Cupcakes' batter talent-filled
By Fauzia Arain
Magazine Editor

      The members of Cupcakes have the relaxed air of seasoned veterans of the music industry, which is somewhat ironic considering their self-titled debut is due in stores on Tuesday. Their aesthetically-pleasing image of youthful-yet-mature good looks couldn’t have hurt, but this is no boy band. It was no doubt Cupcakes’ boundless musical talent that led to a three to seven album deal with DreamWorks Records three years ago. Aside from their focused energy, the Cupcakes possess a key ingredient necessary for sanity, if not success, in the music business: a sense of humor.

     While their music is not geared toward comedy at all, the band’s easy-going personalities betray that aspect of their studio output. Constantly cracking jokes and making light of situations is a quality too often missing in the serious musician. The Cupcakes’ refreshing twist on the tortured artist persona is most notable when the topic turns to a subject that hits directly home.

     “We’re always thinking of new reasons why the band is called Cupcakes,” said drummer Matt Walker, who has contributed his percussionist skills to the likes of fellow Chicago bands Smashing Pumpkins and Filter.

     The general consensus by the band is that Cupcakes is a “silly name” meant to be taken lightly, but as vocalist Preston Graves reasons, it’s all about maintaining an equilibrium.

     “We were writing these little vignettes, tiny pop songs that were like these bite-size cakes. It started morphing into—no matter how cool we thought we were, or how tough we thought we were, we were always in a band called Cupcakes, which really isn’t that cool. It’s a check and balance kind of melee,” said Graves, who had worked previously with Walker and bassist Solomon Snyder in the band Tribal Opera in the early ‘90s.

     The band’s first studio effort release marks the culmination of years of hard work, touring and collaborating their efforts in a 13-track record that is doubtlessly shining, but refreshingly hard to label.

     “We all have different influences,” said Snyder, who has worked with the Pumpkins’ James Iha, among others. “We all have our own ideas. Four of us can look at one song and hear four completely different things.”

     “We all wanted to make a record that sounded natural, that sounded warm and classic in a sense that it wasn’t based on newly-found technologies necessarily. We use electronics on the record, but very minimally,” said Walker, whose drums, along with brother Snyder’s bass lines, provide a solid and riveting backbone to the vast-ranging vocals of Graves and the driving and harmonizing guitar skills of guitarist Greg Suran.

     The combination takes the album from beautifully lush tracks to raw yet structured ballads.

     Suran stated, “I don’t think it’s a very derivative band,” but cites as influences Queen, David Bowie, the Cars, U2 and ‘70s rock.

     The Cupcakes made an appearance last Sunday on Q101’s (WKQX) Local Music Showcase with DJ James Van Osdol to promote their release and play two tracks from the album in the studio: “Vidiots” and “High Speed Cakes in The Hole.”

     “We made some small chat with JVO and we just played two songs. We enjoyed ourselves, [the songs] sounded fairly thin and not representative of what we do, but still fun nonetheless,” said Graves of their visit to the radio station, which was not in fact their first, their music-recorded and live-having enjoyed airtime previously on Van Osdol’s show.

     Suran takes his manipulation of the strings to another realm and is currently a member of the Blue Man Group. He performs two to three times a week, playing an instrument called a zither, which he explained “is a modern version of the old bohemian instrument. It lies on the table and is the equivalent of playing an open piano.”

     “I need my day job. I try to save as much money as possible for a rainy day,” said Suran, who also has various side projects to speak of, including working with UK-native Joe Cassidy and his group Butterfly Child.

     While the band’s prospects in the music industry look quite choice, and only one of the four members currently holds a day job, they are all ready with backup careers. Their only problem may be competition from each other.

     Walker and Snyder have already drawn up mental blueprints for their restaurant, Happy Bros., which will, according to Snyder, serve only pirogis. Graves, too, would go into the restaurant business with his place, Clives, given failure in the music industry.

     “That’s fine, ‘cause we’re not serving dinner. We’ll be kicking back, you’ll be slaving away,” said Walker, to which Graves replied, “You make money by selling dinners, not breakfast.”

     Suran veered away from the other members’ line of work, and admits that his dream occupation would require some schooling if it became a real option.

     “I’d really like to be a filmmaker, ‘cause I’m a huge fan of films” he said. “I’d wanna learn the craft, but ultimately, I love dramas, so I’d want to make those.”

     With or without additional occupations, all four members have no trouble filling down time. They’ve been keeping especially busy for the past few months with touring.

     “We’ve been playing on and off since September with various bands—Local H, Veruca Salt. We just finished the Stroke 9 and Vertical Horizon tour,” said Graves, referring to the three-and-a-half week tour that ended in a slew of pranks to which the audiences at the shows were witness.

     “Well, they started it,” said Walker in explanation. “Stroke 9 started it. While we were on stage, they stormed the stage in uniforms just like the ones we were wearing that evening…”

     “Nicely mocking gestures and our performance,” said Graves, continuing, “And then they attacked us with silly string and then duct taped us all up.”

     While Stroke 9 succeeded in their bombardment, which also included putting tuna fish in the Cupcakes’ water, a used condom on Graves’ mic and duct taping Walker’s drumsticks to each other-and Graves to his mic stand—there would indeed be a rebuttal.

     “During their song that’s on the radio, ‘Little Black Backpack,’ we took their stage with a table and sat down and had a pizza delivered to us and had a nice meal, and then broke out into a food fight,” said Walker, in a proud reminiscence.

     “Basically, we mashed sausage pizza right in their faces,” said Snyder, laughing. “They didn’t know who they were messing with.”

     When asked if Vertical Horizon escaped unscathed, the Cupcakes were quick to recall their antics during Vertical Horizon’s set, as well.

     “They got some, too,” said Snyder, explaining their dance display during Vertical Horizon’s encore. “All the Cupcakes are great punk-rock break dancers.”

     The Cupcakes will take their show—musical, visual and physical—on the road once more, starting in April at the Double Door for an April Fools’ Day record release show. Although nothing has been confirmed, the band will tentatively be touring with Local H or Citizen King on the bill.

     “We’re just waiting on a lot of ‘yeses,’ but we’ll be playing all month, all year, all summer, all fall,” said Graves.

     “We’re like traveling salesmen, going door-to-door across the country convincing people that they can’t live without this record,” said Snyder.

     There is no word thus far on an IPO, but I would suggest buying stock in what these guys are selling—some great tunes with a promisingly bright future.