Thinking Plague
Thinking Plague is an American AvantProg band, the influences of progressive rock, jazz, folk and contemporary music together. It was founded in 1982 in Denver.
Band History
Around 1980 began Mike Johnson and Bob Drake, who knew each other since 1978, to rehearse together. In 1982 they founded Thinking Plague in order to perform their compositions can live. The first cast included, in addition Johnson and Drake finally Rick Arsenault, Harry Fleishman and Sharon Bradford. They performed 1983 times in Denver on, but without great success with the public. Without Arsenault, the band now began with recordings and published in 1984, the self-titled debut album on their own label Endemic Music. The improvisations, experimental and complex compositions of the low-budget production brought Thinking Plague a good reputation in the rock -in- opposition - scene.
In 1985, work began on a second album. Mark Fuller, Eric Moon and Susanne Lewis pushed for Fleishman and Bradford to the band, Moon songs appeared in 1986. Again delivered a changed line ( Mark Harris, Shane Hotle and Mary Moran instead Fuller and Moon ) and Fred Frith as a guest musician came in 1989 In This Life on the market. Then left Drake, Lewis Moran and the band whose existence briefly was at stake due to lack of equivalent replacement. But Drake in 1990 returned and Lewis worked despite her move to New York City continue with the band, who had now also connected to Dave Kerman. Over the next few years Thinking Plague rehearsed sporadically, participated and performed very little.
Drake and Kerman began 5uu 's work and moved to France in 1995. Johnson was invited with them and 5uu 's in Europe to tour, after which he returned alone to the United States and, as Thinking Plague were practically non-existent again to Hamster Theatre followed. Their band leader Dave Willey was persuaded by Johnson for Thinking Plague to work, Kerman returned to Denver back and beat Deborah Perry as an additional member before. Again with Harris and Hotle, the band released 1998 In Extremis on Cuneiform Records.
The album was well received by press and fans, Thinking Plague played first time since 1991 and could win with live performances at Progday Festival 1999 at NEARfest 2000 and the Festival MIMI 2000, many new followers in the United States and Europe. Matt Mitchell was pushed in the meantime for Hotle the band. Kerman got out now to work with Present; he was replaced by David Shamrock by Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. A new album was released in 2003, a live album the following year. With Kimara Sajn, Robin Chestnut and Elaine Di Falco instead of Mitchell, shamrock and Perry published Thinking Plague end of 2011 their sixth studio album.