Sacramento quintet CAKE continues to move forward, celebrating the release of their new b-sides and rarities album (out October 2), via the band's own label Upbeat Records. After opting out of their contract with Columbia Records, the band decided to start things off with a treat for their listeners: a cohesive collection of re-mixed and re-mastered b-sides and rarities, plus an exclusive live bonus bootleg track of "War Pigs" with Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips. The CD comes in a collectible "scratch and sniff" package, embodying four different CD cover color/scent configurations (including red/fresh cut roses, yellow/banana, brown/leather and purple/grape, along with an interior hidden scent!).
The band recently wrapped up three months of touring that stretched from London to Istanbul to Anchorage to headlining the Monolith Festival in Colorado. CAKE will have another rendezvous with the road in December, with the re-launch of the band's Unlimited Sunshine tour series, a traveling music festival formed by the band in 2002, which over the years has included The Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Tegan and Sara, De La Soul, Cheap Trick, Gogol Bordello, The Detroit Cobras, Charlie Louvin and The Hackensaw Boys. Soon after their return from the road, the band will return to working on their first ever live album project, Live At The Crystal Palace, set for a "limited edition" release during 2008, as well as their sixth studio full-length, scheduled for release during autumn 2008. This year's Unlimited Sunshine edition will include The Brazilian Girls, among other performers, targeting cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland ME, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Rochester and New York City.
John McCrea, lead singer of CAKE, recently had an in-depth conversation with Tom Tomorrow of This Modern World (http://thismodernworld.com/3945) touching on many compelling topics vital to McCrea, CAKE and Tom Tomorrow. Subject matter included the band's highly publicized conflict with their former label, Columbia Records. After releasing CAKE's Pressure Chief and Comfort Eagle, Columbia pushed the band to the edge when they advised them they had to release a "Greatest Hits" album. The band felt it was premature (as John mentioned in a recent Associated Press article), and broke off to start their own label, Upbeat Records. "Yeah, we don't exactly have a bunch of infrastructure. We might end up packaging these CDs up ourselves with a six-pack of beer. Or a twelve pack, probably, because it's going to take a long time." John knows there's a lot to do when you're an indie, but his passion for the music and support amongst his band mates keeps him optimistic.
Press:
"Cake are the kings of slacker chic - plus the CD has scratch-and-sniff liner notes. It's pretty amazing how cohesive this collection is, to be honest. Besides, we can never get enough of John McCrea's vocal delivery." - Alternative Press
"Punchy trumpet and John McCrea's deadpan vocals helped Cake stand out from the '90s alt-rock crush, as did a penchant for quirky covers. McCrea has always insisted these are recorded in earnest, and B-Sides and Rarities backs him up. It's a loving collection of tunes." - Performing Songwriter
"More than a decade later, when most of their contemporaries have gone the one-hit wonder route, Cake continue to establish themselves as one of the most consistent, inventive bands in rock" - Baeble
"You can "go the distance" in a perfectly acceptable 40-plus minutes. All told, B-Sides is a fine album..." - Loose Record
"Cake's cover of 'Mahna Mahna', made famous by the Muppets in the late 60s, is hilarious and pulsating enough to inspire the dead to boogie." - Delusions of Adequacy
"The cover of 'Strangers in the Night' is really the pièce de résistance - it's wonderfully awkward and precious." - The Red Alert
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