The Chicago-based power pop quartet Cupcakes consists of vocalist Preston Graves, guitarist/vocalist Greg Suran, bassist Solomon Snyder, and drummer Matt Walker. Before they formed the Cupcakes, Walker, Snyder, and Graves played in a band called Tribal Opera. When that group dissolved in the mid-'90s, Graves began collaborating with Suran, who had also worked with the performance art/rock collective the Blue Man Group, as well as the Machines of Loving Grace. By 1996, Snyder and Walker joined the lineup and the Cupcakes began playing live dates, supporting acts like Cornershop, Cibo Matto, and Veruca Salt. Strong support for their gigs led to a trip to London to record with Stephen Street; despite strife within the band, the Cupcakes completed their self-titled debut album, which was released in early 2000 on Dreamworks Records. ~ Heather Phares