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6:30 PM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018
PAVILION
TALL HEIGHTS
†
–
–
BEN FOLDS
–
–
CAKE
†
†
Ravinia debut
TALL HEIGHTS
An electro-folk duo based out of Boston, Tall
Heights comprises singer/guitarist Tim Har-
rington and singer/cellist Paul Wright.
eir
early work together, from around
, was in-
tentionally kept simple and elemental, to make it
easier to play along city streets and busk to fund
their inaugural discs: an EP,
Ra ers
, in
, fol-
lowed by their debut LP,
Man of Stone
in
. As
the duo began to write and record new material,
they considered expanding their sonic palette
beyond their two voices and two string instru-
ments, ultimately adding drums, electric guitar,
and keyboard to the mix for the
EP
Holding
On, Holding Out
. is release caught the ear of
Sony Masterworks, which signed Tall Heights
up for a major-label debut in
:
Neptune
. e
duo performed one of that disc’s songs, “Spir-
it Cold,” on
Conan
later that year, and they’ve
since released several more digital singles, most
recently “ e Deep End.” Tall Heights is making
its Ravinia debut.
CAKE
Originating in Sacramento, CA, in the early
s, Cake rose from singer-songwriter John
McCrea’s strong desire to keep working with a
band, even a er seeing the group he’d recently
moved to Los Angeles with crumble around
him. Having attracted the lineup of trumpeter
Vince DiFiore, guitarist Greg Brown, bassist
Gabe Nelson, and drummer Frank French, Mc-
Crea and Cake de ed the burgeoning grunge
scene of the West Coast with unique, eclectic al-
ternative rock and began touring the coast with
their
debut single, “Rock ’n’ Roll Lifestyle,”
adding a self-produced, released, and distribut-
ed LP,
Motorcade of Generosity
, to the mix the
following year. A er the group inked a deal with
Capricorn Records and a national tour was all
but assured a er their re-released debut single
picked up steam on college radio, Nelson and
French departed the band and were replaced by
Victor Diamani and Todd Roper respectively.
When
Fashion Nugget
hit shelves in
, the
Brown-penned song “ e Distance” became a
breakout smash as a top- rock anthem, elevat-
ing the disc to a top- hit itself. Cake’s deadpan
version of “I Will Survive,” a concert staple, also
became a successful single. A er Brown and
Diamani departed to form a new wave band,
Nelson reentered the fold for the recording of
’s
Prolonging the Magic
, which featured
now-permanent member Xan McCurdy as one
of several ll-in guitarists.
e disc lived up
to its title with the alt-rock hits “Never
ere,”
“Let Me Go,” and “Sheep Go to Heaven.” With
a fresh album deal at the turn of the millenni-
um with Columbia, Cake returned in
with
Comfort Eagle
and the lead single “Short Skirt/
Long Jacket,” along with a popular music vid-
eo for the single, directed by McCrea.
Pressure
Chief
emerged on Columbia in
, featuring
the single “No Phone.” Rede ning “independent
recording,” Cake subsequently built their own
solar-powered studio, in which
’s
Showroom
of Compassion
was completely self-engineered
and produced; the disc also went out on their
own label, Upbeat Records, nevertheless becom-
ing the band’s rst
Billboard
number-one album.
Cake is making its Ravinia debut.
RAVINIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 20 – AUGUST 26, 2018
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