Cake's new album features covers of Black Sabbath and Barry White

By Patrick Luce Apr 18, 2007, 21:03 GMT

Cake will also release \'Live at the Crystal Palace\' in the fall of 2007.

Cake has announced the upcoming release of ‘B-Sides and Rarities’ - which features covers of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" and Barry White's  "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up” along with other covers and Cake originals.

The limited edition “scratch and sniff” album art and appeal of the recordings to long-time-listeners adds to the “b-sides and rarities” album's uniqueness. In addition to the album’s release, Cake has invited fans to submit videos for "War Pigs," with the winner earning $1,000 (deadline April 30).

Cake formed in Sacramento, California in 1991. The band quickly became a hot item in the downtown club and cafe scene, then went on to gain a steady following in San Francisco's Bay Area. Lead singer John McCrea's unwitting amalgam of Jonathan Richman, David Byrne, and Woody Guthrie, backed by Cake's shambling countrified funk, took Northern California by storm. To date, Cake has toured extensively throughout the world including North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Japan.

Cake's most recent studio album (their fifth), ‘Pressure Chief,’ was released in October 2004. This album marked the band's return to their earlier more self-reliant DIY aesthetic in which they recorded and engineered their music independently. Songwriter John McCrea, often controversial and iconoclastic, discussed this album with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air in February 2005. The band continues to make ground on their sixth studio album, which is tentatively scheduled for a first quarter 2008 release.

Cake Tickets are now available at M&C’s Ticket Database. Cake’s tour dates include:

April 20 - Winona, MN / Winona State
April 21 - Concordia, MN / Concordia College
April 27 - Knoxville, TN / University of Tennessee
April 28 - Watab Island/Collegeville, MN / St. John's University
April 29 - Boulder, CO -- Univ. of Boulder, CO
May 11 - Baltimore, MD / Pier 6
May 12 - Nashville, TN / festival with Son Volt
May 22 - Dallas, TX / H.O.B
May 23 - Tulsa, OK / Caines Ballroom
May 24 - Kansas City, MO / Uptown Theater
May 25 - Omaha, NB / Stir Cove @ Harrah's
May 26 - Chicago, IL / Northwestern University