Sunday, November 22, 2009

Yes, I Really Did Attend a Johnny Cash Tribute Band and Live Cooking Show


Friday night, I took my friend Maya, the awesome blogger personality behind Shop Eat Sleep, and her boyfriend Rory, to "All Cake, No File," a show in Culver City with an unlikely match-up. It was part live cooking show and part Johnny Cash tribute band. Jewell Rae Jeffers, in a blond, 1950s wig, and thick Southern accent, led the cooking portion by demonstrating her Coke Cake on stage. It was a cake mix, some Coca-Cola, eggs, pecans, and a few more things, plus frosting with marshmallows. She offered up social commentary on the prison system while she baked and made funny mentions about all the products she was using in her cake that the show was not endorsing. The show was silly, but what do you expect from something that's part of the WTF?! Festival?

L-->R: Me, Jewell Rae, Maya

I have to tell you, walking into the theater before the show started and seeing a KitchenAid on the stage was a huge thrill. It almost didn't matter what the show was like because I just loved that it involved a KitchenAid. But the show did turn out to be fun and funny. Jewell Rae interacted with the audience throughout the show, and in between baking, an amazing Johnny Cash tribute band called With a Bible and a Gun performed some classic Johnny Cash songs. They were such a talented band! And they are actually doing a prison tour, performing for inmates all over the U.S.! They don't pretend to be Johnny Cash or his bandmates, other than wearing black and playing his music, so it's not a tribute band in the full sense of the word. Wayne Kramer of the MC5 also made an appearance and performed a few songs.

Standing with Corby Gallegos, the leader singer of With a Bible and a Gun,
who sounds just like Johnny Cash!


When the show ended, everyone was invited to the patio to have a slice of the cake and schmooze with the performers. Yes, the night ended with cake! Isn't that how all shows should end? Next Friday, November 27, is your last chance to see this show and Jewell Rae will be baking a different cake!

This was my first time at the Ivy Substation and at any Actors' Gang event. There really is not a bad seat in the house and the back courtyard area is a neat touch with heatlamps and a bar. I would absolutely go back to this venue, with or without a KitchenAid on stage.

5 comments:

Mom said...

What a unique and fun way to spend an evening! Did you have the cake that was made on stage?

Unknown said...

Oh baking goddess, award-winning pie maker, you got the recipe wrong! There were marshmallows in the cake and pecans in the frosting ;)

I loved how she kept calling it a "Co-Cola" cake instead of a "Coca-Cola" cake. So funny.

Marni said...

Mom - I asked Jewell Rae after the show if we were eating the actual one from stage and she said she had prepared cake before the show for eating, so no, I don't think this was from on stage.

Maya - Doh! That's what happens when I don't bring a notepad with me to a show (because, come on, do you normally bring one to a show?), plus the woman from the venue forgot to email me the recipe yesterday. Ah well.

Ellen said...

Sounds like great fun! I'm a huge Cash fan. How do you find out about these things, other than working for Goldstar? ;o)

Tzviah said...

You didn't make any comments about the quality of the cake. Does that mean the Co-Cola Cake was disappointing?

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