Cake

Members: John McCrea, Vince DiFiore, Xan McCurdy, Gabe Nelson, Paulo Baldi

Active: 1991-present

HISTORY

Cake (often written CAKE) is a band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1991. They have had several hits throughout the 1990s and 2000s from their five recorded albums.

Although their music is often classified as alternative 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, until 1998, of guitarist Greg Brown and, until 1997, bass player Victor Damiani), and a solo trumpet (played by Vince DiFiore). Their unique musical style has been compared to They Might Be Giants, Talking Heads, and Camper Van Beethoven.

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.

Their biggest hits have included "The Distance", "Never There", "Sheep Go to Heaven" "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle", "No Phone", "Short Skirt/Long Jacket", and an alternative remake of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". An instrumental version of Cake's "Italian Leather Sofa" is featured as the theme song to the cartoon Mission Hill. The song "Shadow Stabbing" from Comfort Eagle appears in the opening credits of the movies Orange County and Wordplay. The song "Frank Sinatra" was also featured at the close of The Sopranos episode "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti".

Additionally, 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's fifth album, Pressure Chief, was released on October 5, 2004. A live album, Live at the Crystal Palace, is to be released in Autumn 2006.

ALBUMS

1994 - Motorcade of Generosity

1996 - Fashion Nugget

1998 - Prolonging the Magic

2001 - Comfort Eagle

2004 - Pressure Chief

2006 - Live at the Crystal Palace