- Blatant Dissent circa 1987
On Saturday evening the Abbey Pub plays host to an unlikely showcase of reunited bands from DeKalb, Illinois. The event is billed as “DeKalb Rocks,” and it looks back to a more innocent time, when hardcore didn’t basically just mean fast metal and nobody thought they could make any money at it. Believe it or not, DeKalb had a nice run in the 80s, producing some great albeit short-lived acts. The one that still resonates the most for me is Blatant Dissent, probably best known as the group that later contributed singer and guitarist John Mohr and drummer Mike Greenlees to the lineup of Tar. When I heard about this show I dug up their two seven-inch singles, one on Landspeed and a second on their own No Blow imprint, and damned if they don’t hold up pretty well.