Seattle Theatre Group Presents CAKE, 2/12

Seattle Theatre Group (STG) presents Cake on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 8:00pm at the Moore Theatre.

Seventeen years on from their inception, CAKE is still an outsider - defiantly and proudly cutting their own path. Both their music and their way of operating in the ever-evolving marketplace are fueled by the same core principles of self-reliance, democracy, and integrity that inspired their formation. "We're using the processes that we have always used," explains lead singer and guitarist John McCrea, "but we've got different tools now. The intellectual and emotional components are consistent, but the scenario and the scale are always changing." These values, which initially set CAKE apart from the crowded California club scene and thrusted them into the national spotlight, continue to flourish, expanding outward into new directions and roles. "It goes along with maturing as a band," says multi-instrumentalist Vince DiFiore. "We keep on adding more to the job description."

Setting out from Sacramento, California in 1991, CAKE quickly graduated from packing local venues to becoming a favorite in the thriving San Francisco scene. The combination of McCrea's captivatingly unwitting amalgam of Jonathan Richman, David Byrne, and Woody Guthrie - off-kilter yet strangely relatable - with CAKE's shambolic country funk took Northern California by storm. Key to the band's sound then and now is DiFiore's trumpet playing, which makes brilliant use of a timbre rarely heard in post-modern rock.

Motorcade of Generosity, CAKE's debut album, was initially self-released before being picked up and re-released by Capricorn Records in 1994. It featured their first radio hit, "Rock 'N' Roll Lifestyle," a wry deconstruction of rock star clichés and excesses. Their second album, 1996's Fashion Nugget, included the taut, propulsive hit "The Distance," still a radio staple and heard regularly in TV and films, along with an unconventional reworking of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." "Never There," powered by a looped dialtone sample, announced the arrival of their third album, Prolonging the Magic, in 1998. That album also cemented the band's core lineup of McCrea, DiFiore, bassist Gabe Nelson, and guitarist Xan McCurdy. From there, the band moved to Columbia Records for 2001's Comfort Eagle (featuring the hit "Short Skirt/Long Jacket") and 2004's Pressure Chief (which included the popular "No Phone"). Each album built on the one prior, with increasing breadth and musical evolution, encompassing a range of styles including funk, soul, pop, jazz, rap, and country. "There is a CAKE sound," says DiFiore, "but we are careful not to repeat ourselves. We acknowledge our strengths while finding new ways to express ourselves."

As-yet-untitled, CAKE's new studio album will be the first project they have undertaken since they overhauled their studio to run entirely on solar power. It was a decision that was made with both environmental and artistic consequences in mind. "It just seemed like the right thing to do," McCrea says. "I believe in science, and science is telling us that we need to make adjustments. Being in California, it seemed like a waste not to take advantage of all the free electricity."

"It felt great to get off the city's power grid and free up some electricity for the rest of the neighborhood," DiFiore adds. "We actually produce more electricity than we need right now. Also, it just feels better working there. We work in the spirit of cooperation, and when there is something like solar energy above your head, there is a little bit more levity added. It makes for a more positive environment."

Having toured extensively throughout the world, including North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, CAKE has developed a vital and thriving community of listeners, with which the band interact with regularly on cakemusic.com. "We're always putting up new material, keeping a road journal, posting news items and links, along with a weekly poll and an advice column," DiFiore explains. "We try to encourage environmental responsibility: we have a carpool page for listeners who drive to shows, we give away a tree at every show, and we do a lot of linking to items about the environment and public policies that relate to it."

In the meantime, CAKE is putting the finishing touches on the as-yet-untitled new album. "I write songs all the time, so I have this stockpile of music," says McCrea. "I'll bring it in and play it on acoustic guitar and from that point the real work begins, the arrangement process. That's an arduous part of the whole experience - hundreds of small decisions that build upon each other."

"Fortunately," DiFiore concludes, "since we've started doing this, people have become stronger musicians - more versatile, with a bigger musical vocabulary. People are bringing their musical growth to the table. For all we do, our strength is still working well together as a band."
Tickets: $37.50 not including applicable fees.  Tickets are on sale Thursday, December 16th at 10am at Tickets.com, in person at the Paramount Theatre box offices (M-F 10am-6pm), 24-hour kiosks located outside The Paramount & Moore Theatres, charge by phone at 877-784-4849, or online at www.STGPresents.org.

Seattle Theatre Group is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at both historic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

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