The Rainieros were born in 2005 when frontman
Liam Fitzgerald and bassist Tyler Johnson, who
played in an alt rock band together, started "opening" for the band
as the Rainieros, a beer-inspired honky tonk duo. In the summer of 2006
they went out on their own, recruiting former LA-area drummer Phil Slusher and local guitarist-vocalist Terry Smithson. After building their repetoire for 8 months at venues around the Seattle-Everett area, they added Jimmy Peters on the steel guitar to round out their classic country sound. Since then they have become regulars in Seattle'sburgeoning country-roots scene.