Poster Children
Encyclopedia
Poster Children are an indie rock
band formed at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1987. They have issued eleven studio albums. Known for their strong DIY ethic, the band members continue to drive their own tour bus, create their own artwork and T-shirt designs, and operate their own record label. Poster Children were also pioneers in several forms of electronic technology relating to performance art, including enhanced CD
s, webcasts, and blogs.
and formed several early bands in rapid succession. When the two met drummer Shannon Drew in 1987, their like-minded enthusiasm sparked the beginning of a new band, dubbed Poster Children. As Valentin explained in 1991:
They began selling their demo tape on cassette and playing clubs all over the Midwest. The following year, the band recorded songs with producer Iain Burgess
, followed by five more songs produced with Steve Albini
: the resulting album Flower Plower was released in 1989 on the Limited Potential label. It was also at this time that Poster Children picked up a second guitarist in to complete their four-piece configuration.
A major label record deal was signed with Warner Bros. Records
subsidiary Reprise Records
. Over the next few albums, Poster Children would be shuffled from imprint to imprint within the Warner organization. Tracks for Daisychain Reaction
were recorded by Steve Albini at the Chicago Recording Company in 1990, but due to financial difficulties at the label, the album was not released until the following year. The album included Hum
bassist
Jeff Dimpsey on guitar
.
In 1991 Rick's brother, Jim, replaced the guitarist of the time and remains to this day. Tool of the Man was recorded in 1992 at Dreamland Studio in New York
with John Herndon (celebrated Tortoise
percussionist) on drums. Tool of the Man was also released in the UK on the Creation Records
label. The track Clock Street was picked as their only UK single to date. Just Like You (EP) and Junior Citizen followed, with modest but consistent sales. Matt Friscia auditioned for the band in 1993 as a high school student willing to drop out to go on tour, but the band didn't want to contribute to his delinquency, and hired Howie Kantoff instead. Amazingly, Matt was available again in 2001 when the band was searching for its seventh (and current) drummer.
The band was on the second stage for Lollapalooza
in 1995. Rick Valentin and Rose Marshack are currently married and host of one of the world's longest running podcasts, Radio Zero.
revival. Their music is made up of angular, overdriven guitar parts, strong basslines, and powerful yet intricate drums. The typical Poster Children song is high-energy and hard, yet melodic, and they often use unusual time signatures. Rick Valentin's lyrics are by turns witty and introspective, often obliquely related to political issues.
Poster Children have not had much commercial success or industry recognition, but critics consistently describe the band as catchy, impressive, and underrated. Despite their longevity, "the Poster Children don't have it in them to make a bad album": "their unique brand of smart pop-punk" makes them "definitely one of the more underrated college-rock bands to emerge in the '90s".
and electronic music
under the name Salaryman. Two singles and three studio albums (Salaryman; Karoshi; and The Electric Forest) have been released as of 2010.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band formed at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1987. They have issued eleven studio albums. Known for their strong DIY ethic, the band members continue to drive their own tour bus, create their own artwork and T-shirt designs, and operate their own record label. Poster Children were also pioneers in several forms of electronic technology relating to performance art, including enhanced CD
Enhanced CD
Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
s, webcasts, and blogs.
History
Rick Valentin and Rose Marshack met in the mid-eighties at the University of IllinoisUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and formed several early bands in rapid succession. When the two met drummer Shannon Drew in 1987, their like-minded enthusiasm sparked the beginning of a new band, dubbed Poster Children. As Valentin explained in 1991:
They began selling their demo tape on cassette and playing clubs all over the Midwest. The following year, the band recorded songs with producer Iain Burgess
Iain Burgess
Iain Burgess was a British record producer and audio engineer. He helped define the sound of the Chicago post-punk music scene in the 1980s and early '90s, working with a number of key underground bands, including Big Black, Naked Raygun, The Effigies, Get Smart!, Ministry, Bloodsport, Pegboy,...
, followed by five more songs produced with Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
: the resulting album Flower Plower was released in 1989 on the Limited Potential label. It was also at this time that Poster Children picked up a second guitarist in to complete their four-piece configuration.
A major label record deal was signed with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
subsidiary Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
. Over the next few albums, Poster Children would be shuffled from imprint to imprint within the Warner organization. Tracks for Daisychain Reaction
Daisychain Reaction
Daisychain Reaction is Poster Children's second album. It was originally released in 1991 on Twin/Tone Records, and reissued by Sire/Reprise in 1992. It is currently out of print...
were recorded by Steve Albini at the Chicago Recording Company in 1990, but due to financial difficulties at the label, the album was not released until the following year. The album included Hum
Hum (band)
Hum is a post-hardcore band from Champaign, Illinois. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit "Stars." Hum has not been consistently active as a recording or touring group since 2000.-Founding and early recordings:...
bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Jeff Dimpsey on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
In 1991 Rick's brother, Jim, replaced the guitarist of the time and remains to this day. Tool of the Man was recorded in 1992 at Dreamland Studio in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with John Herndon (celebrated Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
percussionist) on drums. Tool of the Man was also released in the UK on the Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
label. The track Clock Street was picked as their only UK single to date. Just Like You (EP) and Junior Citizen followed, with modest but consistent sales. Matt Friscia auditioned for the band in 1993 as a high school student willing to drop out to go on tour, but the band didn't want to contribute to his delinquency, and hired Howie Kantoff instead. Amazingly, Matt was available again in 2001 when the band was searching for its seventh (and current) drummer.
The band was on the second stage for Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
in 1995. Rick Valentin and Rose Marshack are currently married and host of one of the world's longest running podcasts, Radio Zero.
Music
Poster Children usually write their music collectively, leaving Rick to create lyrics after the fact. During the band's formative years, they wrote and recorded with a different drummer for each album. This resulted in a fluctuating style that touched on punk pop, post hardcore, what the band refers to as "post wave", and new waveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
revival. Their music is made up of angular, overdriven guitar parts, strong basslines, and powerful yet intricate drums. The typical Poster Children song is high-energy and hard, yet melodic, and they often use unusual time signatures. Rick Valentin's lyrics are by turns witty and introspective, often obliquely related to political issues.
Poster Children have not had much commercial success or industry recognition, but critics consistently describe the band as catchy, impressive, and underrated. Despite their longevity, "the Poster Children don't have it in them to make a bad album": "their unique brand of smart pop-punk" makes them "definitely one of the more underrated college-rock bands to emerge in the '90s".
Other music projects
Poster Children have also recorded technoTechno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
under the name Salaryman. Two singles and three studio albums (Salaryman; Karoshi; and The Electric Forest) have been released as of 2010.
Band members
- Rick Valentin - Vocals, guitar
- Rose Marshack - Bass, background vocals
- Jeff Dimpsey - Guitar (1989–1991)
- Jim Valentin - Guitar (1991-
- Shannon Drew - Drums (1987–1988)
- Brendan Gamble - Drums (1988–1989)
- Mike Rader - Drums (1989–1990)
- Bob Rising - Drums (1990–1991)
- John Herndon - Drums (1991–1993)
- Howie Kantoff - Drums (1993–2001)
- Matt Friscia - Drums (2001-
Albums/EPs
- Toreador Squat (demo, Trashcan Records [Poster Children]), 1989
- Light Into Dark (compilation, Halo), 1989
- Flower PlowerFlower PlowerFlower Plower is Poster Children's debut album, recorded during 1988-89. It was first released on vinyl by the Limited Potential label in 1989, and issued on CD in 1991 by Frontier Records...
(Frontier), 1989 - Daisychain ReactionDaisychain ReactionDaisychain Reaction is Poster Children's second album. It was originally released in 1991 on Twin/Tone Records, and reissued by Sire/Reprise in 1992. It is currently out of print...
(RepriseReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
), 1991 - Tool of the ManTool of the ManTool of the Man is Poster Children's third album, released in 1993.The title of the album comes from graffiti written in dust on the band's van during the South by Southwest Festival: "Poster Children, Band of the Year, Tool of the Man"...
(SireSire RecordsSire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
), 1993 - Just Like You (Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
), 1994 - Junior CitizenJunior CitizenJunior Citizen is Poster Children's fourth album, released in 1995.-Track listing:# "Get a Life" – 5:04# "Junior Citizen" – 5:15# "He's My Star" – 4:22# "Revolution Year Zero" – 3:06# "Drug I Need" – 5:50# "New Boyfriend" – 4:15...
(SireSire RecordsSire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
), 1995 - RTFMRTFM (album)RTFM is Poster Children's fifth album, released in 1997.The album title comes from the term RTFM, short for Read The Fucking Manual-Track listing:# "Blackdog" – 3:56# "Ofor1" – 3:35# "Music of America" – 2:24# "Dreamsmall" – 3:54...
(Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
), 1997 - New World RecordNew World RecordNew World Record is Poster Children's sixth album, released in 1999.-Track listing:# "Accident Waiting to Happen" – 3:56# "6x6" – 3:35# "Time to Kill" – 2:24# "Ankh" – 3:54# "Mr...
(spinARTSpinART RecordsspinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn....
), 1999 - DDDDDD (album)DDD is Poster Children's seventh album, released in 2000. It derives its name from the SPARS Code for a digitally recorded, mixed, and mastered album.-Track listing:# "This Town Needs a Fire" – 2:36# "Strange Attractors" – 3:30# "Daisy Changed" – 3:26...
(spinARTSpinART RecordsspinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn....
), 2000 - No More Songs About Sleep and FireNo More Songs About Sleep and FireNo More Songs About Sleep and Fire is Poster Children's ninth album, released in 2004. The version released on enhanced CD-ROM features a layered front cover design, and is enhanced with the video for Western Springs. The CD-ROM also features an album-length commentary track, which is one of the...
(Hidden Agenda), 2004 - On the OffensiveOn the OffensiveOn the Offensive is an EP released by Poster Children in 2004. It is composed of politically themed cover songs.Original artists for these songs:*"Clampdown" originally by the Clash*"We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thang" originally by Heaven 17...
(Hidden Agenda), 2004
Videos
- If You See Kay, 1991
- Clock Street, 1993
- Dynamite Chair, 1993
- What's Inside the Box, 1994
- Junior Citizen, 1995
- He's My Star, 1995
- Superhero, 1996
- 21st Century, 1997
- 6 X 6, 1999
- This Town Needs A Fire, 2000
- Western Springs, 2003