96X Winter Meltdown
December 1, Ted Constant CenterTasty CakeEclectic pop-rock band returns for Winter Meltdown concert
By Rex Rutkoski
Vince DiFiore is well aware that it is no small compliment to be called one of the “most consistent, inventive bands in rock.”
As a founding member of Cake, headlining the multi-act 96X Winter Meltdown bill at Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk Dec. 1, he knows how challenging it is to maintain that consistency and inventiveness in a field with so much competition, one in which some may believe there are few new roads to explore. “What you have to do is always be listening to other music and inspiring yourself and trying to educate yourself more about music, and by becoming better players,” the trumpeter, keyboardist and vocalist says.
That’s how they rise to the challenge of striving for improvement, he adds. “When it comes down to it, there are only 12 notes,” he says, laughing. “To reinvent yourself all the time and make something new is a challenge.”
It’s just something you have to face and have enough confidence it will happen, DiFiore reasons. Cake has proven it has not lost its touch.
“Showroom of Compassion,” the group’s first studio album in seven years, arrives to critical acclaim, having debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. The group feels it is its most collaborative album, with the band playing a much larger role in production decisions.
Building its own studio and releasing the music on its own Upbeat Records label has given Cake a new found freedom. “It has given us a very important ingredient in making our finest album: time,” adds guitarist Xan McCurdy. The musicians released a limited edition “Showroom of Compassion” 7” vinyl box set on Sept. 13, with each disc pressed on a different colored vinyl and featuring unique, four-color sleeve artwork designed by the band.
Ten songs off “Showroom of Compassion” are included, as well as two bonus tracks: “Huge Misunderstanding” and “The Federal Funding March.”
The latter song, based on DiFiore’s instrumental arrangement, is the rallying cry for Cake’s initiative to raise awareness about the importance of music education. “The Federal Funding March,” for which entries were due by Oct. 31, is a nationwide high school and college marching band competition. Several sponsors pledged to donate over $100,000 in musical instruments and support to the campaign.
One school, chosen for the creativity and quality of their performance of DiFiore’s arrangement, will win an opportunity to participate and perform in the official music video for “Federal Funding,” which is to be filmed early next year in the school’s hometown.
Cake, this month, also is putting the spotlight on the fight against cancer in challenging fans to a “Mustache Man” competition in conjunction with “Movember,” a global charity event where men grow mustaches during November.
The “Mustache Man” contest, named after the band’s song of the same name from its latest album, is being hosted at: http://mobro.co/CAKE.
In the United States, funds raised by “Movember” benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation. “Through the power of the moustache, almost half a million ‘Movember’ participants raised $174 million, making us the largest non-government funder of prostate cancer research in the world,” says Adam Garone, CEO and co-founder of ‘Movember.’
On the musical front, DiFiore agrees that Cake being referred to as “consistent” is a high compliment. “You have to go out on the edge a little bit and at the same time keep grounded as to what is good musically,” he explains.
That is a common story in music, he suggests.
“A band is either getting so good that what they do is repeat themselves too much, or they are trying to sound a little too different and coming off sounding indulgent and not think of the audience enough,” he says. “We always go back to the classics and standards and think about what is it about those songs that never go away, what makes them listenable year after year. That’s our criteria: what makes a song last?”
Fans of Cake say the Sacramento, Calif., band has found that answer by following its own path since its birth in 1991. Branded by some as “alternative” or “indie” rock, the group wed many genres, including funk, soul, pop, jazz, rap and country with its rock.
It is music mesmerizing with the word play of lyricist and lead singer John McCrea, syncopation, intriguing distorted guitar riffs and solo trumpet.
This is a band, it’s said, with a unique approach to arrangements, composition and instrumentation. “People are interested in what we are doing. I guess that proves people are similar all over. What appeals to people on a local level ends up appealing to people on a national level,” says DiFiore.
Everything just translated nicely for Cake, he says. “We went from a band playing small bars and clubs in the Central Valley of California to a band received very well all over the place. It’s surprising to us, but more a lesson in the way of world.”
Cake has an appreciation for many different types of music that has come before it, he says. “As a group of individuals we all bring a part of that American music history with us into this band with strong songs.” They build on that with arrangements that perhaps hint at a variety of other musical styles, he says.
Though song titles can be quirky, he assures that Cake is definitely not a satirical band playing off of anything. “This is certainly not parody music. We are a reaction to something about modern rock that seems bloated to us, music that (unlike Cake) sometimes is a little bit too big.”
He is confident that Cake’s listener base knows where they are coming from. “At face value, making an album is a craft, and working hard at making that craft is something worthwhile to listen to,” DiFiore explains. Theirs is not overly indulgent music, but something that has been well honed and thoughtful,” he suggests.
There is an emphasis on rhythm and melody and “changing up” that rhythm and melody, he says. There also is a strong relationship between the audience and the band. “I guess we just have our own way of doing that. That’s nothing that sets us apart from other bands, but our own way of doing things which any band that wants to survive has to do. Every band has to make its own niche and have its own voice to be successful.”
The group signed with Capricorn Records in 1994, and yielded their first radio hit with the song “Rock and Roll Lifestyle,” their take on the foolishness of rock conventions.
“When we started out we had a really scrappy approach to songs. We sounded like a garage band, recording on eight-track. Now our music sounds more professional than that. We try really hard not to make slick albums, something that sounds too produced,” he says.
In the studio, he explains, “you have to check your ego at the door.” “It’s hard. You have to come and be like you are making shoes, or something like that. You have to come in with the best ideas and work really hard. Sometimes your ideas don’t make it and you have to be OK with that.”
The songs, he believes, keep a window open for interpretation. “A theme I seem to find in John’s songs is a bittersweet feeling of loss, but in those feelings of loss is he talking about a relationship or a broader relationship to the world in general?” he asks.
He says that John McCrea sings in an approachable style. “He sings with clarity so you can hear what he is singing. It’s not overly affected, not any kind of excruciating emotion coming out of it, and the words sound good,” he says. Those words are both accessible and interesting, he adds.
“John works with words really well. Because of that it is inspiring music. When people leave a concert I think I want them to be inspired about life in general,” DiFore says.
“Music seems to be kind of a reaching beyond the ordinary,” he adds, “stating something that people maybe see but aren’t always expressing.”
It is akin to an “overarching statement” about life mixed with music, he suggests. “You get that great feeling combined with the gained perspective on life. It creates a sort of ‘A-ha’ moment, sort of a revelation. Music is a revelation of what the experience of life can be.”
By Jeff Maisey
Newport News singer-songwriter Annie Johnson has recently released her fifth full-length studio album, “Tie Dye Army,” and it is arguably her best work to date.
The opening track, “The Biggest Mystery,” is a hypnotic, pop-rock song featuring Johnson’s passionate, melodic vocals, an obvious choice for alternative radio. Like the other nine tunes on the album, Annie Johnson, whose previous recordings include “Letters from L.A.” (1998), “Sybil” (2000), “Here We Are” (2002), and “Black and Blue” (2007) really demonstrate her songwriting talent. Where “Under Your Bed” at times uncovers Kate Bush-like influences, “Black” slyly paints an unflattering picture of the BP oil disaster and its impact on the singer’s psyche.
To learn more about the record I popped a few questions to Annie Johnson.
How did you approach the making of this album compared to those of your past?
When I began recording, all I’d originally wanted to do was record two or three acoustic songs, but once I got in the studio, it was going so well that I just kept going. I guess the biggest difference between this album and the others was that I brought in the actual band I’ve been working with for four or five years now. Thom Singleton had played a lot of guitar on the “Black & Blue” album, and Skip is able to get the best out of him, so he was already used to the recording process. I was a bit nervous at first bringing the guys in because I’m tough in the studio, and Skip is way tougher than I am. But we got lucky! A good attitude is the most important thing a musician can bring to the studio, and both Jack Adam and George Close had that in abundance, plus they also had the talent to match. Everybody had great ideas and brought a lot to the songs. That long feedback intro to “Black” was all Thom’s idea. All the drums came from George’s imagination. We’d just suggest things here and there, but those parts are all his. He really campaigned for recording “Hurricane Rain,” too. I think that’s his favorite song. And Jack? He’d get a lot of stuff down on the first take, his timing is awesome, and he played the coolest jazzy lines that I’d never even heard him do before. These guys are great.
What is the significance of the album title "Tie Dye Army"?
I didn’t have a title for that song for about a year, and I was also searching for an album title. One day that title just popped into my head. For me a Tie Dye Army is a large group of alternative-minded people who have better ideas for solving the “big” problems than what’s been done traditionally. My hope is that one day the open-minded folks will outnumber the terrified, torch-bearing mobs.
"The Biggest Mystery" is a full band, rockin' track. Why is this song first on the album and why it is the primary rock track.
This song is first on the album because it’s a full band rockin’ track! I wanted the album to start off strong, and when we got George’s drums on there, I was just blown away. That song took on a whole new life with those tribal beats. It’s a rock song, but it’s not too heavy, and it’s melodic, so I thought it’d be tough enough without scaring the folks who like my acoustic stuff. That was also one of the songs that really pushed me back into the studio. I’d written it about our friend Wes who’d passed away the year before, and I guess I just wanted him to hear it, wherever he is now. He was a huge fan of our band. Since we recorded the album, the song “Black” has become a part of our set. It’s got drums on it now and gets much heavier as the song progresses. It’d have been nice to do that in the studio, but I don’t have a label backing me, and I’ve got to keep money in mind when I’m doing these projects.
The other nine tunes feature your acoustic, singer-songwriter side. Why are these primarily acoustic-based?
Some songs just don’t need a whole band. “Safe Place to Fall” didn’t even have bass on it originally, but when I heard how well Jack was doing in the studio, I started hearing a simple bass part for it, and he played that simple part with a lot of heart. I love what his bass adds to the song. A great thing about working with these guys is that they don’t mind not playing here and there during a song. It’s all about what’s right for the song. The song has to be more important than our egos.
How has the local music scene changed in the past few years?
I don’t think I should comment too much on this because I’m not sure if my lack of interest in the local music scene is because of my health issues, which keep me from going out as much as I used to, or because the scene just ain’t what it used to be. I love playing in the band, and it feels the same to me whether we’re in the garage or in a bar. Because I don’t play out as much, I’m having more fun. I don’t feel as frustrated. I don’t feel like I’m pushing a big bad boulder up an endless hill. You know, with the economy being what it is, our band also can’t afford to drive an hour to Virginia Beach and do to a free show on a weeknight with six other bands and their girlfriends.
What will inspire more people to support local music?
Lower the drinking age to 18? I don’t know.
How are you promoting the new album?
I’m doing most of my promoting online, but honestly, I guess I’m not pushing it too much. As I said before, I'm struggling with some health issues, and most days I’m just trying to get through the day pain free. When I’m feeling good, I get online and do stuff. Our band will be doing more shows soon, and I’m looking forward to that.
What are your upcoming live performance dates?
We’re playing the Hampton Roads Show on WAVY TV 10 on Friday, November 11. Then the following Thursday, November 17 we’ll be at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
Any other information to share?
Well, thanks for the interview! I appreciate your interest in my music. There’s so much music out in the world now, that I feel I hardly matter these days. It’s nice when somebody pays a little attention to these songs that mean so much to me.
