Rick and Rose talk Play or Pose
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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Well, reader, I’m not quite sure what to say. Sounds like you and Elsinore have some issues to work out amongst yourselves. I’m just going to sit back and let that happen.