Live at Hickory and In the Backyard are now patiently waiting on all streaming platforms so you can give them a try. This is not background music, but feel free to ignore it until you can truly offer your attention. These songs have been released before, but in different outfits. The arrangements depict a body of work maturing into its final form. Many of these song titles appeared in the prehistoric Little cake albums or demos from 2015 and ’16. Nevertheless they needed time to develop and change, alongside their creator.

A sextet of talented musicians, the Little cake Cover Band made themselves available to rehearse the songs born between 2018-’20 and a slew of the more ancient compositions. In 2021, after being in critical need of help with live amplification, we joined with a one-of-a-kind sound engineer, John Angelo. He met the band, live-mixed and recorded us all on the day of the first gig, resulting in In the Backyard. I was so elated by the process that we performed two more times that summer.

A couple months later, John and the band squeezed into the living room and recorded City Croons. It appeared that in order to properly release the album, the group should do another show the following summer. New sextet arrangements were realized that year, while mixing the record with John. Live at Hickory came about in August ’22, when the band performed at Lara Buckley’s Hickory Urban Sanctuary.

Our own “fifth Beatle”, John Angelo continued to provide inspired recordings, live and post-production mixing/mastering throughout the lifespan of the Little cake Cover Band, much of which was documented. These performances and in fact the entirety of Little cake’s work can be found on the brand new, official website, littlecakemusic.com.

The Album art is done by incredible Buffalo artist, Mj Meyers. With his distinct style, he has thoughtfully created a visual home for the music. These images have provided a vibrancy, representing the songs in a digital existence that guides them into our hearts.

Joining me on these recordings are the following musicians: the unmatched force of Katie Weissman on cello/vocals, Brianna Battista’s brilliant voice, Shannon Reilly’s dominating poise on violin/vocals, Evan Courtin’s witty and dazzling violin and David Bailey’s warmth and intensity on the bass. I’m Ana Vafai and I sing, write, arrange and perform the keyboard on these albums. I can’t express the gratitude I have for these folks and their dedicated efforts.

Buffalo is a special and magical place for art and music, a truth proven by this collaboration and experience. I wish that you may be lucky enough to find and be supported by vital souls like these. Little cake is happy to present two live albums, performed by the loveliest of musicians, recorded, mixed and mastered by a wizard, and packaged with local artistry.