Monthly Archives: May 2011

Forget The Tour

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Hey there music fans!

As previously mentioned, our boys in Forget The Times are going on tour! Van leaves tomorrow night at 9pm. We’re throwing a last minute get together at No Fun House to see them off. If you’re feelin groovy, stop on over anytime after 4pm and hang with us! Gonna do some cookin and what not.

This party has two purposes. 1: To bring all our friends together and spread some love before the band hits the road for almost three weeks. 2: To try and raise a little extra support for the tour. FTT has some very long drives ahead of them with very very little money in their tour fund.

There are several ways you can help them! Donating a few bucks in person at No Fun House tomorrow; giving some food so they can afford to feed their van; purchasing a brand new FTT t-shirt that is being screen printed at this very moment; or by joining the ‘Sponsor A Postcard’ program.

FTT have just launched a tour blog and will be updating it daily with all kinds of road news, stories, pics, vids, field recordings and more. One of the features being that if you send them a paypal donation and include your address, they will return the favor with a special personalized postcard signed by the band. They’ll even mention you in a blog post and promo whatever band or endeavor you’re a part of. Not a bad deal!!

Stay updated here: http://forgetthetimes.wordpress.com/

5/14 – Tim Tapper, Bandname, Philly Crawlers @ the Strutt FREE FREE FREE!

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Photo by Mark Finazzo

That’s right. A free show at the Strutt on Saturday, May 14 at 9pm.

Tim Tapper is a familiar Kalamazoo face to many of us. His tendency towards sincere lyrics and a potent combination of clear melody and heavy walls of sound have appeared in many past projects. Tim favors the solo sound currently, appearing once again on the scene with fresh and candid songs that ring true.

Band Name is a caustic, fun punk band from Philly.

The Philly Crawlers are the purest form of Kalamazoo psychedelic alterna indie fun rock roll rock that there is.

Almanac Shouters WINDMILLS

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Windmills, the second release from Kalamazoo’s The Almanac Shouters, displays that the trio firmly have their brand of folkpunk down.  The guitar/banjo/upright bass line-up can blaze when necessary, but more often, they are rooted in a slower Americana sound that is entirely congenial to the lyrics which largely deal with self-reflection and the next step in life (a lot of questions are asked in these songs).  There’s the occasional dip into more political matters; “N.R.A. (Neo-Radical Anarchists)” is the most rompin’ shaker found in the batch with an intense “Put down the gun!” chorus.

The male/female vocals are fittingly raw, with frontman and guitarist Alex Quinlan’s gritty lower register balanced by banjoist Nola Wiersma’s childlike upper.  She takes the lead vocal on “Thirteen,” an absolutely heartwarming nostalgia number. Bassist Rory Svekric can walk all over the fretboard, but has the instinct to keep space between the notes when needed.

The homemade production fits with the handcrafted quality of the band, as does the packaging (including a booklet containing ALL the lyrics).  The title track sounds as if it were recorded on a handheld cassette player, much like John Lennon’s “My Mummy’s Dead” but the song itself has more of a Tom Waits quality, maybe like the ancient-sounding 78 version of “Innocent When You Dream”.

There is a definite Johnny Cash influence evident in the songwriting.  In fact, the album closer, “So it goes…”, which chronicles the history of the Shouters, contains a chorus reminiscent of “Ring of Fire”. Throughout, there is a strong knowledge of older folk music present (hell, the band name is a reference to a project Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger were involved in), but the Shouters don’t deny they are living in the modern age: “Will you grow old with me?/Child of the digital age/Or you can remain forever young/as zeros and ones/locked in a binary cage?”  It’s bizarre passages like that which add that extra bit of flavor and even brings to mind 1960s outsider musician Alexander “Skip” Spence, the “American Syd Barrett”, though things never get nearly that demented or removed. This is a strong set of modern folk tunes played by musicians with heart and enthusiasm.

A Night To Remember…

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Got any plans for tonight?

DIT(K) would like to humbly offer a suggestion. First, Art Hop at 5pm. Then step on over to The Strutt for a veritable feast of local music. AND IT’S ALL FOR FREE!!!


If you’re not aware of what Art Hop is, here’s a brief synopsis. The first Friday of every month,  downtown Kalamazoo opens it’s doors to all kinds of local artists. Local businesses display a wide variety of paintings, photographs, sculptures, crafts and mores. Add some random street performances plus free food and drink samples and you’ve got just one of the many reasons that makes Kalamazoo so awesome!

And then there’s this:

Our very own Forget The Times will be embarking on their first full length tour. In order to celebrate and send them off in style, we’re throwing a FREE SHOW at The Strutt. Local superstars Fiona Dickinson and Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts are joining up to make this the best show we possibly can!

I dare you to find a more diverse lineup of music. Dark Folk, Rock ‘N’ Roll and Free Jazz. Check it:

The Strutt May 9: Chuck Ragan, Sharks, and Almanac Shouters (3rd to last show!)

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Are you wondering what to do now that school is out?  Well you can stop your search because former Hot Water Music frontman, Chuck Ragan, is heading into Kalamazoo next Monday! Since HWM disbanded in 2006, Chuck has been taking his folk-rock gig around the world, touring with the likes of Social Distortion, Gaslight Anthem, and Frank Turner.

Ragan’s sound embraces the traditional American folk feel and sound, but still holds on to the gritty and emotional energy that made Hot Water Music one of the most beloved punk bands of the past decade.  Check out Chuck’s styles in the videos below and then make sure to head to The Strutt on May 9th.

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Sharks

Also appearing is UK based band Sharks.  Forming in 2007, these British rockers have crossed the Atlantic to join Mr. Ragan in supporting Social Distortion’s tour.  As usual, music (or video) speaks louder than words:

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The Almanac Shouters

After 3 tours, 2 albums, and 2 fun filled years of  strummin’ and shoutin’, Kalamazoo’s Almanac Shouters are calling it quits.  The band has decided to disband as Nola (banjo/vocals) has graduated (with 2 degrees!) from WMU, and is headed off into the real world.  With the final show being planned for July, the Shouters plan to  play only one Kalamazoo show in both May and June.  That means that chances are running out to see this bunch of friendly folks.

Doors are at 7pm, and the Almanac Shouters start at 8pm.  Tickets are $10 in advance*** or $12 at the door.

***Since the end is near, the Shouters are subsidizing their pre-sale tickets.   Get in touch with them on facebook or however you see fit and they’ll pay $3 of your ticket.  That means you can see this killer show for only $7.  Message DIT if you can’t find a way to contact the Shouters.

Ditkalamazoo.com: a real live website.

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Thanks to our good friend Carman Floorbustinginglyoverthrewthegovernmentoctopus Goodrich, we are now a real live legitimate dot com website with a domain name and everything! That’s right, ditkalamazoo.com will take you everywhere you want to be. Or, at least to our humble little ol’ web log here.

Tell your kids, tell your wife.

Happy May Day!

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A special DIT greeting to all on this most auspicious of working-class holidays! Though not even officially recognized in this country, this seems an extremely fitting example of Doing It Together and well-deserving of a nod from this humble web log.

Here’s a link to an interesting news article.

Here’s another one.

Here’s a third.

And finally, one more just for good measure.