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Lifestyle

Cake and EarthFest a sweet match

By Rosemary Ford
Staff writer
Published: May 22, 2008

Bands don't have to be green to play this Saturday's free EarthFest.

But when a band that cares as much as Cake about making the world a greener place, it makes for an interesting pairing.

Cake, an alternative rock band formed in California in the early '90s, will headline the festival dedicated to the environment and eco-friendly practices.

People at EarthFest will be asked to use recycling bins. Plates, utensils and other containers for food and beverages will be biodegradable. And biodiesel fuel will be used to power generators.

While an environmental message pervades the festival sponsored by WBOS, music is a key component. In addition to Cake, the BoDeans and The English Beat will headline the Saturday festival in Boston.

Hearing about all the eco-friendly practices associated with the event, Cake's lead singer, John McCrea, was intrigued.

He answered the telephone for this interview after working on his backyard compost pile.

"Like most Americans, I try to be concerned about the environment," said the rocker in his early 40s.

McCrea and his four band members plan to take their concerns about the environment to the next level by installing solar panels in his California recording studio.

"I have wanted to do this for a long time," McCrea said.

While it's not completely practical, McCrea said it's important for all people to step up and do what they can for our endangered planet. And they can learn more about doing so at EarthFest.

"It's time for people to make decisions that are pragmatic in the long term," he said.

While waiting for the solar panels, McCrea and his bandmates have been rehearsing songs for their new album. It's their first release on their own label, Upbeat Records.

"We got a lot more preproduction in than normally," he said, explaining that's helped with song development.

Cake just returned from a national tour. In today's music industry that's how most bands earn a living. However, McCrea said, the contradictions between being environmentally aware while also traveling extensively on buses and planes isn't lost on him.

Yet, he sees no way to avoid the travel.

"Either you shill for companies or you tour endlessly — to a degree that affects your health," McCrea said.

In Boston, Cake will take the stage with no set list planned. McCrea said the band likes to figure out what they feel like playing on show day, then devise the song lineup as they go.

"It's important for us not to use a set list and stay alive inside," said McCrea, adding that sometimes they even forget to play their hits.

"It actually makes for a better show," he said.

About Cake

Formed in Sacramento, Calif., in 1991.

The name, said lead singer John McCrea, was chosen for its phonetic punch.

To date, the band has toured extensively throughout the world including North and South America, Europe, Australia and Japan.

After releasing their first album, "Motorcade of Generosity," independently, the band signed with Capricorn Records in 1994.

"Rock and Roll Lifestyle" became the band's first radio hit.

Other hits included the lament "The Distance," "No Phone" and a remake of Gloria Gaynor's disco classic, "I Will Survive."

The band has recorded and released five studio albums via Capricorn and Columbia Records from the early '90s through the present day.

Classified as "alternative" or "indie" rock, the band combines multiple musical genres, such as funk, soul, pop, jazz, rap and country.

Cake's most recent studio album (their fifth), "Pressure Chief," was released in October 2004. This album marked the band's return to their earlier more self-reliant DIY aesthetic, in which they recorded and engineered their music independently.

The band also is known for establishing and headlining their Unlimited Sunshine Tour, a festival designed for audiences willing to think twice about what they hear. The eclectic ensemble of bands that have performed within the three installments of this festival over the years includes Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips and De La Soul.

This last year has seen the creation of their own label, Upbeat Records, with a full slate of planned Cake releases.

If you go

What: 15th annual EarthFest

When: Saturday, May 24, starting at noon

Where: Hatch Shell, Esplanade (Storrow Drive), Boston

How: Free

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