Ed. note from Doug Hoepker:
We’re lucky to have a pair of musical elders like Rick Valentin and Rose Marshack in town, if for no other reason than they are a walking encyclopedia of local music memories. The fact that their seminal group The Poster Children are still at it after 20-plus years is a whole ‘nother feat worthy of our thanks. This Sunday, May 24, The Poster Children headline a reunion show of considerable note, the Play or Pose concert at The Highdive. Playing with them will be long-defunct (and in some cases departed) local powerhouses The Outnumbered, Cowboy X, and Lonely Trailer. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and the $15 cover benefits the Josh Gottheil memorial fund. (For more on Josh and his impact on the local music scene, listen to the podcast.)
When folks gather to talk about the “good old days” in the C-U music scene, the conversation is often centered on the early-to-mid ’90s, when bands like Hum, Titanic Love Affair, The Poster Children, The Didjits, Adam Schmitt, Steakdaddy Six, Moon Seven Times, and Mother helped put the local scene on the national map. But the truth is, C-U was already a known player in the late 1980s, thanks in part to the bands on this bill.
In the following podcast, Rick and Rose wade knee deep in the nostalgia of this great era of C-U rock. Everything starts with Lonely Trailer, a three-part harmonizing, harmonica-wielding band who were of particular inspiration to a young Rick: “When I saw them it was like, ‘Here’s a band that’s playing music I love just as much as The Minutemen.” A certain cassette compilation purchased at Record Service — Bomp! Records’ Battle of the Garages, Vol. 2 — introduced Rick to The Outnumbered. Lo and behold, he learned from the liner notes that The Outnumbered were a Champaign band. (This must’ve been what life was like before the Internets.)
Rose recalls Bad Flannel — a relative supergroup (in hindsight, at least) featuring Bill Johnson on vocals and Jeff Dimpsey and Balthazar de Ley on guitars — and the song they wrote especially for a UI Mom’s Weekend concert (plus something about lighting one’s nipples on fire?). Bad Flannel isn’t playing The Highdive concert but will be entertaining the crew at a post-show party.
So, local music fans — if your vocabulary doesn’t stretch back farther than Braid, then you may want to stop the posing and head to The Highdive this Sunday. In the meantime, enjoy Rick and Rose’s entertaining podcast.