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If you're already a Thinking Plague fan, then you probably don't need this review to tell you that this live album is worth buying. And if you dislike the band, this CD probably isn't going to change your mind. For those who have never heard the band but are curious about them, this disc would probably make a good introduction. It leans heavily on material from In Extremis (since that was the band's most recent album at the time), but also takes in three songs from In This Life, two from Moonsongs and even "covers" a song by Hamster Theater (a side project of a few members of Thinking Plague). The band seems to be a little tentative at first, possibly because they weren't used to playing in front of such a large audience. To my ears, their NEARFest set never did quite match the energy and intimacy of their ProgDay set, which was performed in a small nightclub in front of a very enthusiastic audience. Unfortunately that show was never officially released (although a few songs are included on the ProgDay Encore boxed set). Still, the NEARFest set is well worth owning, and has highlights of its own, like Dave Kerman's great drumming towards the end of "Lycanthrope", Matt Mitchell's virtuoso piano solo that ties the end of "Hamster Dance" into the beginning of "Kingdom Come", and a performance of "Warheads" that is much more powerful than the studio version. As Brandon pointed out, due to the tight composition, the live versions are often very similar to the studio versions - in fact, if it weren't for the applause, you might sometimes forget you're listening to a live album. Then again, there are things to remind you - like Kerman blowing a whistle to quiet the crowd after "Dead Silence", and Deborah Perry's distinctive vocals. Still, this set probably would have been even more entertaining as a DVD - then all the world could bask in the glory of Dave Kerman's Barbie-doll drum solo. As the disc goes on the band starts to cook, and are firing on all cylinders by the time they hit the half hour stretch from the "Moonsongs" excerpt to "Malaise" (all those songs segue into each other with no breaks). All in all, this is a CD I was guaranteed to buy as soon as it became available, since I'm a big Thinking Plague fan and it's a show I got to see in person. If the idea of non-mainstream prog (now there's a concept) disagrees with you, you may want to stay away. Otherwise this is a disc worth picking up. review by Bob Eichler — 10-21-04 —

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When Thinking Plague launched into their first song at NEARfest 2000, I don't remember a flood of neo-prog fans running screaming for the doors. In retrospect, I do recall the theater being somewhat emptier during their set, but regardless, the applause that the band garnered after each song, and at the end of their performance, was tremendous. Upon Both Your Houses is a wonderful document of their impassioned and powerful set. Thinking Plague's brand of avant-prog is highly and intricately composed; there's not much improvisation going on, and so the renditions of their songs here are fairly similar to the studio versions. Nevertheless, the band's energy is infectious - for instance, no one who saw the show will ever forget Dave Kerman slamming Barbie dolls around on his drum kit. This is an easy recommendation to Thinking Plague fans as a result - if you like the studio album, there's no question that you'll like this, particularly given its excellent song selection (drawing mostly from In This Life and In Extremis). The set starts off slightly inauspiciously with "Dead Silence", as it was clear that the band was finding their feet. Otherwise, though, it's a fantastic performance, though the Hamster Theatre material in the middle loses my interest a bit. Highlights are definitely "Kingdom Come" and "Warheads", which I remember as being the high points of the set for me when I was there. Both songs feature monstrously powerful denouements that are far harder-hitting than their album counterparts and must be heard to be believed. Overall it seems that Mike Johnson's guitar work is just a touch heavier here than on the studio albums, a welcome and effective change. Without a doubt, the two bands that filled the second slots on each day of NEARfest 2000 - DFA and Thinking Plague - were the high points of the festival. If you weren't lucky enough to be there, now both of those stellar performances are available on record, between Work in Progress Live and the much more cleverly-titled Upon Both Your Houses. Bravo! review by Brandon Wu — 10-15-04 —