It’s hard to pigeonhole the music of Cake into one single slice. That’s because the band, which formed in the early 1990s, has a sound genre reminiscent of all the best elements of country, jazz, folk and bluegrass.
Cake’s ubiquitous American flavor and hits like “The Distance” and “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” have earned them both critical acclaim and a loyal following. Their last release, 2011’s “Showroom of Compassion,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and in the years since they have put out a live album as well as a collection of B-sides and demos.
The band plans to release a brand new, and long-awaited, studio album in early 2026, one which will include their latest song, “Billionaires in Space.”
Fans of the band can hear the classic songs, new material and more when Cake performs at The Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks on Sunday. I recently spoke with vocalist John McCrea about Cake’s upcoming performance and more in this new interview.
Q: Cake has been together now for more than 30 years. When you think about that milestone with so much perspective, what thoughts come to mind?
John McCrea: It’s unusual in the music industry for a band to live this long. I remember when we were first starting out there were a lot of bands that were a way bigger deal than us, but then they’d be gone in three years. Then there’d be another group of bands that were really important, and three years later they’d be gone too. It almost felt like we worked at McDonald’s for too long and saw people just come and go [laughs].
What can fans look forward to from the band’s upcoming performance here in Bethlehem?
A messier, louder version of the studio recordings that are a little more energetic. We also have a few new songs that we throw in every so often that will be featured on our next album. There’s a new song called “Billionaires in Space” we’ve been playing that has been going over well along with a George Jones cover that we just started playing this year. We stopped using a set list because it allows us more freedom to do what we want to do. So we probably won’t know what we’ll be playing until we’re standing up on stage. We’ll play it by ear and see what feels right for the situation.
Is there a way you can put into words what Cake’s music is all about?
It’s hard to put it into a catch phrase. One thing concisely about it is that it’s anti-genre. In some music it’s about tribe and identity and ours is a negation of that. I think it very much comes from America roots music like country, jazz, folk and bluegrass. There are elements of that but it’s not really any of those genres culturally at all. It’s very much outsider music.
Can you give me the origin of the song, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket?”
I had noticed somebody wearing that kind of outfit once and thought it was strange. It seemed like two different directions at the same time. Then I started thinking about the stock market and the whole push-pull. It became something broader instead of just about fashion. When opposite impulses relate to human activity. Those kind of things were in my head when I wrote it.
You mentioned the song, “Billionaires in Space.” What can you tell me about it?
That song has a more literal kind of vibe. Out west we had been getting hit really hard with smoke from the wildfires. In some cases it was weeks and weeks of being socked by crazy unhealthy air. There was one period of time when that was going on and, at the same time, there were literally billionaires circling the globe. It seemed too perfect of an image to pass up. That song will be on the new album we’re working on that we plan to release sometime early next year.
How did the band come together?
I’d been playing a lot of the songs on the first album solo in coffee shops and open mic nights and had started getting a little bit of a following. There were other melodies I was coming up with that I needed other instruments for. I ran into Greg Brown [guitar] and was super impressed with his playing. He had a bass player he was working with that he brought in. But there were still other melodies I was hearing that needed to go on top of Greg’s electric guitar. At the time I was listening to a lot of Mexican Ranchero music, like Vicente Fernández and Pérez Prado. I thought, these melodies would sound way less rock and heroic on trumpet. The same day I thought of that I went to a jazz improv night and Vince DiFiore was playing some really fast trumpet solos and I thought if he could play that fast I’m sure he could play some of these melodies. We put it together and started carving out space for electric lead guitar and trumpet — two very bold and uncompromising instruments.
Is there anything you’d like to say to fans of the Lehigh Valley prior to your performance?
I’m really looking forward to playing the venue [SteelStacks] again. We had a really good time the last time we played there. Hopefully I’ll get to walk around and see the city a little bit. A lot of venues you sometimes forget what it looks like, but not when it comes to Bethlehem.
James Wood is a freelance writer. His new 80s music-themed novel, “Beyond What We Know” is available now. You can contact him at jimmywood@gmail.com
