Though it’s been seven years since the last Cake studio LP, you can understand why it took the eclectic Sacramento, Calif., rockers so long to finish album number six. Like its predecessors, Showroom Of Compassion was self-produced, but for the new LP, the band members engineered it themselves in their solar-powered studio and released it on their self-run Upbeat label. And aside from gigging relentlessly, the group also organized the multi-genre Unlimited Sunshine Tours (which have featured bands as diverse as the Flaming Lips, De La Soul and Cheap Trick) and is currently in the planning stages for a 2011 UST. Cake—vocalist/pianist John McCrea, multi-instrumentalists Vincent DiFiore, Xan McCurdy and Gabriel Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi—is taking to the road this week in support of Showroom Of Compassion, playing multiple nights in numerous cities. The band will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new Q&A with DiFiore.
John McCrea: I am a big fan of having chickens in the backyard. If you build them a nice coop, it is really no compromise to your stylish backyard. Chickens, specifically hens, are legal in many urban and suburban areas. One of our neighbors has chickens and offered us a few eggs. When I tasted the difference between these eggs and the ones from the store, I began working immediately on building a chicken coop. Although I didn’t feel all that confident about my building skills, the coop turned out just fine, and it was an empowering and therapeutic process. For someone normally engaged in creating fancy air (music), it was particularly good to have something physical to show for my work—for once! My four hens are a few months old and about to start laying eggs this month. We are looking forward to having a dependable protein supply right in our own backyard. My hens are named 1980s girl names: Trish, Ashley, Brittany and Cindy.
Video after the jump.
