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Charleston fans still love a nice slice of 'Cake'

By Devin Grant

Sacramento-based band Cake has always enjoyed a big following here in the Lowcountry, thanks to local radio stations playing songs such as "The Distance" and "Frank Sinatra."

Those not familiar with Cake's style might find the band a bit odd at first, since lead singer John McCrea delivers his lyrics more in the style of a spoken-word poet than a rock singer. That unorthodox delivery, though, is what sets Cake apart from the rest of the alternative bands out there and is largely responsible for the band's rabid following.

Sunday night's show at The Plex was, not surprisingly, well attended. It began with a short set by the Chapel Hill, N.C. band The Old Ceremony (TOC). I was largely unfamiliar with this band, although a friend advised me not to miss the group and said that she was considering attending the show just to see TOC. As it turned out, TOC is easily one of the more unique bands I've run across in awhile, and its sound was a good warm-up for Cake's subsequent performance. Singer-songwriter Django Haskins fronts a band that includes the expected guitar, bass, drums and keyboards but also adds violin, cello and vibraphones. Apparently, "vibes" are becoming the new "it" instrument to use on stage, and if you don't believe me, then go see local artist Lindsay Holler for further proof.

TOC mixes elements of jazz, rock, folk and other sounds, so that one song style sounds completely different from the previous. Jump, Little Children has a similar style. While TOC sounds nothing like Jump, fans of Jump will definitely appreciate what TOC is doing.

Many of TOC's tunes seem to have some sort of Tom Waits influence, and the Plex audience reacted well to songs such as "Poison Pen" and "Get to Love." Particularly good was "Papers in Order," which brought to mind the work of Ben Folds with its peppy tempo and melody. Even Cake's McCrea could be seen emerging from backstage to stand in the audience to watch a few songs from TOC. I became an immediate fan and highly suggest the band's latest CD, "Our One Mistake."

With TOC finished the Plex's P.A. system began to play a strange mix of songs by the likes of Buck Owens and ABBA. The crowd began to chant "Cake, Cake, Cake" and were soon rewarded with the lights going down and the band's members taking their places on stage. McCrea greeted the audience and remarked about the band using large amounts of jet fuel to come see their Charleston friends.

Instead of starting the show with an original, Cake decided to be appropriately unconventional from the get-go, starting the show with a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." To be honest, Cake is the last band I would ever expect to cover Sabbath, but McCrea's take on Ozzy Osbourne's classic vocals were actually acceptable. From there, the crowd was treated to a great selection of Cake tunes, including "Stickshifts and Safetybelts," "Comfort Eagle," "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" and "Carbon Monoxide." Before beginning the song "Frank Sinatra," McCrea took time to politely admonish an audience member who had brought along a vibra-slap, which is the strange looking percussion instrument that McCrea uses to punctuate certain points in his songs. Apparently the audience member had been using his vibra-slap non-stop since the beginning of Cake's set, and McCrea advised the enthusiastic fan that the instrument should be used "judiciously." Apparently the fan complied, because McCrea didn't mention it again.

After the song "Love You Madly," McCrea revealed that it was lead guitarist Xan McCurdy's birthday, and a Spiderman birthday cake was brought out on stage so that McCurdy could blow out the candles. The band played several more songs, including "Sheep Go to Heaven," which found the audience all but drowning the band out during the chorus. After a performance of "Never There," the band left the stage, returning a short time later for an encore that included "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "The Distance."

Cake was then coaxed back on stage for a second and final encore, and before kicking into "Mexico," McCrea extolled the virtues of three-quarter time, which he claimed was largely absent from music today.

With "Mexico" complete, McCrea made a "that's all folks" motion and the band walked off stage, leaving an obviously satisfied crowd in its wake. While 16 songs might seem a bit short for a headlining band, in reality the show was just the right length, and nobody seemed to be complaining about a particular Cake song that wasn't performed.

Even after a dozen years of airplay, it seems that Charleston audiences have yet to tire of the antics of this little band from Northern California.

Devin Grant can be reached at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.

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