The Gentle Guest goes Thin Lizzy in 2011.

A 30+ year tradition of costumes, cover tunes, and all-out madness needs little more than a whispered mention of “Decadent” in mixed company to get a bunch of locals riled up. If you’re new to this annual event, it’s a three-day stint in which local bands get on stage, and for one half-hour set, just don’t give a damn. They play what they feel like (often covers, or other local bands’ stuff), throw on fishnets, and rock. It kicks off on Thursday with an Acousti-Cabaret with artists like Shane Leonard (Kalispell), The Procrastinators, and Elizabeth Christianson Steans (QuinnElizabeth) on the “big stage,” and an art show with works by Eric Lee, Katie Grundl, Jimmy Palmer, and more on the “little stage.” The next two nights feature new bands like The Frenettes and Skautobots, an out-of-towner (Grace Weber, from NYC), and local favorites Drunk Drivers, Jim Pullman Band, The Heart Pills, Dead Dogs, Evergreen Grass Band, Jaggernauts, Ronald Raygun, Perennials, Yam Cannon, Snifter, Do It Yourself Daisy, Letters From Earth, Michael Rambo Project, Blue Room, FanOffBirdSafe, and Pheremones, to name most. From what we’ve heard, they’ll be doing the likes of Michael Jackson, Beck, Talking Heads, Stone Temple Pilots, Jim Pullman Band (but not by Pullman), and filthy jugband tunes. See the full 2012 lineups in the events tagged below.