Number One Cup

Number One Cup was a Chicago indie rock band from 1993 to 1999. Sweet Pea Records released three NOC 7-inch vinyl records: “Connecticut,” “Divebomb/Indie Soft-Core Denial” and “The Monkey Song.” The band later was signed by Flydaddy Records and then by Blue Rose/V2 in the UK. The band also put out a 7″ on the UK label Wurlitzer Jukebox under the name The Eleventh Hour. They did this because their British record label didn’t want them putting out another NOC release at the same time as their label’s release. The Eleventh Hour adopted an ’80s synth-pop style as befitted the name.

Number One Cup records for sale:

We still have many of these releases in stock, including the non-Sweet Pea releases, and would be glad to sell them to you. Click on any live link below, which will take you to the page where you can buy it.

Connecticut (7″) 1994, Sweet Pea Records
Indie Soft-Core Denial/Divebomb (7″) 1994, Sweet Pea Records
The Monkey Song (7″) 1995, Sweet Pea Records
Possum Trot Plan (full-length CD) 1995, Flydaddy Records
Divebomb (7″) 1996, The Blue Rose Record Company
Just Let Go (7″) 1996, The Blue Rose Record Company
Kim Chee is Cabbage (EP CD) 1996, Flydaddy Records
Malcom’s X-Ray Picnic, (7″) 1996, Derivative Records
Red Red Meat/Number One Cup (7″) 1996, Flydaddy Records
Wrecked by Lions (full-length CD and vinyl) 1997, The Blue Rose Record Company
The Monkey Song (7″) 1997, The Blue Rose Record Company
The Money Pit (7″) 1997, The Blue Rose Record Company
Ease Back Down/Paris (7″) 1997, The Blue Rose Record Company
People People Why Are We Fighting (full-length CD) 1998, Flydaddy Records
Remote Control (7″), 1999 Flydaddy Records
Recording as The Eleventh Hour, The Team that Never Wins (7″) 1997, Wurlitzer Jukebox

Number One Cup members

Seth Cohen (guitar/singer)
- Other bands: Eliot, The Fire Show, The Big Body of Venus Lacy, Three Gorgeous Dam
Michael Lenzi (drums/singer)
- Other bands: Lenzi, Resplendent, The Fire Show, Eleventh House, Gold Medal, Tart, the John Huss Moderate Combo
- Aliases: M. Resplendent, Resplendent, Lenzi
Pat O’Connell (guitar/singer)
- Other bands: Hooker, Hooker OK, Hank Frost
John Przyborowski (bass)
- Other bands: The Big Body of Venus Lacy, Eliot, Weedy
Jenni Snyder (bass)
- Other bands: Whiskeytown
Pat “Tiger” Reis (bass)
Kurt Volk (bass)
- Other bands: Scary Monsters

The backstory:

Number One Cup was founded by Seth Cohen (now named Seth Kim-Cohen), who began assembling the band after being interviewed by rock critic Ben Kim for NewCity, a Chicago alt-weekly. Cohen’s band Eliot had come to an end, and when Kim asked him what kind of band he was looking to form next, Seth said something along the lines of three bands he’d just seen, Unrest, Gastr Del Sol and Stereolab. The writer took the unusual step of printing Seth’s phone number in the article. Soon after, guitarist Pat O’Connell called that number, and the two got together and decided there was something there. Seth and Pat went looking for a drummer and auditioned three. They settled on Michael Lenzi, the least experienced of the drummers they’d auditioned but the most enthusiastic and energetic. They decided to go for enthusiastic, figuring that would be more useful than just having a great drummer. Those three formed the core of the band, while several bassists came and went. As far as the band can recollect, Pat played bass for awhile until John Przyborowski (from Eliot) joined them. John was replaced by Jenni Snyder. After she left, Pat Reis played bass, followed by Przborowski again. Kurt Volk was the band’s last bass player. The band broke up in Pensacola, Fla., in 1999, while on tour. Later, Seth and Michael formed The Fire Show.

For more history on the band, including more detail on the bassists and the various tours, go here to read Seth Kim-Cohen’s recollections.

To contact the band: Michael Lenzi: m.lenzi@att.net OR Seth Cohen: seth@kim-cohen.com

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