By 1987, the spirit and vitality of rock music was beginning to show its age. In many ways the fun, spontaneity and creative adventure present in new music was being stifled by the technology of the time along with a narrow minded music industry culture.
However in many corners around the country, young aspiring musicians were beginning to move popular music to a more vital and important place again. In Milwaukee, WI college students Steve Drymalski, Scott Sloan and John Girard were brought together by that movement, and they set out to change the seemingly unchangeable in the form of the band Men Among Thieves.
The trio began its musical journey via impromptu jam sessions in their living room playing loosely organized house parties. In early 1988 drummer Joe Pichotta was brought onboard, and from there, it didn’t take long for the band’s unique but recognizable sound to emerge. By late Spring the group had written an astonishing 30 new songs, including their signature songs Coffee Mugs & Hiccups and Terminal Bitch. Soon a devoted group of fans emerged. The group’s impact was immediate, and they began packing clubs from virtually the first time they stepped on stage.
As the buzz spread, first in their hometown of Milwaukee, then throughout the Midwest, the band’s sound evolved. In places like Chicago, Decatur, Madison, Minneapolis and Winona MN, music fans were thrilled to hear a band with a new sound that seemed instantly recognizable.
Men Among Thieves lasted until 1992 and was able to benefit from the revolution in the music they had called for since their earliest days. Imaginary Money is the first time that Steve, Scott and John have recorded together in over 30 years and the songs represent just a small taste of a time when everything was possible.