Cake @ Mesa Amphitheatre

You know how powerful Cake is? When you Google the word "cake," the band's website is the first search result. That's serious stuff, a band being able to muscle its way to the top, beating out all the love actual cake earns on the Internet. What's even more impressive is...

By Jason P. Woodbury

June 9, 2011

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You know how powerful Cake is? When you Google the word "cake," the band's website is the first search result. That's serious stuff, a band being able to muscle its way to the top, beating out all the love actual cake earns on the Internet. What's even more impressive is the band's staying power. The band hit it big with the funk-based riff rocker "The Distance" in 1996 (when hitting it big with a funk-based riff rocker was the norm), and has maintained a remarkably robust career even as they slid off the major-label grid and their songs stopped popping up as much on the FM dial. The band is headed to Phoenix with Tucson-based Calexico in tow, a band Cake shares a certain kinship with when it comes to inventive guitar work and horns. Both are part of the Artists for Action group, dedicated to keeping immigration-thoughtful artists playing in Valley at a time when many are boycotting it. You might not expect Cake to be the most politically conscious band, based on hits like "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," but you also wouldn't expect them to be more popular than dessert when it comes to Google search results.

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Jason P. Woodbury is a music and pop-culture writer based in Phoenix. He is a regular contributor to the music blog Aquarium Drunkard and co-host of the Transmissions podcast.

Contact: Jason P. Woodbury

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Twitter: @Jasonpwoodbury