We have our Cake and we can eat it, too.
Cake is familiar to those from the Sacramento scene, and for the rest of us, we know them from hits such as “”The Distance”” and “”Never There.”” Last summer, “”Short Skirt Long Jacket”” was also a hit on the radio waves.
My earliest memory of Cake was when I was in high school and I heard the song, “”The Distance.”” The funky instrumentation, the signature horn solo and spoken-word quality of the singer made this single stand out. I would often find myself humming, “”He’s going the distance. He’s going … for … speed. He’s all alone. All alone in a time of need,”” while I was marching to my next class.
This eclectic rock group consists of the unique vocal style of John McRea, the plaintive trumpet-playing of Vince Di Fiore, the slick drumming skills of Todd Roper, funk bass playing by Gabe Nelson and guitar licks from Xan McCurdy.
“”Motorcade of Generosity”” was Cake’s first release in 1994 and was met with great reviews. They broke out on the scene in 1996 with “”Fashion Nugget”” and their catchy hit, “”The Distance,”” in which a slightly country twang accompanied a funk-jazz sort of sound. Their rendition of the 1970s disco hit “”I Will Survive”” is a great cover. In their 1998 album, “”Prolonging the Magic”” prolonged their career with more catchy tunes like “”Never There”” and “”Let Me Go.””
Their most recent album was released last summer. “”Comfort Eagle”” maintains the same quirky non-sequitur lyrics and the same bounce to their songs. “”Short Skirt Long Jacket”” was the radio hit that resulted from that album.
Cake is one of those bands that seem to beat the odds with a couple of radio hits from each album they release. Their unique sound is a breath of fresh air from the distorted mess often found on the radio waves. They really don’t have obsessive fan Web sites or a throng of devoted followers, and I don’t think I would see them winning any lifetime achievement awards. But they are a solid band who knows how to entertain the crowd with a healthy set of singable songs.
And when you’re feeding off the energy of thousands of drunken revelers, all you’ll want to do is sing and dance. Piece of Cake.
