The Sussex School Pop Rocks
Friday, May 2 // Door at 6:30 PM // Show at 7:00 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Join Us for an Unforgettable Performance by The Pop Rocks! We are The Pop Rocks, an ensemble from Sussex School, an independent progressive school in Missoula. Our group consists of eight talented members from grades six, seven, and eight, performing on bass, guitar, drums, viola, vocals, and keys. After seven months of dedicated practice and collaboration, we are excited to showcase our hard work with a dynamic performance at the ZACC. Our setlist features eleven carefully arranged songs, blending a variety of pop and rock styles that range from slow and soulful to upbeat and high-energy—living up to our name, The Pop Rocks! This performance marks the culmination of our efforts throughout the year, and we would love for you to join us for this special event. Get ready, because The Pop Rocks are about to take the stage and rock the night! We hope to see you there!
the pond Album Release w/ Sung Mountains & Levi Minson
Saturday, May 17 // Door at 8:00 PM // Show at 8:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter the pond is an indie-rock/slowcore band out of Butte, Montana built up around the tender and earnest songs of Jon Cardiello. Painting small corners of everyday life, Cardiello finds meaning in the mundane, processing both his innermost self and the world around him. The songs display a radical intimacy as Cardiello touches on grieving his father’s death, the pains of a drawn out breakup, and the clarity of new love.While the moniker ‘the pond’ is new, the project has been around for almost a decade under the name Bombshell Nightlight. The name change to the pond marks a new chapter with a new album, A Year As A Cloud coming out May 2025. The new tone is still melancholic, and somber, but brings forth a new sense of grit and directness that pushes Cardiello’s songs to their full potential. Levi Minson is a singer-songwriter currently based in Sacramento, California. Growing up in the Central Valley as part of the third generation of a Dust Bowl family, Levi’s songwriting is rooted in rurality and memory. He uses his music to work through hope and loss and fear and love, imbuing his songs with painful nostalgia and a Californian identity separate from Los Angeles or San Francisco. Sung Mountains is the musical project of multidisciplinary artists Kelly Schirmann and Jay Fiske, and sometimes others. Their music sounds like “meditative light, plains of gold before mountain blue” (from their favorite review). Their album “Sanctuary” is available to stream on Bandcamp and everywhere else.
Spirit Hotel w/ Dylan Running Crane & Renter
Tuesday, April 29 // Door at 7:00 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 or $20 Artist Supporter Nataanii Cornelius wants you to know Spirit Hotel is a haunted heart. Blending country, punk, shoegaze, and anything that tumbles in her thoughts- she sings the blues about love and loss in a way that checks in, checks out, and ensures every cowpoke and cowpunk is gonna feel it. Dylan Running Crane is a singer-songwriter from Browning, Montana, a place that remains the subject of most of her work. Her vibe is country meets rez-folk meets tender and silly. Check out her work with Cry Baby – https://crybabymissoula.bandcamp.com/track/missoula
Arrowleaf w/ No Fancy
Thursday, May 1 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Arrowleaf is an indie rock band from Missoula. Arrowleaf pairs washy guitar work, humming bass, and the occasional riotous trumpet with delicate anecdotes; dreamy conversations are carried by wistful harmonies. Arrowleaf’s 2021 album Getting By tacitly and pleasantly reconciles the unfolding of shared events with specific stories and feelings. Featuring the songwriting of Sarah Marker, the band is filled out by the thoughtful work of Brady Schwertfeger, Jake Whitecar, Peter Puczkowskyj, Amanda Ceaser, and Jon Filkins. Missoula, MT indie rockers No Fancy have always abided by their namesake rule—let’s just rock, nothing fancy. Their 2016 debut album Basement Life was an impressive display of tight, cohesive songwriting from the trio of Jordan Meyer-Morey, Maxy Dutcher (himself, Twinsleep), and Ray Lombardi (The Best Westerns). The record’s catchy, smart vocals, and distinct syncopated drumming earned the group local renown, and they polished off their live shows with the addition of James Riach (Catamount) on lead guitar, and later Brady Schwertfeger (Norwell) replacing Lombardi on bass. Appearances at Original Festival, Plus One Fest, and other shows across Montana and the Pacific Northwest were followed by the release of their single So Good in 2017, a lush anthem mixed and mastered by Brian McTear at Miner Street Recordings. After an indefinite hiatus prompted by adult responsibilities, No Fancy has reemerged with a fresh gripof songs in the Terrible Things EP, but the same lease on life. The core of Meyer-Morey, Riach, andSchwertfeger—now with the help of Jon Filkins’ (The Skurfs, Arrowleaf) formidable session drumming,and Tyler Duncan (Wilma Laverne Miner) for the live band—know that the recipe for tasteful basementrock has sharp lines and few tricks. The three new tracks pick up where the previous releases left off,and fans of Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, and other indie heroes will recognize the sound ofdistortion and chorus fostered from the outset with a millennial maturity, and a commitment to directdelivery that knows its purpose—simple is better.
Calamity Cowboy Album Release w/ The Sardines & But I’m A Cheerleader
Sunday, April 27 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Calamity Cowboy is the colloquial name given to a group of viscous homunculi believed to have originated sometime in the early 19th century. After aimlessly wandering for a couple hundred years, they decided to start a rock and roll band together. They play a blend of country and psychedelic rock that has garnered tens of fans. It’s the real deal! The Sardines are three friendly and freshly packaged fish saturated with wonder and the joy of song. The elite of the sea. If you choose to consume, you may unleash sonic whimsy. But I’m a Cheerleader (Missoula, MT) wants you to scream, cry, trans your gender, and sing along to their twee-punk wailings. You don’t have to, if you don’t want to, though. You can just pick one.
Magenta Wave w/ Apocolipstick & J.A.D.E.
Wednesday, April 30 // Door at 7:00 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // Artist Supporter $15 or $20 Magenta Wave is an alternative indie-rock band based in Seattle, Washington. After forming in Bellingham in 2022, the group quickly made their way from house shows to well known local venues, playing shows at the Wild Buffalo, the Shakedown, and the Blue Room. Known for emotionally charged vocal melodies and evocative guitar solos, their sound is constantly evolving and showcases their diverse influences, ranging from singer songwriters, to funk rock bassists, to classic rock and Jimi Hendrix. Relocating to Seattle in the fall of 2023, the group hit the ground running, and now have (among others) shows at the Tractor Tavern, Central Saloon and Neumos under their belt. The band entered the studio for the first time at the Hallowed Halls in Portland. With the release of their debut single in February 2024 and a four-song EP later that year, the group is proud to have accumulated over 250,000 Spotify streams to date. Magenta Wave will add a new EP to their discography with the help of producer Ethan Bovey (Dave Matthews Band) in the winter / spring of 2025. Accompanying these new releases, the band is embarking on their inaugural West Coast tour on April 24th in Vancouver, BC. Apocolipstick is a relatively new art punk band from Missoula, Montana. They incorporate a myriad of styles into our sound such as new wave, glam, blues, and even a little country twang. They love performing and we try to put as much energy as humanly possible into our live shows. J.A.D.E. is a high-energy band hailing from the mountains of small-town Western Montana. Their wide variety of influences shines brightly in their songs. This unique, not quite rock, not exactly pop sound with an edgy punk rock twist is addictive. They send driving rhythms, interwoven melodies, and powerful vocals straight through your ears deep into your heart and soul. When on stage they are focused on bringing a sound that inspires everyone to get on their feet and dance like the universe depends on it.
Lightweight Champion w/ the Spills, Diaphane, & Calamity Cowboy
Friday, April 11 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Lightweight Champion exact alt-country with an air of orderliness…The melodies are simple but compelling, the rhythm section is tight, and Gabriel Delayne’s versatile piano keys makes for a formidable secret weapon […] Lyrics pair surreal, circuitous metaphorical imagery with plainspoken wills and wishes, the type of writing that’s become a staple of alt-country.” Based out of Seattle, members are Aaron Spieldenner, Gabriel Delayne, Cam Hancock (of The Whags, Coral Grief) and Tom Moskal (of Coach Phillips, High Romantics). The Spills are the strumminest, pluckinest, bowinest, shredinest, wailinest bunch of sorry sons of guns this side o the land. Diaphane is an indie-rock band currently in its high concept era, cosplaying as an ensemble of queer cowpokes who make country music… kinda. They give it their best anyway. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kyle Blessing (he/they), a Long Island native who exiled himself to South Dakota in 2020 amidst the urban diaspora of the covid pandemic. Originally forming the band in Philadelphia in 2016, Blessing recorded an EP of noise-folk tunes, the Red Shift EP, which he released in May of 2018, followed by the full-length LP, Portraits, released in 2022. Recorded, re-recorded, and mixed over 4 years with a sprawling cast of Philadelphia musicians, Portraits is an indie-rock epic, spanning everything from free-jazz, to emo, to punk, tied together by the concept of painting portraits of those around us, only to find ourselves in the end, reflected in every facet of what we decide the important details of our muses are. Moving out West was intended by Blessing as a journey into the wilderness, a solitary search for a voice he felt he had lost along the way in his sojourns with various bands up and down the east coast. This happened to coincide with a self-realization of identity and queerness in a place seemingly hostile to such things. Set against a picturesque western backdrop, it set the scene for the country record he’d always wanted to make. Calamity Cowboy is the colloquial name given to a group of viscous homunculi believed to have originated sometime in the early 19th century. After aimlessly wandering for a couple hundred years, they decided to start a rock and roll band together. They play a blend of country and psychedelic rock that has garnered tens of fans. It’s the real deal!
Youth Lagoon w/ Valley James |Rarely Do I Dream Tour
Friday, March 28 // Doors at 7PM // Show at 8 // $20 Advance // $25 Door
Larry Hirshberg w/ Doctor Fly & The Benevolents
Thursday, August 8 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Over time, Larry Hirshberg has been known as a “road dog,” a “poet,” a “word person,” a “songwriter,” a guitar player,” a “bass player,” a “jammer,” an “experimental musician,” a “blues guy,” a “DJ,” a “folk person,” a “singer,” and a “Missoula music stalwart.” He has never been known as The King of Hype, a promotional wizard, a sales genius, a distributor of products, or an Offerer of Things That Seem Familiar. He is certain that whatever expectations he had have been either exceeded, or abandoned, or both. Doctor Fly is an electronic musician who haunts Missoula, MT. Harnessing a brood of mysterious music machines, he enkindles an interdimensional space; all who enter shall be imperceptibly yet undeniably changed. Doctor Fly performs improvisational compositions on the guitar, keyboard, recorder, theremin, kazoo, and drum machine. For more information visit www.seansong.org. Based out of Missoula, Montana, The Benevolents are a groovy folk-rock five-piece that blends ripping guitar and fiddle solos, catchy vocal harmonies, and a driving rhythmic flow into funky, meter-crossing tunes. The band primarily plays the globally-influenced compositions of John Kratz, lead singer and finger-style electric guitarist, who writes and sings in English and Spanish about nature, beauty, love, and loss. Holly Riley animates the music with her precise harmonies and energetic fiddle playing. Michael Calucchia adds his powerful voice and rhythmic mandolin technique. Holding down the rhythm section are Daniel Kiely, who brings a bit of Alabama soul to his driving drum beats, and Ryan Stiles, groovemaster extraordinaire on the bass. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
County Conservation District w/ Jeremy Drake & Billy Kautz + koby.
Wednesday, August 9 // Door at 8 PM // Show at 8:30 PM // $10 // $15 Artist Supporter Ticket County Conservation District is an experimental noise pop act hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CCD’s music comes from influences that at first arose from rural environments and vintage halloween ephemera. Using synth noise, tapes machines, pedals, and samplers he crafts environments that range from serene to dancey. Koby is a heart-song sorcerer, delivering story through the tender simplicity of guitar and voice. His music ferries listeners down a slow river where each song is a dream materialized through melody, magic made manifest for the enjoyment of forever. Sometimes, he does other things too. Jeremy Drake and Billy Kautz create improvised sonic encounters exploring texture, rhythm, melody, noise and space. Through the use of acoustic and electric instruments augmented by effects, an intricate and multi-layered web of improvised music is created for the listener. Guitarist Jeremy Drake was deep in the Los Angeles experimental music scene from the late 90’s to the late 00’s playing with the likes of Nels Cline, Vinny Golia, Jessica Catron and countless other visionary sound artists and improvisers. Then he started composting. Now as a dad, partner, and Zero Waste consultant, he lives in Missoula and occasionally freaks out his kids with the sounds coming from the basement. Trumpet/cornet player and composer Bill Kautz has worked in a variety of creative music projects in Missoula including work with Cole Bronson, Justin Matousek, Michael Musick, Naomi Siegel, Tricia Opstad, and as a leader/composer for his ensemble crosstalk. He is a co-founder of The FreeSessions with Naomi Siegel, a DJ and producer of KBGA’s Something Else!, a music educator and a proud stay at home dad and husband. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
