My Friend the Chocolate Cake took their name from a song title by an obscure Sydney band , Ya Ya Coralle . Bridie admitted that one reason they chose an all-acoustic act was so they did not have to carry around amplifiers . 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 . " Although the intention was to play a handful of shows , the band developed a following after securing a residency at Madigan 's , a now-defunct venue in Brunswick . 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 . 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 . 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 . " While alternating performances between not drowning , waving and My Friend the Chocolate Cake , the latter group 's second studio album , '' Brood '' ( 1994 ) , was being recorded from mid-1993 with Bridie and Mountfort co-producing with Jim Rondinelli . 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 ' . " '' Brood '' peaked at No . 32 on the ARIA Albums Chart . By that time Bradley was replaced by Michael Barker on percussion and drums ( ex-Daryl Braithwaite , the Black Sorrows ) . The lead single , " I 've Got a Plan " , was released in November . not drowning , waving disbanded during that year while Bridie and Mountfort continued with My Friend the Chocolate Cake . '' Brood '' won Best Adult Contemporary Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 . Barker was replaced in turn during 1995 by Greg Patten on drums
ARIA Music Awards of 1995
ARIA Music Awards of 1995
My Friend the Chocolate Cake