Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso

Jan 20th Aftermath

2012-01-28T12:09:00.001-05:00

We had a great time last week at the New World Brewery with our buddies Magadog and Victims of Circumstance. We ended up playing a little short staffed (a few horns couldn't make it), but it was still an amazing show. The sound at that venue is great, thanks to Mark! Anyways here are some fantastic pictures from the show. Thanks to Nicole Kibert for taking them!

http://elawgrrl.blogspot.com/2012/01/johnny-cakes-and-four-horsemen-of.html

Here we are screaming about something. I'm sure it was important.

So, I know everyone wants to the results of the Johnny Cakes vs Magadog suck off. Well unfortunately the judges passed out drunk before either of us took the stage. Of course I say we won, but then so does Magadog. Next time Magadog, next time.

Also, big thanks to Thx Mgmt for putting the whole shindig together.

E-mail Part 2: Monolith

2012-01-28T11:22:00.001-05:00

This post is a follow up to my interaction with Jason from Monolith Management who was sending us spam e-mails to get us to hire their "big time" management company. If you didn't read the first exchange read it here. It's funny and you'll like it: http://guttercalypso.blogspot.com/2012/01/e-mails.html

Here is Jason's response to my e-mail. It's a pretty nasty response:

First of all, your the one ranting about butt sex you fucking faggot. Im not here to waste time, like you've clearly done in your previous e-mail. I hope you realize that your band will never get anywhere with your mind set. I hope you all end up face down in the fucking street where you belong.
Your so called band name is a joke, yet very reflective of your age. Im ashamed that you even got an e-mail from our company.

In closing, I wish that I could meet you in person and bash your fucking head in.

Quit sucking each others dicks and do something worth while.

I wasn't going to post his e-mail address, but because he decided to reveal himself as a violent homophobe here it is. Feel free to scold him for his rampant homophobia: jason@monolithmgmt.com

Here's his Facebook page, looks like a real winner to me: https://www.facebook.com/JasonDstandardtime

Jason Dempsey: Super cool tough guy and band "manager."

Anyways here is my immature response to his hate filled e-mail:

Hey Jason!I'm sorry that you are ashamed about the e-mail you sent me before, but don't let our rejection get you down. There's no reason to resort to homophobia and violent threats to voice your frustration. What would your mother think? Don't worry Jason, I won't tell when she comes over this week to watch Sleepless in Seattle. (By the way does your mom prefer waffles or pancakes for breakfast; I'm great at making both).

Keep trying and I'm sure someday you will be a real manager. Feel free to use our band as a source of inspiration! I'm going to go ahead and send you a signed photo of us for you to hang in your office (or on the ceiling above your bed, whatever). Whenever you're feeling down you can look at it and think about how a down-on-their-luck band like us worked their way to the point where they were turning away scam rip off "management" companies without batting an eye.

I agree with you about the importance of not wasting time. We only live once and it's important to live everyday to its fullest. I'm glad you're getting your priorities straight. Which reminds me, I couldn't help but notice that you seem to have some difficulties knowing when to use apostrophes in your contractions. So, I decided to be a buddy and link you to this helpful cartoon that will teach you when to use apostrophes. You're going to need it when you become a manager: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

In closing, if we do meet in person and you decide to "bash my head in", I kindly request that you not hit me in the face. That's how I bring home the bacon. I'm sure you would prefer focusing on my body anyways.

XOXO
Ostrich
Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso

I don't know if he is going to write back, but I will post it if he does.

E-mails

2012-01-27T15:37:00.004-05:00

So just like everyone else, bands get spam e-mails from all types of people, most of these are for boner enhancement or pyramid schemes, you know the usual e-mail stuff. Sometimes, however, we get e-mails from people claiming to want some sort of working relationship with Johnny Cakes, but who are clearly just after our money. Sometimes I write them back and tell them what's up. The other day, we received this e-mail from a company called Monolith Management:

Hey guys,
It's Jason with Monolith Management.
We checked our your stuff online and think that you'd be a great fit for our management company.
We just released our new website that has all the details you need to know about us and how we can help your band become successful at www.monolithmanagement.com. We have 25+ services that are utilized by our amazing managers- this makes us one of the best management companies out there.
We usually require bands to apply to work with us, but we've already checked your band out. So, you're all good.
What's the best phone number to reach you at? It'll only take a couple minutes to answer questions you may have and get you guys on board.
Let's do some damage together,
Jason Dempsey
A&R Representative
Monolith Management

So, this e-mail does not really suggest to me that they actually checked out any of our stuff online. If they did they would quickly realize that our reputation is more about vandalizing restrooms, exceeding weight limits of stages, and fart jokes than it is about being serious musicians. A quick look at the website told me all that I needed. Basically they want between $100-$500 per month for their management services. Maybe their management services are great, I don't know. I doubt it since they are spamming us with generic e-mails and I'm not about to start shelling out money to find out:

So here was my reply:

Hey Jason,
I'm glad you like our songs and think we would be a great fit for your management company. Did you listen to this one about peeing in the butt? Or this one about butt sex? Or this awesome video about learning to play the guitar (and butt sex)? I assume you must have, why else would you want manage us?

That said, I really don't think we can be associated with the kind of pervert who would want to manage a band that has so many songs about butts. What do you have some kind of sick butt fetish? It's okay, we're not going to judge you, but (the conjunction not the body part, can you please stop thinking about rear ends for one sentence Jason) I don't think it would be good for our image to have a management company that employs individuals who are liable to lapse into an uncontrollable butt frenzy at any given moment. We're really trying to go after a wholesome family friendly image and I don't think that your preoccupation with rumps is going to help us with that.

Also, we already have a manager. His name is Skippy and he is a penguin. Admittedly, he spends all of our money on hookers and sardines, but he's more of a leg man so he won't be attracting those kind of negative attention that your bizarre gluteus maximus fancy. I have attached a photograph of Skippy to this message, because I thought you would like it and I am required to do so in every 5th e-mail I send as part of our management contract with him. Here is a link to his Facebook page.

I took the liberty of signing you up for Skippy's e-mail list. He mostly sends out haikus and links to sardine porn, but I though that might help take your mind off of backsides for a little while.
Good luck with the managements,

Ostrich

Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso

I haven't heard back from him yet, but I will update this if he responds. Here is the photo of Skippy that I sent him. I think it's a pretty good one.

Edit: He wrote us back, here is a link to part 2.

Jan 20th Show in Ybor City

2012-01-11T19:23:00.000-05:00

We have a absurdly fun show coming up presented by Thx Mgmt on January 20th, 2012 at the New World Brewery in Ybor City. If you haven't been to the New World, I highly recommend coming to the show. It is a cool intimate venue with great sound and a fantastic fancy beer selection. We'll be sharing the stage (or performance area or whatever you call that spot where bands play at the New World) with two great ska local ska bands and friends that we haven't had a chance to play with in a while: Magadog and Victims of Circumstance. It's always a treat to see Johnny Cakes and Magadog play together and compete to see who can do the best job of drunkenly train-wrecking their own show.

On that note, we may have a secret advantage. Due to some scheduling conflicts Mikey (our old drummer and old guitar player) will be filling in this show for us on drums, which almost guarantees that this show will be a lot a fun for everyone involved, especially Mikey. (Fun trivia fact: Mikey is producing the album that we are currently recording.)

Here is a link to the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/193101270785373/ and here is a link to a cool blog about the show from Suburban Apologist.

This show is 21+ only (sorry kiddos) and is $8 at the door. Doors at 9pm, show starts at 10pm sharp. If you need more info just ask Fingers the Clown:

New Song, Free Comp

2011-12-29T10:44:00.000-05:00

As you may know, we have been "diligently" on our next full length album. We went ahead and sped up production on one the songs so that we could get it ready for a release on a compilation album. Well, that time has come and our new studio version of "Liver" is available for free download from Real Punk Radio on their new comp Killing the Record Industry: Volume 2. Download the whole thing for free right here.

We should have more news about the upcoming album soon. In the meantime, join us in Largo on News Year's Eve!

Paul Simon Tribute to Benefit WMNF

2011-10-06T12:07:00.000-04:00

Hey, next Saturday October 15th, we are playing a Paul Simon tribute show to benefit WMNF community radio 88.5fm at Skipper's Smokehouse. We are bringing back our old cover of Mother and Child reunion for this show and will be busting out a few new Paul Simon covers. It should be a great time, so come out and join us.

Here is a link to the show: http://www.wmnf.org/events/still-crazy-after-all-these-years-paul-simon-birthdaytribute

and here is one to an event page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=271156372912323

Sept 17th Show Write Up

2011-09-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

We are mentioned in this write up about our last show in Creative Loafing. Check it out:

http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2011/09/19/what-the-world-needs-now-is-ska-sweet-ska

2011-04-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

I found a cool review of our album Rise of the Pink Flamingos from Gary Schwind of the Orange County Music Examiner. This guy really gets it:

I realize that this album is not for everyone. Does it have a lot of immature themes? Yes. Is it well-done and catchy? Absolutely. Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso is a good reminder that rock and roll should be fun. This band won't win any Grammys, but it will provide a lot of good times, and that has to count for something.

Check out the full review here.

April 2nd Show Press

2011-04-01T14:25:00.000-04:00

This week's Creative Loafing has a cool paragraph about us and our show tomorrow at the Crowbar. You can pick one up all over Tampa Bay. Here's what they had to say:

Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso w/Fusebox Funk Finger-picking guitar work, steady-driving drumbeats, brawny frog-in-throat vocals and merry horns fill the punk, ska and rock-fueled music of St. Pete outfit Johnny Cakes. The steel drums shine in "Swimming in the Summer" and bring a tropical calypso mood to the reggae-rap number, while songs like "Long Island Iced Tea Island" reveal a band ready for a good time, some laughs and possibly a few tasty (alcoholic) beverages. ("Cheaper vacations in tropical locations, a tiger shark ate my girl / So I got me some whisky and a chick who was frisky, oh man, what a wonderful world!") The spirited army of musicians packs stages with a four-piece horn section and is joined by a trio of "jellyfish dancers" spreading mellow vibes around the room. (Crowbar, Ybor City) --VQ

Keith Wilkins of the St. Pete Live Music Bar Scene Examiner also posted a press release about the show which you can read here. This show is going to be a lot of fun; it's been about a year since we've played a show with Fusebox. Don't miss this one.

Warped Tour

2011-03-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

Last year we put a good bit of effort trying to get a spot for the Warped Tour in St. Petersburg. This year...not so much. I have grown to really dislike these "bother your fans into voting for you" type contests. We did make a profile and if you want to go vote for us that would be great. If not, don't worry about it:

http://www.battleofthebands.com/u/guttercalypso

Pink It Up II: Aftermath

2011-03-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update on how Pink It Up 2: Ska Bands Against Breast cancer went this year: It went great. We raised over $1500 (more than last year) and had a great time. Thanks to the Market on 7th and thanks to everyone who came out, donated, or helped promote the show. It looks like we will be doing this again next year. To stay informed "like" Pink It Up on Facebook.

Some Updates

2011-02-19T13:50:00.000-05:00

Here a few cool things that we have been doing lately:

Our friends at Real Punk Radio have put out a free comp that features one of our songs. It is very limited edition so go here and get it while you still can: http://www.realpunkradio.com/killing-the-record-industry-free-comp-cd

Speaking of free comps we are in the middle of recording a new song for the Florida Green Records comp which will come out in April. Here is a link with a little more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186715021352735

We were also recently played on Rock Fist Radio at Garage 71. You can find the find an archive of the show here: http://www.garage71.com/ReWind.html It is listed as rockfist 2:16:11. The show is pretty good and well worth a listen. It also features our friends the Bastard Suns who we played with at a few ska-fest type show.

Lymphoma Benefit Aftermath

2011-02-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

Wow! Thanks to everyone who came out to the benefit show last night at Crowbar or who listened online at Real Punk Radio. In total we raised a little over $3,400 all of which is going directly to help the family of a lymphoma patient.

Also, thanks to all of the local businesses who donated to the raffle including Arty Joe's Skin City, Sound Exchange, Underground Coffee House, Back in the Day Books, Carter's Antique Asylum, Temple Goddess Dance and Yoga, Ace High Printing, Court of Two Sisters, Cristiaans Hair Salon, and Moongoddess Entertainment (who also helped put on the show).

If you still want to donate, but did not get a chance you can make a paypal donation to flsurf26@hotmail.com.

Our next show is Pink It Up II, which is a breast cancer benefit at the Market in Ybor City on February 26th, 2011. We hope to see you all out there!

Lymphoma Benefit

2011-01-21T19:42:00.001-05:00

We are holding a Lymphoma Benefit at the Crowbar on February 4th. All of the money raised will go directly to help Lymphoma patients.

Interview at AJ&DBS

2010-11-09T19:23:00.000-05:00

I did an interview about the band at AJ&DBS. It covers most of the usual stuff and the our upcoming plans to tour Easter Island. Check it out here.

Rusty Trombone Comp Review

2010-10-05T12:41:00.000-04:00

You may recall that a little while back our song Commando was on the ska punk comp Everyone Likes a Good Rusty Trombone. Well, now there is a review out for the comp from the blog Real Gone. Here's what they say about us:

"The marvellously named Johnny Cakes & the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso are on hand to bring you some top-quality ska-punk. In ‘Commando’ they offer a song with a simple chorus and enough chops to stand with the best bands of a similar nature. During the intro, a big horn riff stands alone, filling the empty spaces and during the pre-chorus they create a great build-up. For the main chunk of the verses though, it’s Aaron Kommer’s rhythm guitar which is the driving force. Being a fan of Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Mustard Plug, I hear so much of their sound in Johnny Cakes...if you’re a Bosstones fan, you’ll probably want to hear more by these guys. (Be warned though, they may have a lot in common with those aforementioned ska-punk bands, but their debut album ‘Rise of the Pink Flamingoes’ features the kind of childish smut and vulgarity you’d find on a Guttermouth disc, so it’s not for the easily offended). "

Very nice, except I find it strange that they mention Aaron playing guitar on the song. Aaron left the band in 2008. It was in fact Mikey OD who is playing guitar on that song and all of Rise of the Pink Flamingos. But, I love the disclamer that they put at the end!

Anyways stay tuned, we will have some big changes coming up for the band that will be announced in a couple of weeks.

Creative Loafing 2010 Reader's Poll

2010-09-16T10:55:00.000-04:00

The results for the 2010 Creative Loafing Reader's Poll are in and we were voted runner up in the Best Local Reggae/Ska Band for the second year in a row. Hooray! One of these days we are going to take the number one spot!

Of course we were also voted runner up for Worst Local Band Name. Hopefully we don't eventually win that one. Maybe I should start some side projects with even worse names so they win it instead of Johnny Cakes!

You can read all of the results here: http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/page?oid=1227205

I am Entertainment

2010-07-23T12:56:00.001-04:00

Hey we just got a review published in I am Entertainment Magazine. Even though we got a fairly low score (2.5/4) the review is complementary:

"The best way to describe these guys is AWESOME!! I'd pay top dollar to see them live in concert."

See that's pretty sweet but they also said that we were

"...an interesting cross between Marley, Limp Bizkit, and Weird Al Yankovik."

Limp Bizkit?!? Oh, that's the worst thing I've heard us compared to. How disappointing. Limp Bizkit is from Jacksonville (where I grew up) and is regarded there as a source of never ending shame and humiliation for the River City. Besides Ace of Bass it would be harder to find a comparison that is more personally insulting to me. I, however, assume that insulting me was not the author's intention so I am going to let it slide, especially since the rest of the article was so nice. Go give it a read for yourself.

By the way IAE Magazine is pretty cool so you go ahead and check out the other thing they have going on.

While I Was Away

2010-07-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

Hey, I was pretty busy last month getting ready for and going sailing in the British Virgin Islands (I know you're jealous) and I forgot to post up this interview that I did with Junior's Cave. It's a pretty fun interview and it opens with this kind description of the band:

"Our Webzine’s newest interview comes from the indie ska band Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso who is managing to create beautiful music that combines elements of different genres into one fantastic sound. In this special spotlight, we learn about the band’s origin, their major influences, and what fans can expect from them in the near future. "

It's a pretty good interview so I suggest you give it a read here. The interview has some pretty good questions like the one about my fantasy band line up. I'm happy to report that we have actually made some of my dream line up come true since the time of this interview (Tuba) and we might be closer than you think to getting a cannon!

Speaking of interview questions we are in the middle of adding a FAQ to the Johnny Cakes website. So, if you have any questions please send them over to guttercalypso@gmail.com. Do your best to keep it classy.

Also, on July 4th we were featured on the Podcast Red Red Wine on a Sunday for episode # 37 which is all about great American bands. For some reason they decided to feature us. I guess we qualify we are located in America and I think most of us are actually Americans (except for Skippy who is a resident of Antarctica, James who is an illegal immigrant taking American bongo players jobs, and our bass player Zombie Burnsides who is legally deceased.) Maybe they had one song left to fill and decided to throw on a song about butts! Thanks Red Red Wine on a Sunday!

Anyways we have a lot more coming up, so keep checking back and come out to some shows!

K Punk

2010-06-15T20:40:00.000-04:00

Our cover of Bad Town was featured on a special all covers edition of the K Punk Podcast. The Podcast is described as "the soundtrack to a revolution on hold." Episode 55: Duck and Cover starts off with Bad Town.

New Music Tampa Bay

2010-06-15T20:35:00.001-04:00

We have been getting some of our songs played on the local podcast New Music Tampa Bay as of late. This podcast is a very cool, very eclectic mix of music. It is definitely for people who are into a wide variety of genres. We have been featured in episodes 256, 257, 258, and 259. I believe we are scheduled to be played in one more episode as well. Anyways, go check out New Music Tampa Bay for a cool mix of awesome music.

Q's House

2010-06-03T01:17:00.001-04:00

We are featured in the latest episode of the Q's House internet radio show out of Orlando Florida, episode 256 Apocalypso. The host is hilarious and although the show is two hours long it is worth listening to the whole thing. There is a really fu interview with me that is broken up into small segments throughout the show. They also talk about honesty and integrity in writing music after which they play one of our songs about butts. The show is awesome, you can listen to it in podcast form. My only gripe is that I suspect that Q may not have actually drank a pirate belly like he said he would.

Update: We are also featured on episode 257. Q even reads a letter that I sent in!

Sonicbids

2010-05-26T23:58:00.000-04:00

Hey,
We have been getting some attention from Sonicbids lately and not just from promoters working through them, but from the actual Sonicbids people. (If you recall Sonicbids is how we booked Sunfest and the Florida Music Festival). Anyways last week we were up on there homepage as one of the bands booking gigs and now an brief interview with me (Ostrich) is featured over at http://www.sonicbids.com/success/

Since it will eventually be replaced by an interview with another band I am going to record the whole thing here for posterity:

Artist: Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso
How often do you update your Sonicbids EPK?
We update the EPK whenever we have something new to add. So when we book a great show I add it in as an upcoming event and afterwards I change it to past tense event. I try to make sure that the EPK is as up to date and accurate as possible.

Describe a recent gig or success you've had through Sonicbids. What happened, and how did you use Sonicbids to get it?
Lately we have had a lot of success through Sonicbids. The biggest one, however, would have to be getting booked for Sunfest 2010 in West Palm Beach. The festival was huge with an estimated 300,000 people in attendance over the five days. It included major national acts such as Weezer, ZZ Top, Flogging Molly, Ben Harper, B-52s, Shinedown, Rise Against, Damien Marley, and many others. Originally, I thought that we had been turned down for the gig. But, later the same day I received the rejection notice I got a phone call from Sunfest telling us we had been selected to play.

What was it about this gig or opportunity that made you think it was appropriate for you?
Sunfest is an eclectic festival in South Florida. We usually do very well down there and sounded like a good time so we thought we would give it a go.

Did the gig/opportunity meet your expectations? Did any other opportunities come from this?
Yes, it was fantastic. We played right after Five for Fighting and before Big D and Kids Table and Flogging Molly. Our crowd was huge and we sold a good deal of merch. Because of that show (which was less than a week ago at the time of this writing) we have received several show offers for South Florida. We are also going to do an internet radio interview, and one of the local radio stations was playing one of our songs during their independent radio show.

What do you like the most about Sonicbids?
I like how the website genuinely seems to be interested in helping independent musicians by developing new features on the site to improve transparency and efficiency of booking Sonicgigs.

What’s the one thing you wish promoters understood about the band’s side of the submission process?
I wish that promoters understood that they will get more appropriate entries if they describe the gig or whatever they are looking for in more detail. Personally, I have spent a lot of time writing and updating our EPK to make it as interesting, but also as accurate as possible. Some of the listings are fairly ambiguous and don't really explain what they are looking for. The more specific and detailed their entry the more closely the responses will match what they are after. It will save them time in looking through submissions and it can save bands time and money.

Do you have any additional advice you’d like to share with other bands?
Take a look at the EPK of some of the more successful bands here on Sonicbids. That's what we did and since we did that our success here has increased dramatically. Also, keep your press kit up to date.

Tell us about some cool things you're currently doing with your music (playing live, your song on a soundtrack, shooting a video, etc.)

One of the cool things we do with our music is make cartoons. The cartoons are about fictional characters and our alter egos. When we make a new cartoon we unveil it at our shows right before we take the stage. It really grabs the crowds attention and gets them excited and having a good time before the show. It also helps people remember us. We try to put on show rather than just play music. So we have professionally trained costumed dancers at our show along with other visual surprises to add to the musical experience. So far this has been very well received. We have a few other things in the works as well, but I don't want to give away any surprises.

Real Punk Radio

2010-05-23T23:43:00.002-04:00

We have been doing quite a few interviews lately and I have been a little behind in posting about them here. So I am going to start with the most recent one: Happy Hour with Hell Kitten on Real Punk Radio. This was an interesting one to say the least. The show has a drinking theme and the theme this week was Long Island Iced Teas. Well of course we changed the drink to Long Island Iced Tea Island Iced Teas. They are just like Long Island Iced Teas but with more alcohol and they taste really bad. So we were all drinking those during the interview. Mostly we talked about "pederifires" and wrecking the mansion that belongs to Hell Kitten's brother in St. Peter. That place is doomed next time she comes to visit.

Give the whole thing a listen here: http://lphellkitten.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-hour-johnny-cakes-special.html I think it's pretty amusing.

Also, check out Real Punk Radio. It is an awesome 24 hr punk internet radio station. Everyone involved is really cool and they play some awesome music.

Punk Rock Theory

2010-05-14T15:23:00.000-04:00

Check out this review of Rise of the Pink Flamingos from the Belgian online zine Punk Rock Theory:

"Johnny Cakes and his Horsemen clearly had a good time recording “Rise Of The Pink Flamingos”. They somehow manage to combine punk rock and ska with calypso music and everything else they damn well feel like."

They seemed to like it alright except for the butt jokes. Apparently they don't go over quite as well in Belgium. Oh well...

Read the full review here.

Angry Ska Blog!

2010-03-31T11:02:00.000-04:00

Hey,
I just found out about a cool Ukrainian blog called Angry Ska . The blog focuses on, well, angry ska and ska-core, ska punk type stuff. They just put up a post about the music from our first release, EP in the Butt. Our latest album, however, is not to their taste. I guess it is not angry enough. Maybe we need to put some more angry ska on the next album? I do kind of miss that stuff. Anyways check out this post for a trip down Johnny Cakes memory lane.

The Biggest Letdown

2010-03-29T21:22:00.008-04:00

The Biggest Letdown just posted a great review of Rise of the Pink Flamingos:

"Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso is my new favorite band of the week. Seriously, I thought this type of music was dead. Ska, calypso, punk, reggae and rock - all rolled into one fun-filled CD. It's like I'm living back in 1996 when the 3rd wave of SKA was king and every band geek in high school joined a group and played their instruments in front of friends on a Saturday night at the local pizza joint down the street. Thank you, Johnny Cakes, for bringing this musical style back. I've still got my entire collection of American-style Ska collecting dust in the back room, and this album is reviving my thoughts in my purchases over the years.

Then later he says

" My favorite tracks on this album are:COMMANDO, ACID MOUTH, SOMETHING IN THE AIR, PEE IN THE BUTT, and DNA. So go out and buy this album! It's worth it! And if there's a fan club, join that, too!!!"

My favorite part is that the review talks about how great the ska on the album is, but the author picked all our non-ska songs as his favorites. But, we are happy to remind people of the good ole days of the 1990's. Read the full article here.

We do, by the way, have a fan club. Well, sort of, we have a mailing list.

The Big News

2010-03-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

Hooray! Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso will be playing at Sunfest 2010 in West Palm Beach on Sunday May 2nd. Other acts at this festival include Weezer, Flogging Molly, The Flaming Lips, ZZ Top, Rise Against, Ben Harper, and Damian Marley. You can get a five day pass to see all of these bands for $60. More details will be announced as the event gets closer. For now you can see the list of headliners and buy tickets at the Sunfest website.

Review from Independent Clauses

2010-03-18T20:22:00.001-04:00

Alright, another review of Rise of the Pink Flamingos! This time from Stephen Carradini at Independent Clauses. The review is very positive, but oddly enough it focuses mostly on the album artwork and the author's new rock and roll theory:

" I’ve been recently developing a theory of rock and roll that is currently at this state: It’s no longer a particular sound that’s rock’n'roll; it’s a particular attitude. "

Anyways, we meet his definition of rock and roll!

"Johnny Cakes is still gonna keep on being what they are: rock’n'roll."

Read the full review here.

Australian review of Rise of the Pink Flamingos

2010-03-07T10:51:00.002-05:00

Dizzybeat is an Australian online magazine dedicated to ska, reggae, and rocksteady music. Recently Glenn Smith just wrote an article there reviewing our latest album and he likes it (I think):

"So what is it? It’s well polished uninhibited smut, with a splattering of steel drum, and I actually quite like it."

I think he might have found some of the lyrics a little off-putting. That's okay, he dug the music:

"The music is what makes the record for me. Take away all the joke lyrics and what you have is a fusion of punk rock and a West Indian sound that is not often attempted, but in this case works well."

Read the rest of the review here it is well worth the read.

Orlando Show Review

2010-03-03T21:02:00.001-05:00

Marc Ganancias wrote an article about our show last weekend in Orlando with 20wt. The show had a pretty low attendance because the local headliner backed out, so the show was two out of town bands. Even so, we had a great time.

Check out some excerpts about the Johnny Cakes set:

All the musicians in this band are tops, and as a whole, very tight. It’s easy to see past the musical skill that this band displays, because they have a scathing sense of humor in the lyrics and the live set becomes a party. It’s undeniably infectious...it made me want to dance, and I’m a crappy dancer. They raise hell on stage, and bring the good times with them wherever they go.

Read the full review here.

Pink It Up Aftermath

2010-02-22T09:35:00.000-05:00

Good news everybody, the Pink It Up Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit show raised over $1200 on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who came out and to all the bands that played. It was a great time! We especially look forward to playing with the Shady People again this Friday at Holly and Dolly's in Orlando, FL.

Those are just a few choice photos. You can see more here. For those of you who missed out, it looks like this is going to happen again next year, so you may get another chance.

A little tbt* love

2010-02-16T14:31:00.000-05:00

Johnny Cakes has been getting a few mentions on the tbt Soundcheck blog lately. Nothing major, but two cool blogs in past few days:

The first one is about bands playing at WMNF's Tropical Heatwave on May 15, 2010:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/tbt/2010/02/raul-malo-out-bob-schneider-rachel-goodrich-in-at-2010-tropical-heatwave.html

The next one is an article about our friends the Long Johns and the upcoming Pink It Up Breast Cancer Benefit:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/tbt/2010/02/artist-of-the-day-the-long-johns.html

New Rise of the Pink Flamingos Review

2010-02-14T11:34:00.002-05:00

This one is a little odd, but I like it anyways. It comes from Punk Rock, Hardcore, and Ska Music Resource n Review, which is run through a myspace account. You have to be their friend in order to see the review, so feel free to add them. What? You don't have a myspace account anymore? Really? All the cool kids have the myspace. Okay here is the text from the review:

I reviewed Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso awhile back and really enjoyed their sound and how they add steele drums to it. They really have created their own tasty caribbean ska whitetrash sound.these guys continue to push the envelope not just in a different kind of ska sound but with their songs "eternally missing you!","pee in the butt (summertime jamboree spectacular acoustic marmalade version)" and "dna" which all indicate some sort of sex act including the ass. "Dna'in particular claims to teach you how to play a Johnny Cakes song which I'm pretty sure it does but it ends up not just teaching you the chords to learn the song but you listen as the singer sings the chords off and also is brilliantly singing about his d (meaning dick of course) being in a females a (ass) then at the end of the song he says the police would be so unhappy if they could see my d (dick) in a minor. The song although quite controversial is brilliant on how they thought it up and actually has to be one of my favorite songs on the album. Just quite clever how they pulled it off. They do a cover of harry belafonte's "jump in the line" and might I add they pull it off with flying colors. Their album "Rise of the Pink Flamingos' is a skapocalyptic adventure and masterpiece from start to finish with the exception of a few songs.they also mention on the back of their record tha they're well known degenerates and that they're not responsible for any degeneration caused by listening to this album. This concludes my review of Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso's album "Rise of the Pink Flamingos" 10!, for fans of Mephiskapheles, Voodoo Glow Skulls and Big D and the Kids Table
best songs "swimming in the summer", "commando", "acid mouth", "dna","jump in the line", "something in the air(featuring Tom Connors)", "surf and destroy" worst songs "pee in the butt" and" kansas here we come

punk rock

beth

Note: I removed our links at the end of the review, because you can access them on the sidebar. I also added some capitalization to the review because I am neurotic. I am pretty sure that the author does not capitalize as a stylistic choice. Or maybe her shift key is broken.

Anyways, overall this was great review of the new album Rise of the Pink Flamingos. If you have not heard it yet, give it listen. There is a music player on the sidebar of this blog primed and ready to play it for you.

Download Rise of the Pink Flamingos on the Cheap

2010-02-09T23:23:00.005-05:00

Really cheap or really expensive. It's up to you. We just set things up so you can pick how much you want to pay for our new album Rise of the Pink Flamingos. Just click below:

http://guttercalypso.bandcamp.com/

You can listen to most of the album streaming right on the site (I left off a few surprises that you won't get to hear until you download it or get your hands on a real CD). Once you download it, you can also pick from a whole bunch of different file types so you can listen in real high quality (if you are an audiophile or glutton for punishment). So if you are broke you can download it for free (you have to give us your e-mail address, but we promise we won't e-mail calling you a cheap-skate). Or, if you have your parents' credit card you can pay $700 for it. Don't worry, we promise we will use your money irresponsibly.

Stay tuned, I am going to get our first EP up on there before too long.

EDIT: Our first release E.P. in the Butt is now also available. Check it out if you have not heard it before. People who download the whole E.P. will get a bonus track.

Cancer Benefit Feb 20, 2010 in Ybor City

2010-02-05T16:06:00.005-05:00

Our next show is a breast cancer benefit called Pink It Up. Here is an excerpt from an article that explains all about the benefit:

"On February 20th at 7pm at Market On 7th,Pink It Up!: Ska Bands Against Breast Cancer! will be hosted by Jeremy Gloff and will feature a number of Ska bands from the Tampa and Orlando music scenes. All proceeds from this event will go to the education, screening and treatment of breast cancer.

Featured bands:

Johnny Cakes And The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypso

The Long Johns

Shady People

SuckerFish

Parcel Thirty Three

Also, the art of Wade Slater will be on sale, with all proceeds going to the cause as well.

This benefit event is organized by Bylli Peiper in honor of her dear friend and colleague, Kim Campbell, a breast cancer survivor. "

Read the full article here. The show is going to be a great time, so come out and help us raise some money!

Skipper's Videos

2010-02-05T15:58:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of videos from our show at Skipper's on January 24, 2010 for those who missed it or for those who have repressed the original memory.

Both videos feature the Johnny Cakes Jellyfish Dancers and you can see more videos from the show at Spitbaby's Youtube page.

New Johnny Cakes Blog

2010-02-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

Well, this is the new blog for Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso. This is replacing our old myspace blog because the blog function on myspace is not really user friendly and myspace seems to be dying.

For now, however, you can still access all of the old blogs and information here. As soon as I figure out how I am going to have this blog feed over to a gadget on myspace and the other social networking sites that allow.

Testing

2010-02-03T23:24:00.002-05:00

Testing the new Johnny Cakes blog. Go!