Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players

Plenty of indie rockers have recorded children’s albums. But you can’t accuse singer-songwriter Justin Roberts of jumping on the bandwagon. After playing in a Minneapolis-based indie-rock band during the early ’90s, Roberts made his solo debut with 1997’s Great Big Sun, his first album of tunes geared toward tykes. The former pre-school teacher was so successful, he ditched the indie-rock gig and moved to Chicago, where he spent a couple of years in graduate school and simultaneously honed his G-rated songwriting craft. At that point, his career as a guy who can play to both parents and kids was born. Roberts and his band, the Not Ready for Naptime Players, regularly play Cleveland and this marks a welcomed return for the family friendly band. (Niesel)