Rick and Rose talk Play or Pose
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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.
5 comments
Rick & Rose gave voice a theme: Everyone LOVED Lonely Trailer and the Didjits. It didn’t matter to what genres a person generally confined itself*. Mods loved the Didjits, and Rockers loved the Trailer.
It’s because they were both amazingly good. Great live presence, and great hooky pop songs (dressed as glam metal on the one hand ... the other dressed as a half-handed scarecrow, fishing from an imaginary cigarette boat on an uncut lake of ice, with a good friend).
*This is my new neutered third person pronoun. I hope it sparks a meme.
C-U Guy
Rob, no plug and/or reunion for Little Engine? “I heard it all….Through the Wall” Oh well. Maybe someday….
Matthis
Mods love the didgits, rockers loved the trailer…? What was the apt, that would have been in the South East area of the gazette parking lot? someones place, (WARD?) anywho, when i was seeing the didgets there, I don’t recall shit for mods in CU. Maker up of things, love it. Mods…? and the Lonely Trailer was dope, but Rockers? Think cleaned up jam band shit. Crack smokin’ is alive and well in the 217,
Jim Kelly
FYI, debating Rob McColley about anything will get you:
(a) nowhere
(b) somewhere
(c) underwear
Rock City - yes, that was where Ward and Rick Sims lived. Above the florist, now parking lot.
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Nice article, love the Dead quote in the beginning. If they can get down here to Central FL I’ll definitely be heading out to the show. Some of my friends have finally stopped wincing when I say “jam band.“ I’ve now tried my best at more descriptive…
good call on that Herring recording, Josh. Love that version of Exit Music….here’s a clip of the Cinco de Mayo show (from about six months prior). As I recall, this Shakedown went on for roughly a half hour, while getting into the Trampled Underfoot jam in the…
sux
whats a zmick?
Here is a link to download the aformentioned 2007 show at Red Herring, a true gem from the early Zmick archive, again recorded by Ben Valocchi: http://www.archive.org/details/zmick2007-11-02.logitech
My biggest concern is that the free Caribou show at the Krannert is now not at the Krannert and no longer free. But then, I guess if that’s my biggest concern, then I’m doing pretty well—at least I still have potable water! Still, I would prefer it…
Who’s got the crack?
Any band that makes the effort to pay homage to ! = Metallica @ = Beatles # = 2pac $ = Moldy Peaches % = Grateful Dead ^ = Dave Clark 5 All in one show! (with Herb Alpert interpolations to boot) That’s what tasty jams is all about
THE CAKE IS A LIE
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Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
Thanks for the article, Ben. I was not familiar with this band until now and even though I won’t be able to attend the show on Friday they are now on my radar. A *good* jam band is hard to find, and these folks appear to fill…
Nice article, love the Dead quote in the beginning. If they can get down here to Central FL I’ll definitely be heading out to the show. Some of my friends have finally stopped wincing when I say “jam band.“ I’ve now tried my best at more descriptive…
@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
Katie, have the residents of Savoy and Tolono thought about having their taxes raised a little to help their public library expand? That’s a possibility for them. And then everybody wins.
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Thanks for the article, Ben. I was not familiar with this band until now and even though I won’t be able to attend the show on Friday they are now on my radar. A *good* jam band is hard to find, and these folks appear to fill…