Kalamazoo’s second most challenging musical collective Forget The Times is kicking off a tour of the mid-west on Thursday, February 9th at Louie’s Trophy House Grill in Kalamazoo.

Before the details, the numbers: $5 cover, 18+, 9pm.

I’ve seen Forget The Times on a dozen or so occasions, and no two performances have been quite alike. One constant is the conventionally attractive Sean Hartman and his conventionally attractive guitar, which combine to produce an unconventionally attractive stream of notes, noise, tones, and vaguely Beefheartish licks. Another Forget The Times staple is a flurry of busy hands behind one (or sometimes two) drum kits.

Other ingredients that are mixed in include up to three extra guitars, Sean’s didgeridoo, a variety of square and sawtooth waves from a tiny synthesizer, and … well, have yourself a listen. In fact, have yourself another listen.

All by itself, this is enough music to require a takeout container, but we haven’t even shown you the appetizer menu yet.

Three additional acts will lay granite blocks of sound across the squishy warm earth, making for safe travel and clean shoes when we arrive at Forget The Times’ party zone:

Morseville Bridge will provide beautiful and catchy songs in the tradition of Built to Spill, whether stripped bare (“Grampa’s Ghost“) or with the benefit of accompaniment (“Hostage“).

Gary Neason‘s music hasn’t taken a break in nearly a decade, although occasionally there are entire weeks consisting only of rests, followed by an imperceptibly creeping crescendo of polyphony approaching pink noise. We’ll never know whether dinosaurs listened to A Love Supreme, but if they did, it might sound like this at the dinosaur open mic night.

Peter Damien Cook is a songwriter and ceaselessly dedicated entertainer. You may have seen fronting the recently deceased psychedelic pop band The Philly Crawlers, shredding his trademark green Stratocaster as part of Forget the Times, providing harmonies to the fuzzy poprocks of Edward, or sonically assaulting a basement as part of Sleeper Agent. See PDC play “Wrong To Me” live.