Not so much a band as a long, strange trip, the chaotic avant pop pranksters Mercury Rev formed in Buffalo, NY, in the late '80s. Originally comprised of vocalist David Baker, vocalist/silver pickup guitarist Jonathan Donahue, guitar shaper/single-exhaust clarinetist Grasshopper (born Sean Mackowiak), rooster-tail flutist Suzanne Thorpe, bass explorer Dave Fridmann, and mojo stick drummer Jimy Chambers, the sextet, though always rife with personality conflicts, produced critically acclaimed works that remain
mainstays of the experimental rock canon.
Thorpe last recorded with the group for their 2001 release All Is Dream, but has been known to appear with them in recent years amongst their alias Harmony Rockets. Find out more about the band here.
