History
The precursor to Tar was a hardcore punk outfit called Blatant Dissent, which formed in DeKalb, Illinois where singer/guitarist John Mohr and drummer Mike Greenlees were attending Northern Illinois University. Joining Mohr and Greenlees in Tar were original bassist Tim Mescher (only until 1991 and who also played for Snailboy), bassist Tom Zaluckyj and guitarist Mark Zablocki. Zaluckyj and Mohr played unique instruments, crafted of aluminum, designed by Ian Schneller of Specimen Products. [2]
The band released albums on the Amphetamine Reptile and Touch and Go Records labels before disbanding in 1995. During its career, the band released a total of five singles, four albums, two mini albums, and contributed songs to six compilations and split singles. The band toured nationally and internationally with bands such as Jawbox, Arcwelder, and the Jesus Lizard. In 1994 the band made the decision to call it quits after releasing one final album. [3] Over and Out was written and recorded over a period of a year and a half, produced by the band and engineered by Steve Albini and Bob Weston, and released in 1995.
Tar reunited for a one-off performance at the PRF BBQ 2012 festival in Chicago, and later in the year, as opening act for Shellac at Lincoln hall in Chicago. In 2013, a double vinyl disc compilation titled 1988-1995 was released through Chunklet Magazine, limited to 150 gold colored copies that included download cards. [4] The group would reunite again in 2017 to perform at the All Tomorrow's Impeachments festival. [2]
In March 2024, Mohr and Greenlees announced the debut album for their new band Deep Tunnel Project would be released later that year on the label Comedy Minus One. Deep Tunnel Project also includes Tim Midyett of Silkworm and Jeff Dean from Heavy Seas.
Musical style and influences
Steve Huey of AllMusic described Tar's sound as "a fierce blend of abrasive noise rock and post-hardcore punk." According to him: "Tar's thick, heavy guitar textures and pitch-dark dissonance were an accurate reflection of their moniker, and their disdain for accessibility or major-label exposure was just as accurate a reflection of the scene from which they'd arisen." Music journalist Andrew Earles stated that Tar "served as a kind of poster band for the harder, aggro field of indie rock and post-hardcore while implementing its own idiosyncratic tocuhes to the subgenre." Earles described them as a "sort of smoothed-out Helmet with more of a focus on songwriting." The band frequently played down-stroked power chords and did not incorporate lead guitar. The vocals were melodic, and Earles described them as "understated". The band's early material drew influence from punk and hardcore acts such as Big Black, Naked Raygun, Sex Pistols, Stooges, and New York Dolls. Later releases by the band were compared to Helmet and the Jesus Lizard. [5] [6]
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