John Mohr and Mike Greenlees have been playing music together for a long time. They first got together in Dekalb, Illinois at Northern Illinois University in 1983 with the band Blatant Dissent. In 1988, they transitioned to the post-hardcore band Tar, based in Chicago. And now, in 2024, they've released a fantastic new album with their latest quartet, Deep Tunnel Project, with Jeff Dean and Tim Midyett. We talked with John and Mike about how this all happened - and shared our mutual love of Chicago!

Time stamps:

3: How did you meet?

8: how would you describe the career of Blatant Dissent?

9:10: was there a conversation where you decided to keep making music full time?

12: how did you end up on Touch & Go?

17:30 how did the decision to end Tar come about?

18:30: how did you start working with Steve Albini?

25:22: how did it go from Tar to Deep Tunnel Project?

31: at what point do you bring in other people to play with you?

33: why was it important to you to have Chicago musicians?

42: was it the intention to always put out an album?

44: is there a song on the album that you feel is the most representative of the band?

47:45: favorite song to play from the album?

50: how did you end up on Comedy Minus One?

51:30: what’s the response been like to the record?

55: what are the next steps for Deep Tunnel Project?

62:40: deep dish or thin crust pizza?

64: favorite venue to play at?

67:40 what makes Chicago such a unique music scene?

72:38: go to cheap drink?

74:40: anything to plug on the way out?