http://www.posterchildren.com/

Self-reliant to the core, the Poster Children have certainly done it-apologies to Old Blue Eyes and Sid Vicious-their way. With an on-going commitment to low-budget van tours and all-ages shows-and a dogged desire to maintain control of everything from album artwork to advertising-the band seems a mighty throwback to the alt-rock wonder years of the mid-80's when Amerindie kings the Minutemen and Husker Du ruled the roost.

In fact, the Poster Children are survivors of that era themselves, Rick Valentin (guitar, lead vocals) and Rose Marshack (bass, backing vocals) having formed a fledgling version of the band in Champaign in 1987. They released their first album, Flower Power, with drummer Shannon Drew in 1989. The record brought together songs recorded with producer Iain Burgess and tracks engineered by Steve Albini in his Chicago studio. With guitarist Jeff Dimpsey on loan from the band Hum, the Children recorded their second album, Daisy Chain Reaction, as a quartet this time with Bob Rising on drums. Rick Valentin's brother, Jim, joined the group for the release of their third album, 1993's Tool Of The Man. And, after a Spinal Tap-like succession of drummers, Howie Kantoff settled in behind the kit in 1994 for the release of the EP Just Like You, one of two sets cut with producer Brian Anderson at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. (The other is the Junior Citizen album, released in 1995.)

Life in indiedom hasn't kept the Children from embracing the latest technologies. 1997's RTFM (for Read The F***ing Manual) was an Enhanced CD with in-studio video, tour reports, interviews with each band member, instructions on how to make a web page and more. Their 1999 New World Record was another Enhanced CD and the first to be completely recorded and produced by the band themselves in their own studio, Studio Tedium. The latest Poster Children album, DDD, was also self-produced and recorded. In 1997 the band took on the moniker Salaryman and recorded and self-released on their 12 Inch Records label an album of electronic instrumentals. (12 Inch also issued the first to records from Jeff Dimpsey's band Hum.) Throughout the years the band has crossed the country many times, touring with everyone from The Buzzcocks to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to Public Enemy. (Uh-huh, that Public Enemy.) Now, here's a reason to really love Poster Children. They wrote a song called "Superhero" for a PSA that ran on Fox Children's Network during Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Spiderman. Yes!