Kids Rock for Peas - The Sippy Cups CD

Product Description From San Francisco Chronicle - March 20, 2005 Kid Rock by Delfin Vigil This is a song that our friend Syd Barrett taught to us, says the soft-spoken man wearing a turquoise-blue blazer and a goofy top hat. He used be in a band called the Pink Floyd. And they wrote some wonderful childrens songs. Before the dozens of parents in the audience have a chance to question why this cuckoo character and his band have decided to entertain their kids with lyrics from the warped mind of the king of psychedelia, an extraordinary thing happens. Nearly 100 children are jumping up and down and singing along to ... good music. From the impeccably cool likes of T. Rex, Sly & the Family Stone, the Monkees, the Velvet Underground ... Put the Tylenol away. Barney is not in the house. In the time it takes the Sippy Cups to unicycle through a bouncy rendition of Pink Floyds Bike, it becomes clear to the assembled moms and dads, most of them Baby Boomers, at this rock concert with training wheels: Their children could use this kind of musical education. Leave them kids alone! We dont want to be too squeaky-clean, explains the Sippy Cups lead singer, Paul Godwin, 43, at a Montara cafe about a week after the show. A casual striped shirt and corduroy trousers have replaced his top hat and Miami Vice turquoise sports coat. If anything, our M.O. is preaching good music to children. Godwin came up with the idea to form a grown-up rock band for young audiences (and their parents) about three years ago while playing Bike on the piano as his then 2-year-old son circled around the living room on a red tricycle. The band name came first, inspired by the hundreds of kids who have brought plastic sipping containers to the music classes Godwin teaches as director of Music Together of San Francisco. And after an impromptu living room jam with his friend and Montara neighbor, lead guitarist Mark Verlander, Godwins vision of the Sippy Cups was filled to the brim. Amid the wine and revelry of that first evening, Godwin and Verlander wrote their first song, set to the tune of Nirvanas Smells Like Teen Spirit. They performed it at a benefit to build a park in neighboring Moss Beach. The lyrics went something like: This is Moss Beach/ Build a park here/ Its less dangerous/ Get your checkbook. After we performed the song at the benefit, I said Thanks, were the Sippy Cups, remembers Godwin. Mark and I had no idea what were getting into. Doug Nolan, who stilt-walked at the Moss Beach park benefit, joined the group as the bands leader juggler, unicyclist and quite possibly most popular Sippy Cup. AJ Kim was on bass and David Gilmour (not that David Gilmour) banged the drums as the band performed set lists of elite classics, like the Velvet Undergrounds Who Loves the Sun, the Kinks Village Green Preservation Society and Leonard Cohens Hallelujah. What followed was a year of steady gigs in packed theaters throughout the Bay Area -- and shows at some of the coolest, most coveted rock clubs in the region, including 12 Galaxies and the Rickshaw Stop. Classic -- but never cheesy -- cover songs for kids seem to be the secret to the Sippy Cups success with this particular subculture. That and their friendly interactive shows: At most Sippy Cups gigs, children get to bang on drums, xylophones and are encouraged to jump on the stage, squeak their noses and get crazy. Sometimes Verlander even lets kids push the buttons of his effects pedals while hes playing. We try not to do any Top 40 stuff, explains Verlander, the mellowest Cup. Even with Beatles tunes, we try to play their more obscure songs. That way parents can say Wow. I havent heard this song in sooo long. Verlander realized he and the band were onto something special during a rendition of the Beatles Dear Prudence. All of these kids were in front of the stage singing along to one of my favorite Beatles songs. It was incredible. I was practically in tears, Verlander says. Ill never forget the day my dad brought home Sgt. Peppers. I was about 5 or 6 at the time. Thats the kind of experience I want my daughter, Lia, to have too. My son loves kids bands like the Wiggles, says Nolan, 39, of the Australian kids sensation (see related story on Page 20). The Wiggles are great at what they do. But I think parents sometimes think Im going to go insane if I hear this song one more time. Hopefully thats where we fill in the gap. Theres already a long line waiting to fill any gaps and spaces available in the Sippy Cups. Since demand for the groups performances have expanded past the Bay Area and into Grass Valley and Santa Cruz, the original drummer and bass player were replaced by five new members: puppet mistress Jen Kantor, keyboardist Alison Faith Levy, bassist Adam Donkin and drummer Joe Becker. The Sippy Cups get musicians offering their services after every gig. Check this out, says Godwin pointing to a binder full of post-gig requests and comments. Im available as guitarist with cow suit, reads one applicant. I can be backup singer! begs another. The response to the Sippy Cups has been overwhelmingly positive -- with one exception. Godwins son was reprimanded by a preschool teacher after being caught singing the lyrics to the Ramones I Wanna Be Sedated. They said, Bodhi, thats not appropriate, says the clearly proud papa. So now we changed the lyrics to I wanna be elated. The Sippy Cups hope to reach a national audience as part of their next phase. A puppet show gig based on Pink Floyds The Piper at the Gates of Dawn album, performed in its entirety, is in the works. Kind of their rock- opera move. Think the Wiggles meets Blue Man Group with an edgy, interactive and grander scale, they say. Its not like were against Disney entertainment or the folky bluegrass stuff that is traditionally associated with childrens music, Verlander says. Thats nice and natural music. But youre never going to hear us playing Kumbaya. Review How best to describe the San Francisco-based The Sippy Cups? Perhaps theyre what would happen if your favorite 70s cover band decided they just wanted to play for preschoolers. And added puppets and jugglers. On their 2005 debut album Kids Rock For Peas!, the seven-member ensemble (recorded live at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco) cover a wide range of 60s and 70s songs on the 47-minute disc, from the Beatles ("Dear Prudence") to the Velvet Underground ("Who Loves the Sun") to the Ramones, mostly ("I Wanna Be Elated"). You might ask, you know, those are pretty darn good songs -- in the original -- why in the world would I want to buy cover versions? Well, not that the Sippy Cups versions are better than the originals, but the vigorous renditions of the songs and the occasional alterations to make them child-friendly (or child-friendlier) give them value in their own right. (They single-handedly rescue Wars "Low Rider" from the clutches of beer commercials and "Jungle Boogie" from the clutches of Quentin Tarantino.) If the occasional song seems out-of-place ("Bennie and the Jets") or the live banter just slows the pace down, thats the risk one takes with a live package. (The presence of "Super Guy" will probably bring a smile to the parents faces.) The songs are probably best for kids ages 2 through 6, though obviously any album covering the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Neil Diamond will probably find fans whose ages reached double-digits long ago. You can check out some video clips here. Recommended, unless for some weird reason you think Lennon/McCartney (or, er, McCartney/Lennon) wasnt that great of a song-writing duo. --Zooglobble - Kids Music BlogWhen youve built your reputation doing covers of the Beatles, Ramones and the Velvet Underground, just what, pray tell, do you do for an encore? For the Sippy Cups, the fast-rising psychedelic kids rock band from the tiny coastside burg of Montara, the answer is simple: record a CD of original music. The Sippys bring tunes from their latest effort, "Electric Storyland," to the Great American Music Hall on Sunday. "Its totally a giant rock n roll circus," says lead singer Paul Godwin. He assures the bands older stalwarts that theyll reel off a few covers to keep the grown-ups nodding and grinning. (Be sure to pack a lighter with plenty of butane in it.) To describe a Sippy Cups concert as kid friendly is an understatement. At Sundays show, put together by stage director Jeffrey Bihr, a veteran of Berkeley Rep and the California Shakespeare Festival, kids will have an opportunity to pogo onstage, do a few circus stunts and maybe even get interviewed by Godwin. The CD reflects the groups rural digs. Founders Godwin and guitarist Mark Verlander along with juggler Doug Nolan all live in Montara with their offspring. "This album was created from the world of our kids," says Godwin, who notes that songs such as "Drinking From the Sky," a Hendrix-y tune about turning your head up to catch water in your mouth when its raining, were inspired by their childrens experiences in Montara. "When its raining you drink from the sky. Theyre out there with the snails and the bobcats," Godwin says. Other Sippys, vocalist Alison Faith Levy and drummer Jozef Becker, live in San Francisco. Bassist Rudy Trubitt resides in Oakland. If your kids arent inclined to join in the fray, theres plenty of onstage eye candy to keep even the shortest attention span occupied. Look for re-creations of characters from "Electric Storyland," including a rock n roll dinosaur named Skeptasaurus whose catch phrase is "I cant" and Superguy, the oh-so-sensitive superhero who "powers his rig with biodiesel, maxes out his inner feng shui, and reeks of patchouli," Godwin says. The band formed two years ago to play at a fundraiser to build a park in nearby Moss Beach and are now headlining venues like the House of Blues in Los Angeles and breaking into the Top 10 of XM Radios kids stream with "Magic Toast." Godwin, 45, who is the father of Bodhi, 6, attributes the Sippy Cups juggernaut to tapping into todays generation of older parents who want to share their music with their kids. All the band members have young children, and at any given concert youll see parents in the audience downing brews while their kids quaff juice boxes. As Snoop Dog might say, "Its all good." "Parents come to a show and theyre really excited about the music -- its not just something they tolerate because its good for their kids. This generation of parents in their 30s and 40s wants to re-experience their adolescent or rock n roll years with their kids and share it with their kids. Thats whats going on here -- parents and kids trying to get into the same music. Im turning my kids onto the Beatles and Tommy, " says Godwin. Right on. --San Francisco ChronicleBefore we even popped in their CDs, The Sippy Cups won our award for best kids band name. After giving them a listen, it only got better. Kids Rock for Peas is a live album of covers of mostly late 60s and early 70s psychedelia, including Pink Floyds Bike, The Rolling Stones She s A Rainbow, and The Beatles Dear Prudence. The band has adapted these trippy classics wonderfully for young children, without turning off their classic rock loving parents--even those old enough to remember when it was just called rock. The 14 tracks on Peas are interspersed with comedy bits and witty banter with children who are pulled up on stage, and several of the tracks call for dancing or singing along, making for a highly interactive listening experience. The Sippy Cups perform live in and around San Francisco, and recently played an impressive Knitting Factory Hollywood gig. Catch them live if you can. Or grab a copy of of the CD and get groovy with your kids. Just dont start reminiscing aloud about what you were doing when you first discovered Pink Floyd. You get the point. --Cool Mom PicksAdditional Info: Personnel: Tim Lapthorn (piano); Stephen Keogh (drums).

Specifics

• Album: Kids Rock for Peas
• Artist: The Sippy Cups
• Label: MFR837101101899#N
• Genre: Rock, Pop, Children's
• MPN: S001

1. Baby, You're A Rich Man
Composed By - Lennon-McCartney
Composed By - Lennon-McCartney
2. Who Loves The Sun
Composed By - Lou Reed
Composed By - Lou Reed
3. Bike
Composed By - Syd Barrett
Composed By - Syd Barrett
4. Low Rider
Composed By - War
Composed By - War
5. Introducing Super Guy
Composed By - The Sippy Cups
Composed By - The Sippy Cups
6. The Flying Machine
Composed By - The Flying Machine
Composed By - The Flying Machine
7. Bennie And The Jets
Composed By - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Composed By - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
8. She's A Rainbow
Composed By - Jagger-Richards
Composed By - Jagger-Richards
9. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
10. I Wanna Be Elated
Composed By - Ramones
Composed By - Ramones
11. Dear Prudence
Composed By - Lennon-McCartney
Composed By - Lennon-McCartney
12. Jungle Boogie
13. I'm a Believer
Composed By - Neil Diamond
Composed By - Neil Diamond
14. 4 Give Peas a Chance
Composed By - John Lennon
Composed By - John Lennon

• We ship across Australia, including major cities like: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Newcastle and the Gold Coast