Cake

Long before Ke$ha was making waves with her brand of sing-talk, Cake was tearing up the charts thanks to frontman John McCrea’s rap-like style of sing-talking. Remember Cake, the Sacramento, California-based band whose music is filled with wordplay and whimsical lyrics? Sure, it’s been a while, but if you listen to X103.9, it’s as though they’re still hot. Heck, “The Distance” — the inescapable track from their 1996 sophomore effort, Fashion Nugget — is sometimes played on the station a few times a day. Yes, multiple spins in 24 hours. While “The Distance” is surely their most recognized song, you can’t dismiss Cake as merely a one-hit wonder. They had some success with singles such as “Never There,” which hit number one on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, “Rock & Roll Lifestyle,” and “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” while being lumped together with acts such as Soul Coughing, They Might Be Giants, and Talking Heads. And who could forget their cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”? Although their Facebook fan page isn’t promising — only a little over 3,200 people like them, according to the site — let’s hope their show at the Marquee Theatre this weekend proves to be a bigger hit, thanks to all that airplay.