10 Mar King Cake

SunFest veterans and Sacramento natives CAKE will return to West Palm Beach this May.

CAKE last took hold of the Tire Kingdom Stage in 2014, playing opposite of Kid Rock. That was my first time seeing this witty, biting band perform live. My fandom has only grown since.

Yes, we can all sing along to “Never There,” “The Distance,” and “Short Skirt / Long Jacket,” but did you know the following:

This American rock band’s name is stylized with all uppercase letters and doesn’t refer to our favorite dessert. Early in the band’s career, during an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times (1996), singer-guitarist John McCrea said CAKE refers to “when something insidiously becomes a part of your life.” He continued to say, “We mean it more as something that cakes onto your shoe and is just sort of there until you get rid of it.”

According to their press release, CAKE’s seventh studio album is due for a release this year. At a glance, this might not strike you as something special. But let me be clear: The band’s last full-length album, Showroom of Compassion, was released in 2011. Seven years ago! So could we hear new songs at SunFest? There’s a damn good chance. Keep your ears open.

Just before Showroom of Compassion, CAKE made headlines for making their Sacramento recording studio solar powered. “We certainly don’t have illusions about saving the world, but we wanted to do something to make us feel better about what we’re doing,” said trumpeter Vince DiFiore to Planet Green. “We’re consumers just like everybody else and going out on tour takes a lot of energy. “Being musicians, we’re aware of environmental issues… We felt like we needed to do something as individuals.”

That’s not the only way CAKE has helped our beautiful earth. Years ago, the band began to give away tree saplings at concerts. The winners were encouraged to post progress photos of their trees on the CAKE website. The result? The band has a landing page dedicated to their trees all over this gorgeous globe. There’s even one in our neck of the woods: A fan named Eric planted a Gumbo Limbo tree in Boca Raton that is reportedly “very happy.”

There is also an “Advice” section on CAKE’s website that has me smirking. There are four questions that are paired with wisdom and advice from the band.

You can get your fill of advice, songs, and sweetness with CAKE on Sunday, May 6.