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Cake is an indie-rock band from Sacramento, California that has a devoted fanbase and loyal following for their unique blend of indie, funk, jazz and country music. Fashion Nugget, Cake’s second album, became the album that brought the band into the public eye and gave them their first radio success with the song “The Distance”. After another five albums, a bounty of TV snippets including having written the theme tune to Chuck, and a number of hit singles has made them one of the most popular bands on the Alternative Rock scene.

In 2008 the band removed their studio (Upbeat Studio) from dependence on Sacramento, California’s power grid by installing a system of solar panels. The band subsequently announced that their upcoming studio album will be “recorded using 100% solar energy.”

Although Cake’s music is often classified as alternative rock or indie-rock, it combines elements of multiple musical genres, such as funk, rockabilly, jazz, rap, and country. Cake’s music features droll lyrics rife with word play and syncopation, catchy distorted guitar riffs (courtesy of guitarist Greg Brown until 1998, and bass player Victor Damiani until 1997), prominent use of a Moog, and a solo trumpet (played by Vince DiFiore).

The laconic and rap-like style in which lead vocalist/guitarist John McCrea brings the lyrics is sometimes called sprechgesang.

In the summer of 2002, Cake headlined the Unlimited Sunshine Tour festival among such varied bands as Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, De La Soul, Latin techno fusion band Kinky and bluegrass group The Hackensaw Boys. Cake brought back the tour in 2003 with Cheap Trick, country singer Charlie Louvin, garage rockers The Detroit Cobras and a return performance from The Hackensaw Boys. The tour returned in 2007 with the Brazilian Girls on the East Coast dates, return of The Detroit Cobras for the West Coast dates, and Oakley Hall, Agent Ribbons and King City for all the shows.

In June 2008, lead singer John McCrea told music publication REVUE that he is thinking seriously of quitting touring to become a farmer.

On June 11, 2009, Cake played at the Apple World Wide Developer Conference 2009 bash in San Francisco, California.

Current lineup

• John McCrea – Vocals/Guitar
• Vince DiFiore – Trumpet/Keyboards
• Xan McCurdy – Guitar
• Gabe Nelson – Bass
• Paulo Baldi – Drums

Discography

• 1994: Motorcade of Generosity
• 1996: Fashion Nugget
• 1998: Prolonging the Magic
• 2001: Comfort Eagle
• 2004: Pressure Chief
• 2007: B-Sides and Rarities  

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Tags: alternative, b-sides, band, cake, california, cheap trick, chuck, comfort eagle, country, de la soul, fashion nugget, flaming lips, funk, Gabe Nelson, greg brown, hackensaw boys, indie, jazz, john mccrea, lyrics, modest mouse, motorcade of generosity, Paulo Baldi, pressure chief, prolonging the magic, rarities, riffs, rock, sprechgesang, the distance, victor damiani, Vince DiFiore, Xan McCurdy
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Tokyo-based instrumentalists LITE formed in 2003. Their debut “Filmlets” received great critical acclaim, and since then the band have toured Japan constantly, embarked on their second UK & Ireland tour last September and they have appeared at the Fuji Rock Festival.

LITE’s sound combines the precision and musicianship of prog rock with the emotionally charged cinematic compositions of art rock, in a heavier, more modern package that they describe as “math rock”. Nowhere near as heavy as mathcore or prog metal, but more so than your average prog rock band.

Shortly after that appearance, the Japanese quartet released a split CD with Funanori (Go! Team guitarist Kaori Tsuchida and Mike Watt from The Minutemen) and teamed up with Mike Watt again in February this year to host his Brother’s Sister’s Daughter tour of Japan.

With the release of their second full-length album, “Phantasia”, the intense gigging schedule has obviously paid off. The band have improved their songwriting skills and their ability to translate their energetic live performances into an impressive studio album. Their instrumental prowess comes across in splendid fashion and the result is a varied and satisfying album.

Darker in parts to its predecessor, “Phantasia” contains many influences, from King Crimson-esque jazz-rock to full-scale guitar assault as on “Contra” or the opener “Ef” which has been re-recorded and reignited with the fury of its live rendition.

Throughout, there are stories woven into these grooves; the sea-faring tragedy “Shinkai” and the melancholic “Solitude” illustrate the band’s maturity as “storyteller” songwriters.

With “Phantasia”, LITE is set to cement its reputation as one of the most exciting bands to have emerged from Japan in recent years.

The band are Nobuyuki Takeda (guitar), Kozo Kusumoto (guitar), Jun Izawa (bass), and Akinori Yamamoto (drums).

Discography 

EP’s

•  LITE (2006)

Albums

• Filmlets (2007)
• Phantasia (2008)

Live album

•  Live in Limerick (2007)

Live EP

•  A Tiny Twofer (2007)

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Tags: Akinori Yamamoto, album, art, band, cinematic, compositions, Ef, Filmlets, Fuji Rock Festival, Funanori, instrumental, Japanese, jazz, Jun Izawa, Kozo Kusumoto, LITE, mathcore, metal, Mike Watt, minutemen, musicianship, Nobuyuki Takeda, Phantasia, prog, rock, Shinkai, Solitude, songwriters, storyteller, Tokyo
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Kenny Drew

 Kenneth Sidney (Kenny) Drew was an American jazz pianist who was born in New York City, New York on the 28th August 1928.

In 1949, Kenny Drew made his first recorded appearance with Howard McGhee, but within the next two years he recorded with such greats as Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, Milt Jackson, and Dinah Washington. He then went on to lead many recording sessions with his own bands throughout the decade and appeared on the John Coltrane albums High Step and Blue Train.

In 1961 he moved to Denmark, at a time when several other American jazz musicians had moved to Europe. He gained a wide following across Europe, although he sacrificed much of the interest of the American jazz audience in the process. He recorded many sessions with the Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and became a well known figure on the Copenhagen jazz scene.

On his passing (August 4, 1993), Kenny Drew was interred in the Assistens Kirkegård in the Nørrebro section of Copenhagen.

His son Kenny Drew, Jr. is also a jazz pianist.

To discuss Kenny Drew or this article on the Real Music Forum user forums, click the following link…

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Thanks to Wikipedia for the information.

Tags: American, band, Blue Train, Buddy DeFranco, Buddy Rich, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Denmark, Dinah Washington, High Step, Howard McGhee, jazz, John Coltrane, Kenny Drew, Milt Jackson, music forum, musicians, New York, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, pianist
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