Well, sure, we reasoned. But what would such a band call itself? Death Food? Napalm Beef Jerky? Or how about... Evil Bread? You know, like "Evil Dead"?

And for the next six months it was downhill. Within a few weeks of the Butthole Surfers show, Evil Bread had its very first gig - an Amnesty International benefit at the Mirror Lake amphitheater on Ohio State's campus. Evil Bread went on first that day, before Columbus luminaries like Eric's Mother.

Evil Bread was alone in tuning guitars down to B and incorporating grindcore breaks and blastbeats in Columbus in 1991. Now they're Top 40 but in 1991 it was Vanilla Ice. The band didn't fit in with metal bands, punk bands or hardcore bands. Marrying brutal riffs to humorous lyrics guaranteed a certain degree of obscurity.

The Evil Bread set list included "No Mayonnaise," "I Want A Big Mac," "Hands Off My Oreos," "Krogering," "Meat," and the crowd favorite "Donuts, Oh OOOOOOOOOO."

By the end of summer 1991 Evil Bread was toast when the guitarist fecked off to Philly to art shool. The remaining Evil Breads reconvened with a few invited guests in late fall 1991 in the lamentably no-longer-with-us MMS rehearsal space. Ah, MMS.

The new swarm of musicians included three guitarists, two bassists, a DJ, a drummer and a singer. Jamming first on Evil Bread favorites (no longer tuned down to B and sped up to a heatedly funky pace) then introducing new songs like "Pie, Hair Pie" and "Guacamole, Damn It" (the chorus of which goes "it's guacamole, damn it, leave it alone"), the new conglomeration was clearly not Evil Bread.

It was Gabe Pitnick (guitar) who suggested the new name for the band. Ladies and gentlemen we are DEVILCAKE!

Early DEVILCAKE gigs were shambolic in the extreme, though fortunately under-attended. The band annoyed soundmen and bar patrons alike. Except at Apollo's, where everything kinda started to make sense on its own. Eventually Devilcake had its own crowd.
The lineup continued to expand and shift, with the all-time high number of players onstage at once being thirteen. The band included Matt Hahn (Shadowbox Cabaret) on saxophone and a throng of other folks whose last names aren't even a memory.

In early 1992 Devilcake headlined at Apollo's, Stache's, Ruby Tuesdays, and the Newport, playing alongside bands like Gaunt, New Bomb Turks, Pica Huss and Loss Of Will.

The band reached its zenith in May 1992 at a punk rock show in a warehouse in Dayton that was headlined by Citizen Fish. Rumors of Kid Rock being on the bill as an unknown MC are still unsubstantiated. The Dayton show was the pinnacle; the audience came to partay and Devilcake gave them the best show of its life. The lucky ones ended the last choruses of "C Is For Cookie" drenched in sweat, fake blood and whipped cream. The unlucky ones had to witness the senseless acts of nudism from the stage. Ahem. Which haven't been repeated.

Devilcake never officially broke up but all of the members scattered in the summer of 1992. Ian C Stewart (then playing drums) sat in with Earwig before fecking off to Berklee College Of Music. Todd Skaggs fecked off to college too. Singer Mike Gourley and guitarist Gabe Pitnick eventually reconvened a new Devilcake that fall with new members. It was this lineup that produced the song "Green Eggs And Ham" for the EARDROP RECORDS compilation CD in 1993.

Eventually Mike Gourley took on co-vocal chores in legendary Columbus scumcore band Nosferatu (later known as Borborygmos). The band opened for the also legendary and also scummy but not from Columbus band The Mentors at Freakin' Pizza on Chittenden.

Then it's April 2000 and Pat Dull asks if there are any old tapes of Devilcake around. Nostalgia ensues. Phone books are consulted. Spouses are consulted about who's free on Sunday for the first Devilcake practice of the 2K!

And what a 2K it was, from reuniting and writing new songs to finally playing live again to self-releasing the album SHOUT AT THE DEVILCAKE (which collected thirteen old and new favorites like "I Want A Big Mac," "Marshmallow" and "Stromboli Fever") to opening for Gwar and Lamb Of God at the Newport.

In 2001 the Devilcake party was joined by Darrin Ailes on drums - and rejoined by Todd Skaggs on keyboards, reinforcing the links to the old school but bringing about a whole new era of their own.

Early 2002 the lineup swells to 7 when Nancy Roberts joins to sing soprano and Steve Osmun brings his sweet guitar collection. One problem: how in the hell do we fit all these people on one stage?!!??!?!

In June 2002 Devilcake played before Poison, Cinderella, Winger and Faster Pussycat at Polaris Amphitheater, bringing food-rock to more mullets in one evening than any band should have a right to.

2002. Is it two years later or eleven? No one can be sure. The new Devilcake album (also available as a deluxe box set edition including penalty food-themed solo albums by each member), I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT SATAN raises as many questions as it answers. Ten songs of KISS-meets-DEVO songs about food.

Devilcake: It's What You Really Crave.