The Sea and Cake
Encyclopedia
The Sea and Cake is an indie rock
band with a pronounced jazz
influence, which formed in the mid-1990s in Chicago out of the ashes of local bands The Coctails
and Shrimp Boat
. The group's name came from a willful reinterpretation (in the wake of an accidental miscomprehension) of "The C in Cake", a song by Gastr del Sol
. Along with Shrimp Boat and The Coctails, groups related to The Sea and Cake include Tortoise
and Gastr del Sol. In 1995, the band contributed the song "The Fontana" to the AIDS
benefit album Red Hot + Bothered
produced by the Red Hot Organization
. Starting with 1997's The Fawn, the group has relied on electronic sound sources, such as drum machines and synthesizers, to color its music, but has retained its distinctive post-jazz combo style. The band has shied away from releasing singles, preferring the album format. Contrary to his multi-instrumentalist role in Tortoise, John McEntire essentially plays only drums in The Sea and Cake.
Members Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt each have released solo albums. The cover art of The Sea And Cake's releases are largely paintings by Eric Claridge and photographs by Prekop. (Postcards of some of the One Bedroom-era photos were sold on the band's 2003 tour.) Prewitt has been involved in publishing his own comic books and doing graphic design.
The band was on hiatus from 2004 to 2007, returning with Everybody. Their 8th Studio Album, Car Alarm
, was released in October 2008. Their most recent Studio Album,"The Moonlight Butterfly" was released on May 10, 2011.
In October 2010,the band released "Skies" as a special single to accompany their tour with Broken Social Scene
.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band with a pronounced jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
influence, which formed in the mid-1990s in Chicago out of the ashes of local bands The Coctails
Coctails
The Coctails were a Chicago music quartet, which formed while its members were attending the Kansas City Art Institute. The band was active from about 1988 to 1995 The Coctails were a Chicago music quartet, which formed while its members were attending the Kansas City Art Institute. The band was...
and Shrimp Boat
Shrimp Boat
Shrimp Boat was an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1987. After the band dissolved in 1993, Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge formed The Sea and Cake. Ian Schneller and Tom Jasek went on to form Falstaff...
. The group's name came from a willful reinterpretation (in the wake of an accidental miscomprehension) of "The C in Cake", a song by Gastr del Sol
Gastr del Sol
Gastr del Sol was a Chicago band consisting, for most of their career, of David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke. Between 1993 and 1998 they put out seven albums ranging in genre from post-rock to musique concrète....
. Along with Shrimp Boat and The Coctails, groups related to The Sea and Cake include Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
and Gastr del Sol. In 1995, the band contributed the song "The Fontana" to the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
benefit album Red Hot + Bothered
Red Hot + Bothered
Red Hot + Bothered is an anthology of the indie rock scene from the 1990s produced by Paul Heck. It was released as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series....
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
. Starting with 1997's The Fawn, the group has relied on electronic sound sources, such as drum machines and synthesizers, to color its music, but has retained its distinctive post-jazz combo style. The band has shied away from releasing singles, preferring the album format. Contrary to his multi-instrumentalist role in Tortoise, John McEntire essentially plays only drums in The Sea and Cake.
Members Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt each have released solo albums. The cover art of The Sea And Cake's releases are largely paintings by Eric Claridge and photographs by Prekop. (Postcards of some of the One Bedroom-era photos were sold on the band's 2003 tour.) Prewitt has been involved in publishing his own comic books and doing graphic design.
The band was on hiatus from 2004 to 2007, returning with Everybody. Their 8th Studio Album, Car Alarm
Car Alarm (album)
Car Alarm is an album by The Sea and Cake, which was released on October 21, 2008 on Thrill Jockey Records.-Track listing:#"Aerial" - 4:18#"A Fuller Moon" - 4:08#"On a Letter" - 3:45#"CMS Sequence" - 1:06#"Car Alarm" - 3:16#"Weekend" - 2:42...
, was released in October 2008. Their most recent Studio Album,"The Moonlight Butterfly" was released on May 10, 2011.
In October 2010,the band released "Skies" as a special single to accompany their tour with Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
.
Line-up
- Sam PrekopSam PrekopSam Prekop is a rock/pop musician in the band The Sea and Cake. He also has released three solo albums. Prekop first gained recognition in the band Shrimp Boat from 1988 to 1993. Many artists have performed in the Sam Prekop band, such as Chad Taylor, Josh Abrams, Jim O'Rourke, and Archer Prewitt...
(vocals, guitar) - Archer PrewittArcher PrewittArcher Prewitt is an American musician and cartoonist associated with the independent music scene in Chicago, Illinois.- Music :...
(guitar, piano, vocals) - John McEntireJohn McEntireJohn McEntire is an American recording engineer, drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known for being in Tortoise and The Sea and Cake, as well as being a highly in-demand producer and engineer....
(percussion, drums, some synthesizer) - Eric Claridge (bass, synthesizer)
Albums
- The Sea and CakeThe Sea and Cake (album)-Track listing:# "Jacking the Ball" – 3:50# "Polio" – 5:24# "Bring My Car I Feel to Smash It" – 4:25# "Flat Lay the Waters" – 4:51# "Choice Blanket" – 5:10# "Culabra Cut" – 3:02# "Bombay" – 3:59# "Showboat Angel" – 4:37# "So Long to the Captain" – 5:04...
(1994) - NassauNassau (album)-Track listing:# "Nature Boy" – 5:03# "Parasol" – 5:30# "A Man Who Never Sees a Pretty Girl That He Doesn't Love Her a Little" – 3:02# "The World Is Against You" – 3:12# "Lamonts Lament" – 3:55# "Soft and Sleep" – 3:43# "The Cantina" – 4:48...
(1995) - The BizThe BizThe Biz is a 1995 album by The Sea and Cake.-Track listing:# "The Biz" – 4:01# "Leeora" – 4:23# "The Kiss" – 3:46# "Station in the Valley" – 4:54# "Darkest Night" – 3:49# "Sending" – 2:29# "Escort" – 4:28# "An Assassin" – 3:07...
(1995) - The FawnThe FawnThe Fawn is a 1997 album by The Sea and Cake.-Track listing:# "Sporting Life" – 4:54# "The Argument" – 5:02# "The Fawn" – 3:07# "The Ravine" – 3:18# "Rossignol" – 3:30# "There You Are" – 4:48# "Civilise" – 3:21# "Bird and Flag" – 3:51...
(1997) - OuiOui (album)-Track listing:# "Afternoon Speaker" – 4:18# "All the Photos" – 3:19# "You Beautiful Bastard" – 5:54# "The Colony Room" – 4:10# "The Leaf" – 4:24# "Everyday" – 3:01# "Two Dolphins" – 3:45# "Midtown" – 2:56# "Seemingly" – 4:46# "I Missed the Glance" – 4:01...
(2000) - One BedroomOne Bedroom-Track listing:# "Four Corners" – 5:44# "Left Side Clouded" – 3:15# "Hotel Tell" – 4:01# "Le Baron" – 4:04# "Shoulder Length" – 3:09# "One Bedroom" – 3:58# "Interiors" – 4:19# "Mr. F" – 4:19# "Try Nothing" – 2:56...
(2003) - Everybody (2007)
- Car AlarmCar Alarm (album)Car Alarm is an album by The Sea and Cake, which was released on October 21, 2008 on Thrill Jockey Records.-Track listing:#"Aerial" - 4:18#"A Fuller Moon" - 4:08#"On a Letter" - 3:45#"CMS Sequence" - 1:06#"Car Alarm" - 3:16#"Weekend" - 2:42...
(2008) - The Moonlight Butterfly (2011) http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/index.html?id=105297
EPs and singles
- "Glad You're Right" (b/w "Tiger Panther," "Crimson Wing", 7" single, 1995, Lissy's Records [LISS1], limited edition of 500)
- Two GentlemenTwo GentlemenTwo Gentlemen is a 1997 EP by The Sea and Cake.-Track listing:# "The Cheech Wizard Meets Baby Ultraman In The Cool Blue Cave " – 5:48# "Rinky-Dink O.S. Type Rip" – 5:55...
(12" EP, mainly remixes, 1997) - "Window Lights" (b/w "Setup For Bed" (a solo piece by John McEntire), 7" single, 1999, Hefty Records [HEF013], also on Reach the RockReach the RockReach the Rock is a 1998 film directed by William Ryan.-Plot:A small town troublemaker , directionless and alienated, ends up spending a night in a jail cell, where he and the police chief engage in a battle of wills and wit.The soundtrack featured a compilation of Chicago-based Post-Rock artists,...
soundtrack, 1999) - GlassGlass (EP)-Track listing:# "To the Author" – 5:28# "To the Author" – 6:10# "Traditional Wax Coin" – 4:59# "An Echo In" – 4:30# "Tea and Cake" – 4:00# "Interiors" – 3:21# "Hotel Tell" – 8:52...
(CD EP, 2003)
Compilations
- A Brief Historical RetrospectiveA Brief Historical RetrospectiveA Brief Historical Retrospective is a 1997 compilation album by The Sea and Cake, released only in Japan. It consists solely of tracks from the band's first two studio albums, The Sea and Cake and Nassau , plus the unrelated song "Glad You're Right."-Track listing:...
(CD, 1997, Japanese-only compilation of first 2 albums, plus 7" song "Glad You're Right") - Metro: The Official Bootleg Series, Volume 1Metro: The Official Bootleg Series, Volume 1On July 22, 2010, Metro Chicago celebrated its 28th Anniversary by releasing a live benefit compilation called Metro: The Official Bootleg Series, Volume 1 featuring The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, Indigo Girls, Alejandro Escovedo, The Sea and Cake, Tortoise,...
2010