CAKE

Formation and Motorcade of Generosity (1991–1996)

Cake was formed in 1991 when John McCrea, a Sacramento, California native who had moved to Los Angeles with a band only to see it "quickly crumble around him", returned to Sacramento. He began looking for a new band to play with, having "grown tired of Sacramento's coffeehouse circuit", and quickly attracted trumpet player Vince DiFiore, guitarist Greg Brown, bassist Shon Meckfessel, and drummer Frank French. All were active in the music scene at the time; DiFiore notes that "[McCrea] came back and stole us from other bands". The band soon came up with the name "Cake"; rather than referring to the food, the name is meant to be "like when something insidiously becomes a part of your life...[we] mean it more as something that cakes onto your...

Later history (2011–present)

The band released a vinyl box set consisting of their six studio albums, their rarities album, and the previously unreleased Live from the Crystal Palace for Record Store Day 2014. A new studio album was announced for an early 2014 release, although in September 2014, McCrea admitted they hadn't yet begun to record a new album. In fall 2015, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi left the band. In summer 2016, Todd Roper rejoined the group as drummer. Daniel McCallum and Casey Lipka have both played as bassist during live performances since 2016.

Musical style and legacy

Cake incorporates a wide range of genres into its music, including country music, mariachi, new wave, college rock, jazz, funk, Iranian folk music, Brazilian music, and hip-hop. McCrea himself cites Hank Williams, Tom Zé, the Golden Gate Quartet, and Sly and the Family Stone as particular influences. The band is most often noted for four things: the prominence of DiFiore's trumpet lines; McCrea's ironic, sarcastic lyrics; his "droll, deadpan ... monotone" vocals; and the use of the vibraslap. DiFiore's trumpet work originated with McCrea's desire for a second melodic instrument to go with a song he had written; "A lead guitar playing those lines would have been really hokey. I like it when it's a contrapuntal thing, where the guitar is...

Short Skirt / Long Jacket

"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is the first single by American alternative rock band Cake from their 2001 album Comfort Eagle. It peaked at number 7 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

It is one of the band's most recognizable songs with its funky grooves, opening trumpet lick, and use of the vibraslap.

Lyrics and background

The lyrics describe the singer's ideal woman as one who wears a "short skirt and a long jacket." She is portrayed as someone who is successful in business and taken seriously; for example, she "uses a machete to cut through red tape."

Music video

The associated music vox pop video is composed entirely of people listening to the song on headphones and their reactions. Responses include enthusiasm, critique, and apathy; some dance, while one Ralph Walbridge, poet, gives the headphones back partway through, stating "uh... I've heard it all a million times, all the way back to all of the old records - which were much better - when they first came out, back in the 1940s." Other comments include Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen's (aka Dr. B.L.T.) "as a psychologist, I'd have to say it has therapeutic value because it releases something deep inside". The video was nominated for Breakthrough Video at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, but the White Stripes ultimately secured the award.

Never There

"Never There" is the first single released from American alternative rock band Cake's third studio album, Prolonging the Magic (1998). The song was commercially successful, topping the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and appearing on the music charts of four other countries.

In Australia, the song was ranked at number 30 on the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown for 1998.

Music video

The music video for "Never There", directed by McCrea, features Cake performing in a western-style bar, while a story arc covers a trucker calling his girlfriend on a pay phone and she never answers as she is too busy partying with male body builders in speedos. It was filmed in Sacramento, California.

The Distance

"The Distance" is a song by American alternative rock band Cake. Released in August 1996, "The Distance" was the first single from the band's second album, Fashion Nugget, and is considered one of their most popular songs.

It was written by the band's guitarist at the time, Greg Brown.

Background

"It is a song about success and failure, and failure of success, really," said singer John McCrea in 2019. "It's a sad song, because there is no success. You can explode into the world with great magnificence, and still feel like the guy underneath the Mickey Mouse head, with the fan batteries that have stopped working properly, and it's dark under there, and everybody wants your autograph."

Composition

The song is based around Cake's standard guitar, bass, and drums setup, with flourishes of solo trumpet, and McCrea's characteristically deadpan, driving vocals. The song does not employ McCrea's rhythm guitar, but does feature overlaid synthesized and other non-traditional sounds.

Music video

The video for "The Distance" features footage of the members of the band performing the song in a busy office lobby, mixed with footage of a businessman who inexplicably starts to run off into the sunset; first he runs from his office building (the same one the band is performing in) to the suburbs, then into the country and a forest, and finally into the sea. While the man is running, various people in humorous animal costumes cheer him on. It takes place in downtown San Francisco and other Northern California locations and first aired in September 1996.

In popular culture

The song's opening lyric, "Reluctantly crouched at the starting line", is prominently featured in the remix "The Starting Line" by Neil Cicierega on his album Mouth Moods.