With an early love for the Beatles, The Who and Cheap Trick while growing up in the Northwestern suburbs of Chicago, Kevin Mantegna (vocals/ guitar), Marty Winer (drums) and Todd Rusin (bass) eventually became inspired enough to write their own combo of 60's power-pop and psychedelic rock. Resulting in the formation of The Critics, the band immediately recorded a demo and two compilation cuts before releasing their full-length debut "Raintree" in 1995. ~ Mike DaRonco