Thinking Plague was a United States avant-rock group founded in 1982 by guitarist/composer, Mike Johnson, and bass guitarist/drummer, Bob Drake. Based in Denver, Colorado, the band was active on and off since 1982, taking on a number of musicians over the years. They made five studio albums between 1984 and 2003, and released one live album recorded at NEARfest in 2000.
Their music is a mix of rock, folk, jazz and 20th-century classical music. Mu...
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Thinking Plague was a United States avant-rock group founded in 1982 by guitarist/composer, Mike Johnson, and bass guitarist/drummer, Bob Drake. Based in Denver, Colorado, the band was active on and off since 1982, taking on a number of musicians over the years. They made five studio albums between 1984 and 2003, and released one live album recorded at NEARfest in 2000.
Their music is a mix of rock, folk, jazz and 20th-century classical music. Music.com remarked that "...Thinking Plague stand out as a shining example of avant-garde music blended with just enough rock for it to be called progressive rock..."
While never directly related to Rock in Opposition (RIO), Thinking Plague was strongly influenced by this late-1970s movement, particularly Henry Cow and Art Bears. In spite of Johnson's dislike of the term, the band has often been categorized as a "RIO" band.
Mike Johnson and Bob Drake first met in 1978 and played in several cover bands. They began experimenting with basement...
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