10K3 - Cake

Des Moines, IA, Vets’ Auditorium
April 8, 2006

"In some kind of 10K Circle-of-Life, this year's artist shares a special connection with Ben Folds, the very first 10K headliner. Cake's singer John McCrea can be heard on Folds' "Rockin' the Suburbs" album, sharing a duet with the piano-rocker on fan-favorite "Fred Jones Pt. 2."

McCrea and the rest of the band, which includes Vince DiFiore on trumpet, Xan McCurdy on guitar, and Gabe Nelson on bass, have gone through big changes since hits like "The Distance" from the platinum-selling Fashion Nugget first drew them into the spotlight in the mid-90s. However, the core of the band's sound and style remains solid on their latest release, 2004's Pressure Chief. As Cake's only remaining original members, McCrea and DiFiore hold things confidently in check.

In lead singer John McCrea's 2005 interview with NPR's Terry Gross, the band is described as, "alt-rock, (combining) caustic lyrics with pulsing guitar music and influenced by many different styles: rock, funk, synth-pop, mariachi and cuban." All of these styles combine to make up one very unique and energetic live concert experience."