After three successful albums with Capricorn Records, Cake have left the label for the more stable confines of Columbia Records. As a going away present, Capricorn had originally planned a greatest hits package for the wry rockers, but has since scrapped that thought.

Meanwhile, Cake are well into sessions for their fourth album (to be their Columbia debut) in their hometown of Sacramento. Per usual, they're producing themselves. In the wake of guitarist Greg Brown's departure from the band, Cake recorded 1998's Prolonging the Magic with a revolving host of guest axmen, but Xan McCurdy has since signed on a permanent replacement and will handle all six-string duties on the as-yet-untitled album.

Fans of frontman John McCrea's sardonic sense of wit will be happy to hear he's revived his pre-fame gig of selling self-designed T-shirts, due to, as he puts it, "today's volatile and uncertain music business climate." Most notable among the T's is one bearing an actual "rocker wanted" ad McCrea encountered not long ago that reads, "Deathly powerful vocalist seeks bass player, guitarist and drummer that shred to form extremely vicious crunch metal act, a la Metallica, Sabbath (Dio era). No posers or glam. If you think this ad is bogus or if you think I suck, FUCK YOU. Chris 818-763-5974." The garments are available via Cake's Web site at www.cakemusic.com.

GREG HELLER
(November 11, 2000)