Grong Grong (band) originally meant for release as a demo. After supporting Melbourne band the "Corpsegrinders" word of Grong Grong's unique sound spread to Melbourne which gave them a spot supporting the Dead Kennedys at their performance at the Thebarton town hall in 1983. They managed to heavily impress Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra and he's quoted as saying this about them, "I lay awake for about two nights after seeing Grong Grong, still wondering if I actually saw what I really saw." Jello later signed Grong Grong to Alternative Tentacles and financed their first album. Jello later collaborated with Charlie Tolnay on
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles in 1978, sharing the role of Paul with Coffey; Curatolo is still a current member of Rain. Lineberry left Rain in 1980, and Coffey, Connearney, and Belotti all left in 1982. Joe Bithorn joined the group as "George" in 1983, and is still with Rain. Ralph Castell joined Rain in 1986 as Ringo, and is still with the show. In 2001 the Rain Corporation took over management of the band. In 2005, management met with producer Jeff Parry to expand the tribute band's scope — which at that point was mostly doing concerts at casinos — and develop a Broadway-style