My Friend the Chocolate Cake

My Friend the Chocolate Cake are an Australian chamber pop group formed in 1989 by mainstays, David Bridie on vocals and keyboards and Helen Mountfort on cello and backing vocals (both ex-not drowning, waving). They have released seven studio albums with two reaching the ARIA Albums Chart top 50, Brood (1994) and Good Luck (1997). These two album have both won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album; in 1995 and 1997.[1][2]

My Friend the Chocolate Cake
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Chamber pop pop rock folk rock alternative rock
Years active	1989 (1989)–2018 (indefinite hiatus)
Labels	Warner/East West White/Mushroom/Festival Mushroom/Sony Shock Liberation
Associated acts	not drowning, waving Cosmo Cosmolino
Website	mftcc.com
Members	David Bridie Helen Mountfort Hope Csutoros Greg Patten Dean Addison Andrew Richardson
Past members	Russell Bradley Andrew Carswell Michael Barker

History

1989-1992: Career beginnings

My Friend the Chocolate Cake were formed initially as an acoustic side project in 1989 by David Bridie on vocals, piano, harmonium and keyboards and Helen Mountfort on cello and backing vocals.[3] Bridie and Mountfort were members of an ambient, world music ensemble not drowning, waving.[3][4][5] In 1989, Bridie had taken a holiday to New Zealand and had written "a few more breezy compositions" that did not fit into the style of not drowning, waving.[6] Upon return to Melbourne, Mountford joined his project with her own writing.[7]

My Friend the Chocolate Cake took their name from a song title by an obscure Sydney band, Ya Ya Choral.[8] Bridie admitted that one reason they chose an all-acoustic act was so they did not have to carry around amplifiers.[9] Charles Miranda of The Canberra Times observed, "[their] emotive, in some instances ambient tunes, takes you to places you've been to in the past or would like to go to in the future."[7]

Although the intention was to play a handful of shows,[10] the band developed a following after securing a residency at Madigan's, a now-defunct venue in Brunswick.[11] By 1990 Bridie and Mountfort were joined in the group by Russell Bradley on percussion, Andrew Carswell on mandolin, Hope Csutoros on violin and Andrew Richardson on guitar.[3][5] With a budget of $800, the group released their debut self-titled album, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, in 1991. It was co-produced by Bridie, Carswell and Mountfort with Tim Cole for Warner/East West.[3][5] Ian McFarlane, an Australian musicologist, cited music journalist, Bruce Elder's review of the album in Rolling Stone Australia, "one of the best albums of high-art pop ever recorded in Australia."[3]

1993-1997: Brood & Good Luck

The group began recording their second studio album in mid-1993, while maintaining performances between not drowning, waving and My Friend the Chocolate Cake.[7] Brood was released in July 1994. McFarlane described how it, "[showed] a more serious aesthetic at work. [It] had been recorded with a generous budget and mixed in New York... [and] featured an intimate, accessible sound that ranged from the uptempo pop of the [second] single 'Throwing It Away' to the gentle ballad 'The Old Years'."[3] Brood peaked at No. 32 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[12] By that time Bradley was replaced by Michael Barker on percussion and drums (ex-Daryl Braithwaite, the Black Sorrows).[3][5] The lead single, "I've Got a Plan", was released in November 1994.[3] At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995, Brood won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.[1][13] Barker was replaced in turn during 1995 by Greg Patten on drums.[3][5]

My Friend the Chocolate Cake's third album, Good Luck was co-produced by Bridie and Mountfort with Jeremy Allom and was released in 1996.[3][5] It peaked at No. 44 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[12] McFarlane opined, "among the band's most accomplished and direct statements to date."[3] At the ARIA Music Awards of 1997, it won ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.[2] The group played a sell-out show at Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and toured Europe. They followed with a live album, Live at the National Theatre, in December 1997.[3][5]

1998-2009: Curious & Home Improvements

From 1998 the group went into hiatus while Bridie developed an interest in the musical environment of Papua New Guinea and moved there in 2000. Bridie began experimenting with the local string music scene, with a band called Hotel Radio.

In 2000, My Friend the Chocolate Cake's contract with Mushroom Records ended and they decided to represent themselves independently. Gathering in 2002 the group released their fourth studio album, Curious, in May of that year, via Capitol Records.[14] It was co-produced by Bridie, Mountfort and Christian Scallan.[5] It peaked at No. 14 on the ARIA Australasian Artists Albums chart and No. 19 on the related Alternative Albums chart.[14] They followed with another hiatus from 2003.

In 2005 independent Australian label Liberation Music re-released My Friend the Chocolate Cake's back catalogue.

The band resumed recording in 2006 and released their fifth studio album, Home Improvementsin March 2007 – its title refers to its lyrical observations of suburban Australian life, a reoccurring theme in the band's music. The album reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 100.[15]

Andrew Carswell retired from performing in July 2010.

2011-2018: Fiasco & The Revival Meeting

In February 2011, the group released "25 Stations", the lead single from their sixth studio album, Fiasco, released in April 2011. Bridie admitting that Carswell's departure had removed a part of their folky element. In May 2014, the band released Best Cake in Show, a compilation of live tracks. In January 2016, the group performed a one-off concert with Archie Roach at the Sydney Opera House.[16]

Their seventh studio album, The Revival Meeting, was self-released in May 2017.[17] In June 2018 the group announced "the upcoming MFTCC shows will be their last shows for some years, as they will be taking an indefinite hiatus to pursue other projects".[18]

Musical style

My Friend the Chocolate Cake's music can be seen to straddle the worlds of ambient and world music, with an emphasis on piano and violin-led acoustic music. The band's collective musical influences are diverse and include: Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Irish and Scottish folk music, Joy Division, Arvo Pärt, and folk / pop / rock performers such as Billy Bragg, Talk Talk, John Cale and Michelle Shocked.

Television

In the 1990s, the song "The Romp" was frequently used on promotional adverts on Australia's ABC channel. A number of the band's songs have appeared in the Australian adolescent television drama Heartbreak High including "Salt", "Your Ship Is Gone" and "Talk About Love".[19] "I've Got a Plan" was used in episodes of the Australian soap opera, Home and Away, broadcast in the UK on 16 March 2012.

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums with chart positions and certifications

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		AUS [12][15]
My Friend the Chocolate Cake	Released: 1991 Label: EastWest Records/ Warner Music Australia (903175819-2) Format: CD, cassette	-
Brood	Released: July 1994 Label: White/ Mushroom Records (D31136) Format: CD, cassette	32
Good Luck	Released: September 1996 Label: White/ Mushroom Records (TVD93462) Format: CD, cassette	44
Curious	Released: 27 May 2002 Label: EMI Music (7243540166-2) Format: CD	-
Home Improvements	Released: March 2007 Label: Liberation Music (LIBCD9231.2) Format: CD	89
Fiasco	Released: April 2011 Label: Shock Records (MFTCC20) Format: CD, digital download	-
The Revival Meeting	Released: 17 May 2017 Label: My Friend the Chocolate Cake (MFTCC22) Format: CD, DD, LP	-

Live album

List of live album with selected details

Title	Details
Live at the National Theatre	Released: 1996 Label: Mushroom Records (MUSH33072.2) Format: CD, CD+VHS

Compilation album

List of compilation album with selected details

Title	Details
Review	Released: 1997 Label: Mushroom Records (MUSH4CD) Format: CD
19 Easy Pieces	Released: November 1999 Label: My Friend the Chocolate Cake (CC1199M) Format: CD Note: A collection of song from film soundtracks, theatre, compilations and b-sides.
Parade – The Best Of...	Released: June 2004 Label: Liberation Music Format: CD
Best Cake in Show	Released: May 2014 Label: My Friend the Chocolate Cake (MFTCC21) Format: CD, DD Note: A collection of live recordings spanning the bands 25 year career.

Singles

Year	Title	Album
1991	"A Midlife's Tale (Get It Back Now)"	My Friend The Chocolate Cake
1994	"I've Got a Plan"	Brood
1995	"Throwing It all Away"
	"Song from Under the Floorboards"
1996	"Talk About Love"	Good Luck
	"Lighthouse Keeper"
1997	"Your Ship Has Gone"	Good Luck (bonus disc)
2003	"Let's Go Walk This Town"	Parade – The Best Of...
2006	"Home Improvements"	Home Improvements
2011	"5 Stations"	Fiasco
2017	"Jeffrey Smart"[20]	The Revival Meeting

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. My Friend the Chocolate Cake has won 2 awards from 2 nominations.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1995	Brood	Best Adult Contemporary Album	Won
1997	Good Luck	Best Adult Contemporary Album	Won

References

General

• McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 3 October 2013. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.

Specific

1. "ARIA Music Awards winners, 1995". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2018. Note: ARIA website erroneously lists the album as, "I've Got a Plan", which is its lead single.
2. "ARIA Music Awards winners, 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
3. McFarlane, 'My Friend the Chocolate Cake' entry. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
4. McFarlane, 'not drowning, waving' entry. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
5. Entries on Australian Rock Database:
   • My Friend the Chocolate Cake: Holmgren, Magnus; Bridie, David. "My Friend the Chocolate Cake". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 21 December 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
   • Not Drowning, Waving: Holmgren, Magnus; Bridie, David. "Not Drowning, Waving". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
   • David Bridie (1989–present): Holmgren, Magnus; Bridie, David. "David Bridie". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
   • Helen Mountfort (1989–present): Holmgren, Magnus. "Hope Csutoros". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 26 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
   • Hope Csutoros (1990–present): Holmgren, Magnus. "Hope Csutoros". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
   • Michael Barker (1994–95): Holmgren, Magnus. "Michael Barker". hem.passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 17 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
6. "My Friend The Chocolate Cake: bio". Mftcc.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
7. Miranda, Charles (19 March 1992). "Chocolate Cake for any Mood". The Canberra Times, Good Times. 66 (20, 794). p. 15. Retrieved 3 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Dib, Lisa (27 May 2011). "interview: my friend the chocolate cake". Lipmag.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
9. "The rise of My Friend The Chocolate Cake..." Helen Mountfort and David Bridie, MTV Australia, 1 January 1997
10. "Breakfast with Justine Frazier: My Friend The Chocolate Cake: David Bridie Interview". Blogs.abc.net.au. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
11. Darren Levin. "The next tasty little morsel". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
12. Hung, Steffen. "Discography My Friend the Chocolate Cake". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
13. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Australian Music Online. 6 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2012.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
14. Kellaghan, Ronan (3 June 2002). "Week Commencing ~ 3rd June 2002 ~ Issue #640" (PDF). The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) (640): 11–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2002. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
15. Wallace, Ian (26 March 2007). "Week Commencing ~ 26th March 2007 ~ Issue #890" (PDF). The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) (890): 2, 6, 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
16. "Archie Roach and MFTCC announce one off concert". The Music Network. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
17. Badgley, Aaron (2017). "Spill Feature: The Revival Meeting – A Conversation with Helen Mountfort of My Friend the Chocolate Cake". Spill Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
18. "My Friend the Chocolate Cake". mftcc.com. 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018. The upcoming MFTCC shows will be their last shows for some years...
19. "Music". Heartbreak High. 29 May 2005. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
20. "My Friend The Chocolate Cake - Jeffrey Smart (Silver City)". YouTube. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.

External links

• Official website