Best known as the band that started the career of Ron House, who subsequently led the critically acclaimed Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, Great Plains was a seminal band of the 1980s Columbus, Ohio alt-rock scene. Their sound was typified by a lo-fi, punk-informed '60s garage sound offset by House's brainy, quirky lyrics. Despite their influence on other bands, Great Plains never met with much success, and House gained more attention with TJSA, which he formed shortly after the former disbanded at the end of the '80s.