Cake is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Daniel McCallum, and drummer Todd Roper.

Cake was formed in August of 1991 by McCrea, DiFiore, Greg Brown (guitar), Frank French (drums), and Shon Meckfessel (bass) who soon left and was replaced by Gabe Nelson.

Following a tour of Europe and the United States, both Brown and Damiani announced they were leaving Cake, which led to speculation about the band's future; McCrea eventually recruited Xan McCurdy to take over on guitar, and persuaded Nelson to return.

[1] He began looking for a new band to play with, having "grown tired of Sacramento's coffeehouse circuit",[2] and quickly attracted trumpet player Vince DiFiore, guitarist Greg Brown, bassist Shon Meckfessel, and drummer Frank French.

[6] Motorcade was named one of the best indie releases of 1994 by Pulse!,[3] and after a concert at the Great American Music Hall, Bonnie Simmons agreed to manage the band, leading to them signing a deal with Capricorn Records, who re-released the album in 1995.

[3] Critical reactions to the album were largely positive; Stephen Thompson in the Wisconsin State Journal described it as possessing "great lyrics, creative instrumentation and production that's about as simple as production gets",[8] Thomas Conner praised it for being "soulful and smooth, witty and gritty, this record makes the ghosts of Bob Wills, Buddy Holly and Lou Reed smile" in the Tulsa World,[9] and Matt Weitz in the Dallas Observer noted its "gimlet eye and sardonic humor".

[11] Nevertheless, some critics were less appreciative; John Wirt, in The Advocate, praised the album's sense of humor and "delicious" irreverence but noted that "[the] musicianship in Motorcade of Generosity suggests the Cake guys are mediocre players".

A quartet made five by a trumpet player, Cake carry themselves with the snittiness of technically proficient, lyrically aware music lovers, who are almost anachronistically untrendy and brazenly proud of it".

[13] The signing to Capricorn and re-release of Motorcade led to both French and Nelson leaving the band, citing their dislike of "the prospect of extensive national touring"; they were replaced by Todd Roper and Victor Damiani, respectively.

[21] The second single from Fashion Nugget, a cover of the Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris song "I Will Survive", hit number 38 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Brown and Damiani formed the "new-wave influenced" Deathray;[14] their places within Cake were taken by Xan McCurdy and Gabe Nelson, whom McCrea persuaded to rejoin the band.

[32] As a result of this experimentation, the album was noted as "loaded with spiced-up instrumentation, including a few new ingredients like the pedal steel guitar and musical saw thrown in for extra flavour".

[32] Music Week described it as an "inspired collection of leftfield rock",[33] while Thor Christensen of The Dallas Morning News said that it "brims with the same dry humor the Sacramento band displayed in past hits such as 'The Distance' and 'Rock and Roll Lifestyle': The leadoff track, 'Satan Is My Motor,' puts a devilish new spin on the rock 'n' roll car-song tradition, while 'When You Sleep' revolves around the question of what your fingers do while the rest of the body snoozes".

While a handful stand out – the country waltz Mexico, You Turn the Screws and Hem of Your Garment – Prolonging the Magic shows McRea and company to be little more than an above average bar-room act.

[41] A tour of Europe was temporarily postponed in March after McCrea broke a bone in his hand while moving furniture,[42] which also led to the delay of the European release of Prolonging the Magic.

Following the recording, drummer Todd Roper left the band, citing the demands extended touring would put on his time, and the commitments his two children, Griffin and Bella, represented.

[66] The United States tour went ahead as planned, with Cake playing concerts in Birmingham, Alabama,[67] St. Petersburg, Florida,[68] Salt Lake City,[69] and Las Vegas.

[70] This was followed by the Unlimited Sunshine Tour, a traveling festival headlined and planned by the band and featuring Modest Mouse, De La Soul, and the Flaming Lips.

Although it was acknowledged as a continuation of their old work, albeit with an increased use of synthesisers,[78] Sam Spies of the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted that "the experiments in style that made Cake fun to listen to have all but disappeared from 'Pressure Chief' ... What's left is mostly uninspired, so-called alternative rock",[79] and Graeme Hammond of the Sunday Herald Sun wrote that "the melodies are listless, the album bereft of anything with the verve of Short Skirt/Long Jacket or Comfort Eagle".

[80] Other critics were more generous; Doug Elfman of the Las Vegas Review-Journal called it "another great and bizarre, twangy album of alternative-singer-songwriting stories about cars and horrible relationships",[81] while a reviewer in the New Straits Times noted its "smart, subtly dissident, and always catchy pop".

Scott Bergen of The Record described it as "one of their best albums",[99] while Jim Farber of the Daily News wrote that "Fifteen years after they batted out their first left-field hit with 'The Distance,' the band's sound and words still have bite".

[101] To promote the album, Cake performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon[102] and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[103] before releasing Showroom of Compassion's second single, "Long Time".

[122] The band is most often noted for four things: the prominence of DiFiore's trumpet lines;[120][123] McCrea's ironic, sarcastic lyrics;[124] his "droll, deadpan ... monotone" vocals;[125] and the use of the vibraslap.

[126] 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.