Reggae and ska legends will be sharing the High Dive stage for the sixth annual Less Than Jake Wake and Bake Weekend.
The event will take place Friday and Saturday. Friday night will feature performances from Radon, Savage Brewtality and The Mermers. Grammy-winning Inner Circle, Coffee Project and Propaganjah will perform on Saturday. Headliner Less Than Jake will perform both nights, Vinnie Fiorello of Less Than Jake said.
On Friday, tickets will be $16 in advance and $18 at the door. On Saturday, tickets will be $18 in advance and $20 at the door.
Cilantro Tacos is scheduled to be at the venue on Friday, with more food vendors to come, said Pat Lavery, the exclusive promoter for High Dive. Early access to the beer garden area will open at 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday for the UF vs. Michigan game. The doors open at 8 p.m. and the show is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. both nights.
Less Than Jake formed in Gainesville in 1992 and has five members: guitarist and vocalist Chris DeMakes, bassist and vocalist Roger Manganelli, drummer and lyricist Vinnie Fiorello, trombonist Buddy Schaub and saxophonist Peter “Jr.” Wasilewski. When they began touring around the country, Fiorello realized the band had finally made it.
“It was different in the ‘90s,” Fiorello said. “Kids were reading a magazine, going out to a local record store and spending money on [our music].”
As their success swelled, Less Than Jake found themselves touring most of the year. Either on the road or out of the country, the band decided that they needed to set aside time each year to come back to play in Gainesville, said Fiorello. Wake and Bake Weekend was born.
“This is where I always come back home,” Fiorello said. “This is where our friends come in, our family comes in.”
Inner Circle, a Jamaican reggae group, has been performing for nearly 50 years. In the 1990s, theirfame soared with the release of “Bad Boys,” the recognizable theme music to Fox’s “Cops.” They won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 1993 and 1994, according to the band’s website. Despite success, Inner Circle often performs at small venues.
“They say bigger is better, but not all the while,” Inner Circle’s Ian Lewis said.
Today, the band continues to perform and work with young artists through their recording studio, Circle House. Lewis describes reggae music as unselfish and about unity, qualities he says are especially important today. Lewis advises young artists to be true to themselves rather than trying to fit the popular mold.
“When you keep it real, that helps you more than when you, you know what I mean, become a chameleon.” Lewis said. “Don’t try to be somebody you’re not. Don’t talk about guns you’re never going to use.”
Another group performing is Propaganjah. Formed under two years ago in Central Florida, they are already performing multiple nights a week. Propaganjah’s Robert Burr Jr. said the band’s influences lie in the type of roots reggae that he grew up listening to, as his family is from the Virgin Islands.
“Inner Circle’s always been a huge influence because of their energy on stage,” Burr said. “I saw Less Than Jake at the House of Blues four or five years ago. I never thought I’d be on the same stage as them, let alone on the same night.”
