Prize eludes A Big Piece of Kake, but its electrifying show is sweet
The South Range band made the most of its shot at the big time.
CLEVELAND -- Another local band taking the stage at the 2006 Mountain Dew MDX High School Rock-Off Finals held Saturday at The Odeon Concert Club was A Big Piece of Kake.
Despite not coming home with a prize, the South Range High School band performed an electrifyingly fun set.
The group's ska sound was in full effect early on with its well-received cover of Lita Ford's "Kiss Me Deadly."
With the brass shiny and the beats rapid, kooky Kake singer Jeremy Valentine, who has a distinct Jack Black appearance, played master of ceremonies with impunity.
"It was one of our better shows," said a drained Valentine. "'Kiss Me Deadly' was one of our first songs we learned and we saved it for this week. Some people knew it, some people didn't, but it was a nice one to put in."
Long Beach ska
The eight-piece outfit put the fun in funk with its Long Beach ska sound enticing the Vans Warped-friendly audience.
"We're just a party band," Valentine said. "We're just a bunch of friends who get together and just have fun on stage. We have a lot of talent in the band, but I don't think it's so much that. I just think it's how close we are as friends."
Ska music can be described as uptempo and horn-driven with a quick, choppy beat and an island flair or pop-infused reggae.
Its first time at the Rock Off, a Big Piece of Kake is made up of mostly high school seniors, which means a return to the battle of the bands isn't possible. Valentine isn't ruling out the band's staying together, however.
"All of us want to go to college, but we might see what we can get out of it, see which would be best for us," Valentine said.
Better for it
Valentine said he will take away from the 2006 Mountain Dew MDX High School Rock-Off Finals "mostly the experience and a lot of publicity from just this show."
"I know we've gotten better. We're going to learn more and play at graduation parties," he added.