CAKE

Known for John McCrea's droll, sarcastic lyrics and deadpan delivery, the Sacramento rock band Cake draw on an unusually wide set of influences, from norteño, country and mariachi to disco, funk, folk and hip-hop. The American group's current line-up is McCrea, trumpeter and keyboardist Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Daniel McCallum and drummer Todd Roper. Membership has shifted many times, yet McCrea and DiFiore have been present since the beginning.

McCrea returned to Sacramento in 1991 after a Los Angeles band of his fell apart. Motorcade of Generosity, self-released in 1994, was sold from the band's van before Capricorn Records signed them, and its single "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" reached number 35 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Fashion Nugget (1996) went platinum on the strength of "The Distance", and Prolonging the Magic (1998) followed suit, with "Never There" hitting number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Comfort Eagle, their first Columbia album, produced "Short Skirt/Long Jacket", which peaked at number 7. Showroom of Compassion, issued on their own Upbeat Records in 2011, became their first album to debut at the top of the Billboard charts. Studio output has been sparse since, though they continue to tour.