Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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John McCrea of CAKE (instagram.com/thebandcake/) discusses their elusive catalogue on vinyl, rarities of the band, upcoming Australian tour, new recordings, record nerdery and more.


Tickets & info on CAKE's Australian tour is here (destroyalllines.com/tours/cake)


Topics Include:


• John McCrae discusses collecting records, revisiting old favorites like Perez Prado

• He describes "chasing goosebumps" — the feeling of rediscovering great music

• Shares vivid teenage memory seeing Led Zeppelin at Knebworth, England

• Recalls dancing to washing machine rinse cycles as a toddler

• Names early formative records: Beatles, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie

• His parents played accordion and folk guitar, shaping his musicality

• Discusses his dad's Eastern European minor-key accordion versus polka music

• Talks about "Rancho Seco," his first recorded song, a protest track

• Song addressed a nuclear plant illegally releasing radioactive steam locally

• Connects Dylan influence and poets to his built-in social justice streak

• Reflects on growing up near Sacramento, Berkeley, and Nevada City, California

• Compares old Bay Area culture to today's flashier Silicon Valley wealth

• Describes Cake's early '90s formation, self-financed four-song EP release

• EP funded through show earnings and merch, later expanded into album

• Album got European distribution and unexpected early popularity in France

• "Rock and Roll Lifestyle" got college radio play before wider fame

• Cake signed to Capricorn Records, a small Southern rock label

• East Bay Ray advised McCrea to fight for keeping album masters

• McCrae says most bands don't retain their masters like Cake did

• Vinyl of Cake albums historically hard to find, tied up licensing

• Discusses 2014 box set now reselling for $700–$1,000 secondhand

• New Cake album is finished, awaiting mixing, targeted early 2027

• Explains he avoids forced album themes, focuses song by song

• Reflects on why Cake albums come infrequently, citing family, industry fatigue

• Criticizes modern music industry as increasingly exploitative and financially unsustainable

• Explains reduced touring due to travel dislike and environmental concerns

• Considers eco-friendly vinyl options and shifting kids' preference toward CDs

• Discusses Cake's DIY visual identity, homemade posters, and lino-cut aesthetic

• Talks rare live vinyl pressings, including $300 Crystal Palace release

• Wraps up promoting Cake's Australian tour dates and Sydney ticket sales


High resolution version of this podcast is available at: Patreon.com/VinylGuide (patreon.com/VinylGuide)


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