52 Bands

New Artist Monday: Cake

by Sammi Dittloff on July 9th, 2007

• Name of Artist: Cake
• Sound: A little bit of everything, really. Some spoken word along with some great beats and melodies, a little bit of ska, some rock-and-roll, indie rock, funk, alternative, basically something for everyone. I believe that anyone can like at least one Cake song because they’re so diverse.
• Location: Sacramento, CA (As mentioned in their song “Long Line of Cars”: From the streets of Sacramento/To the freeways of L.A.)
• Website: http://www.cakemusic.com
• Band Members
  • John McCrea - Lead Singer, Acoustic Guitar
  • Vincent DiFiore - Trumpet, Keyboard, Percussion, Background Vocals
  • Xan McCurdy - Electric/Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocals
  • Gabriel Nelson - Bass Guitar, Background Vocals
  • Paolo Baldi - Drums, Background Vocals
• You May Remember Them From Such Songs As…: Well, being around as long as Cake has, chances are you’ve heard a number of their songs. One of their first popular tunes was “Rock ‘N Roll Lifestyle,” or perhaps you’ve heard “Never There,” “The Distance,” or their cover of “Strangers in The Night,” or “I Will Survive.” The most recent song to be released on the radio, however, was probably “No Phone.”
• MySpace: www.myspace.com/cake
• Next Appearance: Tomorrow, July 10th, at Tivoli in the Netherlands

For some reason, I have the strange feeling that if the guys from Revenge of the Nerds went on to form a band, a lot of the characters would be the members of Cake. I mean this in the best way possible. Cake, to me, is the epitome of nerd success. These guys aren’t afraid to do the music they want and be who they are, and for that, they are beyond cool. Cake covers all different genres and covers all kinds of artists, and because of their acting-on-a-whim attitude, they’ve come up with a formula that really works and has proved to be quite lasting.

Cake was formed in 1991 by John McCrea in Sacramento, California. He formed it a couple years after trying unsuccessfully to get into the music business. They found their eventual niche in clubs and cafes, then found more fans in the San Franciso Bay area. Their first album, Motorcade of Generosity, was released independently, and afterwards they signed to Capricorn Records in 1994. “Rock and Roll Lifestyle” was their very first hit, as I mentioned before, and since then they’ve had a number of radio hits. It’s been over 15 years and Cake is still populating the airwaves with their unique brand of music. With their newly released B Sides and Rarities in 2007 and their extensive touring schedule, there is no sign of slowing down for McCrea and the gang.

In their 16 years of existing, Cake has traveled all around the world. They have released five studio albums with both Capricorn and Columbia Records. Recently, Cake has separated from Columbia Records in order to start their own label, Upbeat Records, and be able to release music on their own terms. How cool is that?

Although they’ve been around for years and are significantly popular, Cake still maintains a kind of down-to-earth, grassroots type of feel. They are all about their fans, touring, and making music that they know their audience will go crazy for. I absolutely recommend visiting both their website and their MySpace for more information and interacting with the band and fans.

Look forward to a great week of information on this veteran band! As for now, this has been another installment of New Artist Monday. Email me at blog52bands@yahoo.com or comment here anytime! Remember, Friday is Feedback Friday, so any feedback on the band or what I’m doing, email it to me, and I’ll post it on Friday!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ag/8467173/

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