In the newly established anti-rock-star tradition, "Cake" ambled onstage in Hollywood this week ready to just have a good time. Frontman/rhythm guitarist John McCrea, in fishing hat and shades, has brought the band through its third and, arguably, spiciest album with a lot to be admired. Not a preacher, not a god, he's your average joe with a little above-average to say. He's not over the top, just honest and engaging without theatrics, which serves "Cake's" understated musical style like good old shoes. Rounding out the band are Vince Di Fiore on the trademark tejano-flavored trumpet, a terrific (and woefully underutilized) Todd Roper on drums, bassist Gabe Nelson, and star guitarist Xan McCurdy. Together they played the most casual, yet emphatic, party-down show I've ever seen.

But far from your better basic frat-party band, "Cake" have some decidedly serious layers to unpeel. While the music may be lighthearted, the lyrics are anything but. "When you sleep, where do your fingers go? What do your fingers know?. . .What do your fingers show?. . .Where do your fingers go? When you sleep do they tremble on the egde of the bed or do you fold them neatly under your head/ Do they clench like claws against your own skin when you're living your date all over again?" (from "When You Sleep"). The comparisons are all obvious; Beck? (no, these non-sequiturs acutally go somewhere) or maybe Soul Coughing? (no, can't be, this guy isn't smirking while he sings). Not that they've gone and gotten heavy on you all, now. . .

"Cake" draws a real gamut of fans in terms of age, which speaks to the idea that they're more than just a modern-rock flavor-of-the-week. An overabundance of hyper-hip high-school kids might scare you if you're planning to check them out, but don't worry, there were enough adults present to make chaperoning unnecessary. All the concertgoers had a good handle on the material, and were taken to outbursts of dancing and singing along to the subversive "You Turn The Screws," just like good old folks get down to a little Don McLean.

Several fans I spoke to were still somehow surprised that "Cake" hails from Sacramento, California. They thought that they were from the South somewhere. Most of them said they heard the country influence and made the connection. There is indeed more of a country echo in this set, evidenced by the addition of a pedal steel, (played by the fabulously low-key Greg Vincent) long the denizen of the twangiest country tunes (think Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight"), and McCrea owns up to this. "I love older country music," he says, "and I write songs in the plaintive voice." The decidedly ranchero and Old-West-style are so noted in the band's current radio hit, "Never There," exercised in this set as an encore.

Unabashedly down-home, "Cake" eschew the separation of artist and audience and reach out to their fans, inviting them to dance and sing along with the words they know. On "Sheep Go To Heaven," the audience chorused "Goats go to hell!" along with the rest of the band. Thankfully, McCrea isn't married to his mikestand and makes his invitations - no, make that exhortations - from the edge of the stage. Also making an appearance as an encore was their cult hit version of Gloria Gaynor's disco classic, "I Will Survive," which, to the dismay of disco fans everywhere, is a much better version, pulling an honesty from the lyrics that I guarantee most have never truly heard before.

I bemoan the fact that there is absolutely NO production budget on this thing, a tragedy for a band that's got so much going for it in the evocative tone of its music. Not that they need flashy pyrotechnics or Stones-style sets, but what they've got seems poorly thought out and badly executed. A clumsy mountain-scene backdrop and a set of painted cardboard candelabras, while kitschy and retro, didn't provide any kind of support. Neither did their lighting rig, or lack thereof, crippled further by its suffering an operator with an apparent lack of rhythm. Half the time it was underlit, so dark, it was tough to see even McCrea, much less the guitarist and bassist, who spent more than half the evening in the dark. Hopefully the next time they go out they'll have thought more about how their show could benefit from a little additional production value.

I love the fact that there is no pretense with this group. Just a bunch of guys who love to play and who want to play and make sure the crowd goes away feeling good. McCrea and the band constantly thanked the audience for coming throughout the night. The audience thanked them by mouthing every word back. It looked as if the kids got the point, which is a good thing. It would have been easy to miss in that good time we were all having.