Initially thought of as a novelty band that emerged as the mid-'90s answer to originality in the wake of the death of grunge, Cake has proven that beneath the sneering satire and abundance of pop culture references lays a myriad of genres, from hip-hop and jazz to guitar rock and new wave pop, and a lot of talent.Cake formed out of the unlikely locale of Sacramento in 1992 by frontman John McCrea and its original incarnation featured guitarist Greg Brown, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, bassist Sean McFessel (who was soon replaced by Gabe Nelson) and drummer Frank French. The band released their debut single "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" locally in 1993, followed by the self-produced, recorded and released LP Motorcade of Generosity, which was picked up by label Capricorn and subsequently re-released. Nelson and French were swapped in for bassist Victor Damiani and drummer Todd Roper and the Capricorn-released version of "Rock n' Roll Lifestyle" paved the way for a succession of college radio hits in the form of "Ruby Sees All" and "Jolene."Cake's second album, the critically lauded Fashion Nugget, made its way to the Top 40 thanks to the success of the unlikely sporting event anthem "The Distance" in 1996. The album also included a controversial cover (which they insisted wasn't meant to be ironic) of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." When Brown and Damiani left to form new-wave group Deathray in 1997, McCrea considered abandoning ship too, but instead original bassist Gabe Nelson returned for the release of 1998's Prolonging the Magic, which featured five different guitarists on different tracks. With the alternative radio hit "Never There," the album went platinum and Xan McCurdy joined Cake for their supporting tour.Cake's fourth album with new label Columbia, 2000's Comfort Eagle, was the band's highest charting release to date, loaded with the lead single "Short Skirt/Long Jacket." Ropper left Cake and Pete McNeal replaced him on the drums for the album's tour. Cake celebrated their 10-year anniversary with 2004's Pressure Chief, featuring McCrea's vocals at their driest and the band's signature trumpet still in place.