battle winners.

With their musical credo “Unify the Music, Unify the People,” the band has embarked on a musical mission. They have developed a worldwide following due in part to their unique sound, but also because of their diehard work ethic. Live, Fear Nuttin Band are an unforgettable force that draws audiences into the stage swagger of two of today’s most charismatic frontmen, Roosta and Prowla. Because of the band’s unique charisma and energy, they’ve played over 500 sold-out shows and toured the nation with the likes of Toots and the Maytals, Blink 182, Buju Banton, Green Day, Morgan Heritage, Fishbone, and graced several stages on the Vans Warped Tour. All this, plus the band has released several independent EPs, and developed their own merchandise line.

In 2007 Fear Nuttin Band linked up with famed producer Terry Date (The Deftones, Pantera, White Zombie, Korn) to take the reins on their Bodog Music debut record titled Yardcore. The album captures their infectious, energetic live performance while highlighting the vocalists’ phonetic banter and melodic verses. A mix of reggae, dance hall, and hard, heavy rock, the album is a progressive body of work. Peppered with political statements, the singers bare their souls through every track and speak of their personal values and beliefs. Yardcore is a crossbreed, a non-conformist body of work put together purely to give the listener something to think about. What it’s not is “Rockstaffari” bullshit — it’s an angsty, ballsy blend of hardcore instrumentals and vocals that scat and swoon with Jamaican nobility. Chris Regan and Jay Chung provide the wailing guitars and pocket riddem harmonies while Brian Daigle’s bass acts as the pulse of the rhythm section and Matt Penza’s drumming pyrotechnics pop and burst throughout the disc.

Fear Nuttin Band’s Yardcore is a real offering of love driven with intensity, and it might be the first album in history to cause a mosh pit that ends in hugs and high fives. Yardcore is set to be released in March 2008 on the Bodog Music label with simultaneous releases in America, Canada, Europe and the U.K.