The Sippy Cups

• Genre: Children

About

The Sippy Cups are San Francisco's biggest kids buzz band -- and, believe it or not, that's saying something in these days of hipster kids' music. Formed by two Bay Area dads, Paul Godwin and Mark Verlander, the group was initially intended to be a one-off project. They played a rewritten version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at a benefit, and their sound immediately struck a chord with parents hungry for music they could genuinely enjoy along with their kids. Not long after, juggler/unicycler/performer Doug Nolan joined the group, providing the kind of visual fireworks that count for a lot with the preschool set. As the group swelled to five members (including a puppeteer), they found their calling reinterpreting classic rock and punk and penning their own charming original songs.

- Sarah Bardeen