Biography

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

Although Cake’s music is often classified as alternative or indie rock, it combines multiple musical genres, such as funk, 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 to Victor Damiani until 1997), and a solo trumpet (played by Vince DiFiore). Cake’s musical style has been compared to They Might Be Giants, Talking Heads, The Cars, 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.

Cake’s 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 songs “Daria”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle”, and “Friend Is a Four-Letter Word” are featured as closing credit themes for episodes of Daria. The song “Frank Sinatra” was also featured at the close of The Sopranos episode “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti”. The movie, “Me, Myself, and Irene” also featured Cake’s “Hem of Your Garment”. In the Tv-Series “Chuck”, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” is used in the intro of each episode.

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 in October 2004. John McCrea discussed this album with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air in February 2005.

B-sides and Rarities, Cake’s latest album, was released October 2, 2007. It features a live cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”.

Cake’s cover of “Mahna Mahna” appears on the charity CD “For the Kids” whose proceeds benefit the “VH1 SAVE THE MUSIC” organization.

2. The Cake (which is currently being redirected to this page) was a psychedelic girl pop group from the 1960s with the album Slice of the Cake in 1968.