This year, once again, Cornfest will be held without the great rock and roll sound of one of DeKalb’s best bands, the Shades.

Why? Because the quasi-intellectuals at WDEK (a station noted for its sophisticated blend of everything from Debbie Gibson to Tiffany) have put their grey matter in one pile and decided that the Shades are “not a family band.”

This is an interesting ruling, especially when you consider the main act from last year’s Cornfest, a group called “TAMI.” The band mainly consisted of two scrawny, prepubescent lead singers adorned with spandex and lingerie. These nubile young ladies treated the unenthused crowd to glimpses of their thighs (such as they were), and the aural delight of shrieking in the key of ZZZZZZZ.

I guess “TAMI” was a family band–assuming, of course, that a lot of people in this area are big fans of Nabokov’s “Lolita.” The Shade’s big sin seems to be that they used to play a song that generated a bit of steam, thanks to the stage act that accompanied it. The song is no longer performed, and the band is smart enough to realize that one does not do certain material in a mixed setting.

The real truth of the matter is that the Shades play ROCK AND ROLL. And that’s what really bothers the brain trust at “all-hit ‘DEK.” The Shades play music that these radio rejects don’t recognize.

Jan Alberti

DeKalb