CAKE is joining forces with the US Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) for "The Federal Funding March," a nationwide contest among high school and college marching bands. Participating schools are required to submit a video of their marching band performing CAKE's song "The Federal Funding March," a track off their latest album Showroom of Compassion. CAKE will provide a full marching band arrangement and charts of the song to the USSBA. The winning school, chosen for the creativity and quality of their performance, will win an opportunity to participate and perform in the official music video for "Federal Funding," which would be filmed later this year in the winning school's hometown. Further details, including additional prizing, will be announced at a later date.
The non-profit USSBA and its parent company, Youth Education in Arts, provide a platform for talented high school students to participate in competitive events around the country. With a network of over 800 high schools, USSBA's partnership with CAKE will continue to bring awareness to the importance of music education.
"The Federal Funding March" is based on CAKE trumpet player Vincent DiFiore's instrumental arrangement. He explains, "With all the brass, the album track for 'Federal Funding' already sounded like it was a great arrangement for a marching band. It has strong syncopation and a bouncy bottom-end. For the "Federal Funding March," the electric guitar, electric bass, and drum kit were omitted. In their place are saxophones, low brass, flutes, and tenor drums. It is our hope that band directors everywhere will find this arrangement appealing for its rhythmic groove, melodic sensibility, and thematic timeliness."
"The USSBA is excited about exploring this unique collaborative partnership with CAKE," says Sean King, Director of Marketing for Youth Education in the Arts and the US Scholastic Band Association. "Music is a universal language, whether on stage, in the club or on the football field and we want to reach each of these venues to promote music advocacy through the 'Federal Funding March' Contest. Our relationship with CAKE exposes us to a passionate new audience of CAKE fans, while the contest engages students from high school and college marching bands that participate in our programs in a groundbreaking way. We couldn't be more energized with the kick-off of this campaign."
CAKE's recent album, Showroom of Compassion, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 upon its release earlier this year. The album continues to receive acclaim with recent appearances on NPR's "All Things Considered" as well as The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno,
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Lopez Tonight, Conan, The Late Show with
Jimmy Fallon and more. Meanwhile, their first single "Sick Of You" remained a Top 5 hit at both Alternative and Triple A radio for ten weeks.
The buzz continues with "Long Time," the second single from their critically lauded new album, which is steadily moving up the radio charts. The visually stunning animated music video recently premiered on MTV, which you can watch here:
http://www.mtv.com/videos/cake/631981/long-time.jhtml#id=1658901.
The band is in the midst of a headlining tour that sold out within minutes of being announced. The dates took them across the U.S., connecting them with their ceaselessly loyal fan base that has supported the band's live performances since the release of their first album in 1993.
Released on CAKE's own Upbeat Records via Warner Music's Independent Label Group, Showroom Of Compassion is their first record of new material since the release of Pressure Chief seven years ago and marks the band's first Number One album in their nearly two decades of existence. The album has been met by enthusiasm from both fans and critics alike, with the Los Angeles Times raving that Showroom shows CAKE is "in toned condition, turning out polished compositions that could fit in with its classic catalog" and Entertainment Weekly declaring Showroom "remarkably fresh." CAKE is John McCrea, Vincent DiFiore, Xan McCurdy, Gabriel Nelson and Paolo Baldi.
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