Cake (band)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mynameisnotpj (talk | contribs) at 11:31, 9 May 2008 (→‎Lyrical analysis). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the rock band. For other uses, see Cake (disambiguation).
Cake

Cake (officially capitalized "CAKE") is a band from Sacramento, California which has had several hits throughout the 1990s and 2000s from six albums.

History

Cake was formed in 1991 by vocalist/songwriter John McCrea, guitarist Greg Brown, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, bassist Shon Meckfessel and drummer Frank French. Shon Meckfessel soon left and was replaced by Gabe Nelson. In 1993, the band released its debut single, "Rock ‘n' Roll Lifestyle." Although self-released, the single managed to hit number 31 on the US Modern Rock Tracks. After the moderate radio success of their first single, Cake released its debut album entitled Motorcade of Generosity. Eventually, Cake signed a deal with Capricorn records, who in turn released the album nationally. Some time after this deal Gabe Nelson and Frank French left the band.

In 1996, Cake released its second album, Fashion Nugget. The album produced the radio gem "The Distance," which "dominated alternative radio that fall".[1] The next single released from Fashion Nugget was a cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive".

Later Victor Damiani was replaced by Gabe Nelson when he rejoined the band.

Cake released its third studio album, Prolonging the Magic, in 1998. This album contained the hit single "Never There" which reached number 1 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks.

In 2001 Cake released its fourth full-length album entitled Comfort Eagle. This was Cake's first release under Columbia records. The lead single "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" was a major hit on alternative radio stations, climbing to number 7 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks.

Cake's fifth album, Pressure Chief, was released on October 5, 2004. It contained the moderately successful singles "No Phone" and a cover of the Bread song "The Guitar Man." John McCrea discussed the album with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air in February 2005.

Cake released a compliation, B-Sides and Rarities, in October 2007. It features covers of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" and Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up," as well as live versions of Cake songs "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "It's Coming Down". Rarities is the band's first album on its own label, Upbeat Records.

The band has announced that two new albums are in the works: Live at the Crystal Palace, the band's first live album; and a new studio album, due out in fall 2008. Both will be released on Upbeat Records.[2]

Member changes

Damiani left the band in 1997, replaced by Gabe Nelson. Greg Brown left in 1998, replaced by Xan McCurdy. Brown and Damiani continued to work together when they formed the band Deathray. Todd Roper left the band to focus on parenthood after recording Comfort Eagle, and has also joined Deathray. Drummer Paulo Baldi joined the band in 2003 during the second "Unlimited Sunshine Tour". (See "Band Lineup" for more)

Musical style

Although Cake's music is often classified as alternative rock or indie rock, it combines multiple musical genres, such as funk, ska, pop, jazz, rap, and country. Cake's music features droll lyrics rife with word play and syncopation (laconically voiced in a rap-like style by lead vocalist/guitarist John McCrea), catchy distorted guitar riffs (courtesy of guitarist Greg Brown until 1998, and bass player Victor Damiani until 1997), and a solo trumpet (played by Vince DiFiore). Cake's approach to arrangement, composition, and instrumentation has been compared to Soul Coughing, They Might Be Giants, Talking Heads, The Cars, Camper Van Beethoven and Lou Reed.

Lyrical analysis

Cake released its fourth studio album, Comfort Eagle in 2001. One of the more popular songs from the album was “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”. Fans and critics alike have often wondered what the true meaning behind the lyrics is. In August of 2001, singer, John McCrea and trumpet player, Vincent DiFiore sat down with Brian Hodges of CNN to discuss the release of the album and the song “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”.[3]

When asked if the song reflected on girls or good times-bad times, John McCrea responded with, “It's really just about prosperity and depression and what happens to the human mating ritual when you have population booms and then things start to lag in every way. So I was not really writing about a woman in short skirt/long jacket as much I was writing about humans and how strange our behavior is.”[4]

Trumpet player Vincent DiFiore responded, “It doesn't really seem anyone ever gets what they really want, and life ends up being not about what you end up obtaining, but about the yearning and longing. I think it's a snapshot of that moment of feeling which ends up being your whole life anyway.”[5]

Almost four years later in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, on Nov. 14, 2005, John McCrea said, “I think it was inspired by seeing somebody with those two oppositional fashion gestures. And that's sort of what the song is about, directly oppositional forces housed within the same mechanism or personage. I saw this woman as trying to arrive at balance -- the skirt going up and the jacket going down.”[6]

Fans have a different but similar point of view regarding the meaning behind “Short Skirt/Long Jacket.” Some thought it was about, “the impossible search for the perfect girl” or “that the character in the song is looking for someone different, he’s sick of all women being the same.”[7]

Touring

Cake headlined the Unlimited Sunshine Tour festival in the summer of 2002 among an eclectic ensemble of bands including Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, De La Soul, Latin techno fusion band Kinky and bluegrass group The Hackensaw Boys. Cake brought back the tour in 2003 with Cheap Trick, country singer Charlie Louvin, garage rockers The Detroit Cobras and a return performance from The Hackensaw Boys. The tour returned in 2007 with the Brazilian Girls on the East Coast dates, return of The Detroit Cobras for the West Coast dates, and Oakley Hall, Agent Ribbons and King City for all the shows.

Band lineup

  • John McCrea - lead vocals, acoustic guitar, organ, vibraslap
  • Vince DiFiore - trumpet, keyboards, percussion
  • Xan McCurdy - electric guitar (joined after Prolonging the Magic)
    • originally Greg Brown (left before Prolonging the Magic, replaced by McCurdy)
  • Gabe Nelson - bass guitar (left after Motorcade of Generosity, replaced by Damiani; rejoined before Prolonging the Magic)
    • formerly Victor Damiani (left before Prolonging the Magic, replaced by Nelson)
    • originally Shon Meckfessel (left before Motorcade of Generosity, replaced by Nelson)
  • Paulo Baldi - drums, percussion (joined for Pressure Chief tour)
    • formerly Pete McNeal (left during the recording of Pressure Chief)
    • formerly Todd Roper (left after Comfort Eagle)
    • originally Frank French (left after Motorcade of Generosity, replaced by Roper)

Discography

Main article: Cake discography

Studio albums

Association with other artists

Appearances in other media

See also

  • Deathray, a band featuring former Cake members Greg Brown, Victor Damiani, and Todd Roper.

References

  1. ^ "Cake Biography". Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  2. ^ CAKE. MySpace. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  3. ^ CNN Interview with Cake
  4. ^ CNN Interview with Cake
  5. ^ CNN Interview with Cake
  6. ^ Rolling Stone interview with John McCrea
  7. ^ Fans interpretations to CAKE songs
  8. ^ "Weird Al is 'Straight Outta Lynwood' and right into your home". Retrieved 2007-08-24.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cake_(band)&oldid=211235937"