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 CDs, webcasts, and blogs.
Rick Valentin and Rose Marshack met in the mid-eighties at the University of Illinois and formed several 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.
Tool of the Man was recorded in 1992 at Dreamland Studio in New York with John Herndon (celebrated Tortoise percussionist) on drums.
Their music is made up of angular, overdriven guitar parts, strong basslines, and powerful yet intricate drums.
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", according to Christopher Hess in a 2000 record review.
[9] Marshack and the Valentin brothers have continued to work with former drummer Howie Kantoff outside of the Poster Children lineup.