Pop punk luminary Anthony Raneri of BAYSIDE joins Chris DeMakes for Episode 5 of Chris DeMakes A Podcast to discuss, critique and analyze his career-defining single "The Walking Wounded" off of their third studio album The Walking Wounded which was released on February 6, 2007 via Victory Records. "This is the first record that we made after we got into our accident," explains Raneri. "It came from something that the paramedics said to us. They referred to Jack and I as the walking wounded. It's a term that means people who have been injured in a battle or major accident but who are still able to walk. Coming out of the accident and the year that we had leading up to making this record, what we were trying to do as people was to basically overcome what we went though. We wanted to make a record about being injured but being able to carry on. That's what this song is about. This is when we became Bayside."
DeMakes' in-depth discussions and songwriting knowledge have helped him garner over 2,000 subscribers within the first few episodes, which has landed his podcast in the mix with NPR, Rolling Stone, and Vox among others. Recent episodes include Goldfinger front man and renowned producer John Feldmann (5 Seconds of Summer, Blink-182, Panic! At the Disco, Good Charlotte), Bill Stevenson (Descendents, ALL, Black Flag), Jaret Reddick (Bowling For Soup), and Roger Lima (Less Than Jake, Rehasher). Upcoming guests include Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish), Mike Herrera (MxPx), Cyrus Bolooki (New Found Glory), Chris #2 (Anti-Flag), Jen Razavi (The Bombpops), and acclaimed Grammy-winning producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, The All-American Rejects, Adam Lambert, Kelly Clarkson). Subscribe here.
Less Than Jake has sold over 2 million albums worldwide. Their groundbreaking ska-punk albums Pezcore, Losing Streak, and Hello Rockview have stood the test of time and continue to connect with younger generations. Borders and Boundaries was released in 2000 and contained the singles “Look What Happened” along with their hometown anthem “Gainesville Rock City” which received some airtime on MTV2. 2003’s Anthem debuted at #45 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and spawned three major singles in the US and UK. “She’s Gonna Break Soon” spent a couple weeks on MTV’s TRL, “The Science of Selling Yourself Short” spent five weeks on Billboard’s Top 40 Singles Chart and peaked at #37, and “The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out” featuring Billy Bragg spent time on the UK Singles Chart.
A few of DeMakes’ most memorable tours include Bon Jovi’s The Crush Tour (2000), Descendents’ Caffeine Nation Tour (1997), and Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution (2004). The band also holds the record for most performances on Vans Warped Tour at 441 (nobody is even close). Less Than Jake has been a staple on the international festival circuit as well which includes Reading and Leeds Festival, Download Festival, Fuji Rock Festival, Soundwave Festival, Pukkelpop, Hurricane Festival, Frequency Festival, and Greenfield Festival.
When DeMakes isn’t on tour, he’s busy in his home studio doing custom songs, jingles, and voiceovers. In addition, he’s available for music business consulting and motivational speaking at high schools and universities.