One thing you have to say about Cake’s Xan McCurdy — he’s refreshingly candid. When asked about his band’s new album, “Showroom of Compassion,” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart, McCurdy laughed, noting it only sold 44,000 copies. “It’s kind of beyond funny,” he said of the band’s first No. 1 album. “It’s pretty funny and amazing, really. I have a hard time believing the stars will align the same way again. It was an added bonus and a nice surprise, but there’s no formula for things like that. … That was just a slow [record sales] week.”
The guitarist’s bemusement is understandable. After all, Cake is no newbie to the music business. Formed in the late 1990s, the band has built a loyal fan base through almost nonstop touring, recording and various artistic projects. Most recently the band donated used clothing that was made to create a book featuring the lyrics of their single “Bound Away.”
| Onstage |
| Cake |
| When: 7 p.m. doors Thursday, 8 p.m. doors Friday and Saturday |
| Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW Washington |
| Details: Sold out at press time; tickets may be available from online resellers; 800-955-5566; 9:30.com |
To understand what has kept Cake going when other bands formed in the 1990s are distant memories, you have to understand their music is artistry philosophy.
The members’ evolving artistic spirits are perhaps why some critics think Cake’s latest album is a bit of a sonic departure from their past work.
“I really think if you feel a departure in any way, it’s really just how the songs came together,” he says. “There’s no overt intention there.”
As the band approaches its 20th anniversary, members have become more self-contained than ever. Although the musicians have consistently written, arranged and produced the pieces they perform, they now engineer their recordings in their recently constructed solar-powered studio. The latest album was also released on their own label, Upbeat Records.
“Artistically we will do what we do,” said McCurdy, again underscoring that the band’s recent chart success hasn’t affected them. “It was a little added bump in what we are doing, in a good way. It’s great to know we can do this, but we don’t want to second-guess ourselves.”
“We are psyched to make another album. We left a lot of good songs off this album,” he said. “But if we tried to rush something out immediately, we might not have the good feelings musically we want.”
