Review/Interview: Forget The Times
Escape From The Planet Of Llamas is not an ordinary album name. And crunchy guitars aren’t the ordinary instruments of the free jazz genre. And Forget The Times isn’t an ordinary band. The term “band” is loosely applied here, because Forget The Times is more akin to a collective, with members shifting except for leader and guitarist Sean Hartman. Each of the seven songs on Escape From The Planet of Llamas seems to spiral out of control with shuffling jangly rhythms and guitars that honk. Here are my two favorite songs off the album and an interview with the band.
Review
“Flying V Gtr Made Of Real Live Honking Geese”
Exactly as it sounds. It starts off with a flutter of guitars and snare beats like a gaggle of geese flying around in a maelstrom. Then everything starts to cool down and the guitars tick away to the ending.
“Here Comes The Wolfman”
- Starts off with some sinister guitars fitting of the wolfman. Then a reggae boom beat comes in with a jarring guitar lead poking you. The song stays cool and mellow, switching riffs, until a slow build up back t0 the good ol’ free jazz chaos and then a real quiet and easing ending.
Interview
How and when did you form?
A: I came up with the name in May 2010 during a tour with my old band Rotten Wood Moon. My original plan was to use Forget The Times as a solo moniker. Shortly after the tour, RWM began to fizzle and FTT became my full time project. Our first shows featured myself, two other guitarists and a drummer. “Escape From The Planet Of Llamas” was recorded within the first few months of us playing together.
How do you guys write music? Entirely improvisation or structured? Any rules?
A: Our music is 90% improvised. Instead of planning out chord changes or melody, we often plan out a general flow, mood and dynamics. Room is always left for players to improvise freely within that structure. In the same way that another band would rehearse songs, we practice improvising. We try to develop a connection between all the players so that our music sounds structured and can change without talking.
With a song like “Flying V Gtr Made Of Real Live Honking Geese,” what comes first, the song or the name?
A: The song always comes first in this band. Names are often an obscure reference or inside joke. Flying V is a reference to a Captain Beefheart interview where he said his biggest musical influence was honking geese.
Any plans for future touring or releases?
A: We are touring Dec 1-7. Planning a 2 week tour in February and at least two mid size tours in the summer. We keep a tour blog with all upcoming live dates. We have a full length that was recorded earlier this year and mastered for vinyl. We’ll be releasing it as soon as I get the money saved up. Hopefully won’t have to wait much longer…
Is there a deeper meaning to the name?
A: The name means two things. 1. A desire to not intentionally “fit in” with any trend or to confine ourselves to any specific genre. 2. A state of mind that everyone in this band tries to reach whenever we play. It’s the moment where one becomes completely wrapped in sound, loses track of everything going on outside and is a perfect conduit of musical expression. Soul Music.
