Papa's got a brand new band

It is 8 p.m., the kids have been put to bed, and John Powers and his band have taken over the playroom. They've set up the drums and plugged in their amps. It's time to rock and roll.

"Your life as you know it is over," Powers croons in one song. "You're throwing it all away/You're giving up all your freedom/Everything is gonna change."

At his feet, guitar cases lie next to red cardboard building blocks. Band members place beer bottles on shelves lined with educational toys.

A poster hanging on one wall is signed not by some rock 'n' roll hero, but by Eric Carle , author of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

Powers writes songs that look at the trials and tribulations of fatherhood, an experience in which he and his six band mates are fully immersed.

The band has been working on an album, titled "Songs From the 'Hood," that includes songs by Powers such as "Pooped On," "I Miss Sleep," and "Being for the Benefit of Mammary Glands."

The band, which they've dubbed the POP Stars , has its first gig lined up for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Holliston Public Library.

Powers, 44, said the group is like a support group -- a "wife-approved" activity where the seven fathers can get together and share the funny or frustrating experiences that come with having kids. Each of the men in the band has two children.

Several were in bands before they had kids, and they said they never envisioned themselves singing about shopping for diaper rash cream.

"When you're in a band, you don't think you'll ever have kids," said David Ripp of Natick , the group's drummer. "And then once you have kids, you don't think you'll ever be in a band again." Ripp, 43, is the only band member who doesn't live in Holliston.

Powers reminisced fondly about the days he used to play in Boston nightclubs. "It was pretty heavy," he said.

But now most of his lyrics look for the humor in everyday situations.

One of his songs, "Spelling Errors," is about a mother-in-law who can't quite grasp the concept of spelling out words in front of young children to keep them from knowing what treats are around the house.

"She says, 'There's cookies in the J-A-R," Powers sings, backed vocally by 41-year-old Ira Kittrell . "Or a B-O-X of candy bars/ She thinks she's really fooling them/When she spells 'M and M.' "

His children sleep on the opposite end of the house so the music doesn't wake them.

Still, guitarist Tibor Nemeth joked that he hopes the neighbors call the police with a noise complaint.

"It'll give us that Nirvana edge," said Nemeth, a tiny doll clinging to the end of his guitar.

The group has discussed staging and performing at a large Father's Day event in June.

Kittrell, who plays mandolin and harmonica, said the group has plenty to draw on for their songwriting.

"It's an interesting time when you've got little kids," Kittrell said.

"It's a fascinating experience."

Kittrell said the themes might change as his children grow up, and sang, "Well, I hope that my kid stops smoking cigarettes," to an impromptu guitar riff.

Although the men play mainly for fun, they said they wouldn't mind it if the group became a success.

"If it does, it's fun, and if it doesn't, it's fun too," said Nemeth, 35.

John Marczewski , 43, the group's keyboard player, said the band gives him an outlet to express himself.

"I do engineering work all day," he said. "This uses the other side of the brain."

Maura Marczewski said she thought the band was a "perfect" creative outlet for her husband, noting that he hadn't shirked any parenting duties because of rehearsals.

"He comes home from work before he goes to rehearsals every week and makes sure he's helping put the kids to bed," she said. "He does his fair share of the dad duties around here."

"The dads are all really involved with parenting. That's why they can sing the songs with gusto."