My Friend the Chocolate Cake

My Friend the Chocolate Cake
Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Years active 1989 (1989)–2018 (indefinite hiatus)
Labels
Associated acts
Website mftcc.com
Members
  • David Bridie
  • Helen Mountfort
  • Hope Csutoros
  • Greg Patten
  • Dean Addison
  • Andrew Richardson
Past members
  • Russell Bradley
  • Andrew Carswell
  • Michael Barker

My Friend the Chocolate Cake are an Australian chamber pop group formed in 1989 by mainstays, David Bridie on vocals and keyboards and Helen Mountfort on cello and backing vocals (both ex-not drowning, waving). They have released seven studio albums with two reaching the ARIA Albums Chart top 50, Brood (1994) and Good Luck (1997). The band has twice won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album category: for Brood in 1995 and Good Luck in 1997.

History

My Friend the Chocolate Cake were formed, initially as an acoustic side project, in 1989 in Melbourne by David Bridie on vocals, piano, harmonium and keyboards and Helen Mountfort on cello and backing vocals.[1] Bridie and Mountfort were members of an ambient, world music ensemble not drowning, waving.[1][2][3] In 1989 Bridie took a holiday in New Zealand and wrote "a few more breezy compositions" that did not fit into the style of not drowning, waving.[4] Upon return to Melbourne Mountford joined his project with her own writing.[5]

My Friend the Chocolate Cake took their name from a song title by an obscure Sydney band, Ya Ya Coralle.[6] Bridie admitted that one reason they chose an all-acoustic act was so they did not have to carry around amplifiers.[7] Charles Miranda of The Canberra Times observed, "[their] emotive, in some instances ambient tunes, takes you to places you've been to in the past or would like to go to in the future."[5]

Although the intention was to play a handful of shows,[8] the band developed a following after securing a residency at Madigan's, a now-defunct venue in Brunswick.[9] By 1990 Bridie and Mountfort were joined in the group by Russell Bradley on percussion, Andrew Carswell on mandolin, Hope Csutoros on violin and Andrew Richardson on guitar.[1][3] With a budget of $800, the group released their debut self-titled album, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, in 1991. It was co-produced by Bridie, Carswell and Mountfort with Tim Cole for Warner/East West.[1][3] Ian McFarlane, an Australian musicologist, cited music journalist, Bruce Elder's review of the album in Rolling Stone Australia, "one of the best albums of high-art pop ever recorded in Australia."[1]

While alternating performances between not drowning, waving and My Friend the Chocolate Cake,[5] the latter group's second studio album, Brood (1994), was being recorded from mid-1993 with Bridie and Mountfort co-producing with Jim Rondinelli.[1][3] McFarlane described how it, "[showed] a more serious aesthetic at work. [It] had been recorded with a generous budget and mixed in New York... [and] featured an intimate, accessible sound that ranged from the uptempo pop of the [second] single 'Throwing It Away' to the gentle ballad 'The Old Years'."[1]

Brood peaked at No. 32 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[10] By that time Bradley was replaced by Michael Barker on percussion and drums (ex-Daryl Braithwaite, the Black Sorrows).[1][3] The lead single, "I've Got a Plan", was released in November.[1] not drowning, waving disbanded during that year while Bridie and Mountfort continued with My Friend the Chocolate Cake.[1][2][3] Brood won Best Adult Contemporary Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995.[11][12] Barker was replaced in turn during 1995 by Greg Patten on drums.[1][3]

Their third album, Good Luck (1996), was co-produced by Bridie and Mountfort with Jeremy Allom.[1][3] It peaked at No. 44 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[10] McFarlane opined, "among the band's most accomplished and direct statements to date."[1] It won Best Adult Contemporary Album at the 1997 ceremony.[13] The group played a sell-out show at Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and toured Europe. Mountfort played as a guest musician on the Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue duet, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", which was a hit single in 1996. They followed with a live album, Live at the National Theatre, in December 1997.[1][3]

From 1998 the group went into hiatus while Bridie developed an interest in the musical environment of Papua New Guinea and moved there in 2000. A side-project, Hotel Radio, had Bridie experimenting with the local string music scene. My Friend the Chocolate Cake's contract with Mushroom Records ended in 2000 and they decided to represent themselves independently. Gathering briefly in 2002 the group released an up-beat, fourth studio album, Curious, in May of that year, via Capitol Records.[14] It was co-produced by Bridie, Mountfort and Christian Scallan.[3] It peaked at No. 14 on the ARIA Australasian Artists Albums chart and No. 19 on the related Alternative Albums chart.[14] They followed with another hiatus from 2003.

In 2005 independent Australian label Liberation Music re-released My Friend the Chocolate Cake's back catalogue. The band resumed recording in 2007 and released their fifth studio album, Home Improvements – its title refers to its lyrical observations of suburban Australian life, a reoccurring theme in the band's music. The album reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 100.[15]

Andrew Carswell retired from performing in July 2010. The group's sixth studio album, Fiasco, released in 2011, had Bridie admitting that Carswell's departure had removed a part of their folky element. Their seventh studio album, The Revival Meeting, was released in 2017.[16]

In June 2018 the group announced "the upcoming MFTCC shows will be their last shows for some years, as they will be taking an indefinite hiatus to pursue other projects".[17]

Musical style

Like not drowning, waving, My Friend the Chocolate Cake's music can be seen to straddle the worlds of ambient and world music, with an emphasis on piano and violin-led acoustic music. The band's collective musical influences are diverse and include: Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Irish and Scottish folk music, Joy Division, Arvo Pärt, and folk / pop / rock performers such as Billy Bragg, Talk Talk, John Cale and Michelle Shocked.

Each album displays a range of styles from subtle chamber music instrumentals to atmospheric folk/pop ballad fusions through to full scale romps. The group has a string section as a permanent fixture to their line-up, headed by Helen Mountfort, which greatly affects their song writing. Bridie, the group's main lyricist, often writes songs inspired by Melbourne suburban life. Other themes that are frequent include community politics and young love. Bridie sings with a distinctly Australian accent, differing from most vocalists who tend to emulate an American accent.

Television

In the 1990s, the song "The Romp" was frequently used on promotional adverts on Australia's ABC channel. A number of the band's songs have appeared in the Australian adolescent television drama Heartbreak High including "Salt", "Your Ship Is Gone" and "Talk About Love".[18] "I've Got a Plan" was used in episodes of the Australian soap opera, Home and Away, broadcast in the UK on 16 March 2012.

Discography

Studio albums

  • My Friend the Chocolate Cake (1991)
  • Brood (1994) – AUS: No. 32[10]
  • Good Luck (1996) – AUS: No. 44[10]
  • Curious (27 May 2002)
  • Home Improvements (18 September 2007) – AUS: No. 89[15]
  • Fiasco (2011)
  • The Revival Meeting (2017)

Live albums

  • Live at the National Theatre (1996)

Compilation albums

  • Review (1997) (UK Compilation)
  • 19 Easy Pieces (1999)
  • Parade – The Best Of... (2004)
  • Best (Cake) in Show (2014)

Singles

  • "A Midlife's Tale (Get It Back Now)" (1991)
  • "I’ve Got a Plan" (1994)
  • "Throwing It all Away" (1994)
  • "Song from Under the Floorboards" (1995)
  • "Talk About Love" (1996)
  • "Lighthouse Keeper" (1996)
  • "Your Ship Has Gone"(1997)
  • "Home Improvements" (2006)
  • "25 Stations" (2011)

References

General
  • McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 3 October 2013. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 McFarlane, 'My Friend the Chocolate Cake' entry. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 McFarlane, 'not drowning, waving' entry. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Entries on Australian Rock Database:
    • My Friend the Chocolate Cake: Holmgren, Magnus; Bridie, David. "My Friend the Chocolate Cake". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 21 December 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
    • Not Drowning, Waving: Holmgren, Magnus; Bridie, David. "Not Drowning, Waving". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
    • David Bridie (1989–present): Holmgren, Magnus; Bridie, David. "David Bridie". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 21 December 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
    • Helen Mountfort (1989–present): Holmgren, Magnus. "Hope Csutoros". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 26 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
    • Hope Csutoros (1990–present): Holmgren, Magnus. "Hope Csutoros". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
    • Michael Barker (1994–95): Holmgren, Magnus. "Michael Barker". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 17 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "My Friend The Chocolate Cake: bio". Mftcc.com. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  5. 1 2 3 Miranda, Charles (19 March 1992). "Chocolate Cake for any Mood". The Canberra Times, Good Times. 66 (20, 794). p. 15. Retrieved 3 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ Dib, Lisa (2011-05-27). "interview: my friend the chocolate cake". Lipmag.com. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  7. ↑ "The rise of My Friend The Chocolate Cake..." Helen Mountfort and David Bridie, MTV Australia, 1 January 1997
  8. ↑ "Breakfast with Justine Frazier: My Friend The Chocolate Cake: David Bridie Interview". Blogs.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  9. ↑ Darren Levin. "The next tasty little morsel". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Hung, Steffen. "Discography My Friend the Chocolate Cake". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "ARIA Music Awards winners, 1995". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2018. Note: ARIA website erroneously lists the album as, "I've Got a Plan", which is its lead single.
  12. ↑ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Australian Music Online. 6 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 September 2007. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  13. ↑ "ARIA Music Awards winners, 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  14. 1 2 Kellaghan, Ronan (3 June 2002). "Week Commencing ~ 3rd June 2002 ~ Issue #640" (PDF). The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) (640): 11–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2002. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  15. 1 2 Wallace, Ian (26 March 2007). "Week Commencing ~ 26th March 2007 ~ Issue #890" (PDF). The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) (890): 2, 6, 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  16. ↑ Badgley, Aaron (2017). "Spill Feature: The Revival Meeting – A Conversation with Helen Mountfort of My Friend the Chocolate Cake". Spill Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  17. ↑ "My Friend the Chocolate Cake". mftcc.com. 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-26. The upcoming MFTCC shows will be their last shows for some years...
  18. ↑ "Music". Heartbreak High. 2005-05-29. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.