Cake, Radiolaria & September '67, the Met Cafe, 11/16/96

I must say Cake kinda makes me wonder what's going on these days. They have a buzzbin hit on Mtv, and a good CD out, but I still don't get it. I don't understand how they get away with playing so many covers and doing so many different styles withou t getting shit for being copy cats.

The CD's best song is their cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." Really, if you don't have it, it's worth it for this cover alone. Singer John McCrea deadpans the lyrics and it's got a funky beat to it. They also cover Frank Sinatra, Doris Day , and a Willie Nelson waltz. Sure the mix is different but it makes me feel funny inside. It's like my grandfather is taunting me all the way from Florida or something.

The Met Cafe was packed by the time they got the lights fixed the way the band wanted, and fixed the sound until it was also "just so." It was a pretty good mix of Mtv viewers, hippies, and alternative folk. There wasn't anything else going on except the friggin "Dance Night" crap that's taking over, so I don't know how many of them actually knew anything other than "The Distance."

I had a good time watching them and the opening band, Radiolaria. They were pissed because Cake was prickly and took over the dressing room and free beer. They were still getting a deal at the bar, but you had the smush through all the people to get there from where we were.

Radiolaria is a 4-piece; 3 girls and a guy who play a progressive noise mix. They were pretty good. They came all the way from Cincinnati and weren't on the tour for more than a few dates. I hung out with Korin, guitar and some vocals, and we buste d on Cake, and September '67.

September '67 is two girls doing hippie kinda stuff. One played a wide body guitar, the other drums. Their songs were down home folksy rock stuff about mothers, snakes, farm fires and the like. whatever.

Anyway Cake ended up being pretty cool. They mixed it up with songs like "Shut the Fuck Up" to break up the cover tunes. People danced, people drank, people had a good time; that's all that matters.