The two worlds of a man caught between history teacher and punk rock singer: The uncut story of Cakeboy (of Murder 1 fame) along with his thoughts and advice to bands and the NJ scene.
By Margarita Morales
Murder 1 used to be at the top of the New Jersey music scene and the whole music scene in general for that matter. Back in 1999 Murder 1 played with the biggest bands in the modern rock world, recorded a song with Kid Rock, released their second album "American Junkie," were getting played on commercial and college radio stations, and were destroying the clubs they played at with their antics and blend of aggressively, fun punk metal style. Murder 1 seemed to have it all. Then, one day in 2000 it all seemed to fall apart. How does a band with such a high stature lose it all and then have to rebuild themselves, and why is this coming up now you may ask? Well, after a stirring interview regarding the band, advice to other bands, and the music scene, all the answers were finally unveiled in a personal, uncensored interview with the former frontman of Murder 1, Cakeboy.
Having formed in 1995 as a blues/grunge band with original lead singer, DW Lee Fontan, Murder 1 later changed into a punk/metal band after Cakeboy joined. Despite his lack of singing experience, he managed to score the position as the bands vocalist while simultaneously teaching full-time. With Cakeboy's presence in the band it was necessary for them to change their sound from light and depressing to aggressive and fun in order to suit his different vocal style. To compensate for his lack of singing ability, Cakeboy would would perform various antics on stage - some which included burning posters, stage diving, decimating property, throwing smoke bombs, and lewd acts - that got the band in serious trouble and banned from several clubs.
As their priorities, music, and chemistry started changing, Murder 1 soon saw themselves headed for another turn. With these changes Cakeboy was enjoying the band less and less, especially after guitarist G-Money left the band. Although Cakeboy was trying to work on his various side projects, one of which included The Cakeboys, things still didn't work out and he left music altogether, making teaching his main priority. Murder 1 then went on without him, getting a new vocalist, changing members and making a genre change yet again to psychedelic-progressive rock.
Even though Cakeboy was a teacher before he joined Murder 1, he wants bands to understand that they should have a backup plan. Bands cannot expect to start a band with the idea of success on their minds, says Cakeboy. It is imperative that musicians have a backup plan just in case the band breaks up or it isn't enough to pay the bills. For Cakeboy he could have very easily quit teaching and stayed in Murder 1, but he chose what he says was "the harder path"- teaching, which he said he was more passionate about anyway.
As a former student of Cakeboy's I have been able to witness first hand his antics, passion, and incites in the classroom. Out of my four years in high school I had him for three years and throughout that time there was not a day that went by in which he wasn’t pulling a prank, telling a joke, making people laugh, or getting in trouble with administration to benefit his students. He worked in Newark, where he could help students and provide a fresh point-of-view to better the education system. He could very easily crack a joke, but when necessary he was very serious and strove to maintain order. To the Murder 1 fan, Cakeboy may have been seen as "this off the wall" rocker, but to the history student he is a rather interesting teacher whose aim is for his kids to be successful and who mixes his fun nature in to provide a comfortable learning environment.
He is not only a musician who stayed after shows to sign autographs and give advice to bands musically, but a teacher who stays after school in the homework lab and helps his students with work and gives them advice educationally. Having been able to balance being both a teacher and singer, Cakeboy is a testament that one can handle what they truly want to. The passion he had shown with his band correlates with his passion for educating his students. Cakeboy, stresses the importance of sticking to ones roots and oral communication in a technology advanced, money-driven world.
Having left the band arbitrarily, the story of Cakeboy never came out. At the end of my senior year I felt that it would be appropriate to interview Cakeboy, so his story was finally told, truthfully. Headed towards his forties and married, this once infamous singer reveals why he left music, lends his thoughts about the music scene, and the origins of his stage name and also the big one: he reveals his real name.
Pt. 2 Coming Soon
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