Disq w/ Bluest & JAAG
Wednesday, December 7 // Door at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $13 Advance // $15 Day of Show With their debut album Collector, the Wisconsin-bred alternative rock outfit Disq seemed to have everything required to take the world by storm. They had the full support of revered veteran indie label Saddle Creek. They’d received favorable notices from outlets such as the NME, the Guardian, and Stereogum. They had an energetic live show which was sure to convert a sea of devotees, and an international tour booked to prove it. Most crucially, they had an album of winning and memorable rock songs, polished to a fine sheen by legendary producer Rob Schnapf. You could not fault these five fresh-faced youngsters for betting it all, but their big mistake was one that no musician could have seen coming : their release date, March 6, 2020. Within days, the world Disq was poised to conquer ceased to exist. Undaunted by a storm of misfortunate which would have crushed a lesser band, Disq now returns to take what is rightfully theirs, with their sophomore effort Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet, a record which reaffirms the charms of Collector while pushing the sound and dynamic of the band in exciting and unexpected new directions. Rather than splintering and surrendering to their cursed circumstance, Disq has emerged a stronger band, more daring and more defiant, ready to finish the job. It is fitting that the clever backronym effectively makes this the band’s self-titled album, as it introduces the public to a new Disq, a band both seasoned by experience and newly invigorated toward vivid new heights. Bluest is an indie rock band out of Missoula MT, orchestrated by the longings and hauntings of Noelle Huser. Her songs walk the edge of nostalgic confession, using that to cut through the assumption that softness is weak. Empathetic pleas of anger a la diary-scrawled lyrics pay homage to 90s/00s angst pop and country influences like Alanis Moirissete and Sheryl Crow. Bluest’s debut album Cold Sweat, sifts through dreams and nightmares to find solace by serenading ghosts. Emboldened with a hunger to return from dissociation back into her body, she finds her feet on the ground, head in the clouds and heart on her sleeve. Cold Sweat will be released in January 2023 through Anything Bagel. JAAG is a new band drawing from post-punk and 90s rock to craft a dark and driving sonic journey. The project was initiated by Hank Donovan on guitar (Magpies, Rattlesnake Cable Company) and recent homecomer Jamie Aaron Aux on vocals and guitar (Le Butcherettes, XVIII Eyes), acquaintances with long mutual respect in the Northwest music sphere, both agreeing to test the waters after each taking breaks from band life. With a handful of demos written, the two brought in John Sporman on bass (Wylie & the Wild West, Jupiter Beat, Shahs) and Christopher Baumann on drums (Mass FM, Victory Smokes, Dead Hipster) to kick the rock into high gear. Christopher and Jamie share a long musical history as former bandmates in the early-2000’s Jay’s Upstairs-era emo band, The Pleasure. The group has not yet recorded any material but probably will soon because that’s what bands do. IG: @_j_a_a_g For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Hemlock Blue + Larysa Blavatsky + Tuskerz
Sunday, September 25 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 Hemlock Blue is an indie-rock band based in Missoula, MT. With music inspired by the sound and tradition of singer-songwriters, Hemlock Blue is excited to be premiering its batch of original songs. The songs, written by guitarist Matthew Knight, were composed with the sole pursuit of writing the ‘perfect song’. While they never quite achieved that, what resulted is a lineup that Hemlock Blue is thrilled to be debuting as an ensemble. Hemlock Blue is guitarist and vocalist Matthew Knight, drummer Willie Baltz, bassist Connor Racicot, saxophonist Cade Chastain, and cellist Kat Burgstahler. Tuskerz is a funhouse mirror, it’s a wet kiss, a dreamsicle with spikes, a Big Gulp filled to the brim with lava. Tuskers are a three-piece from Missoula with nothing to lose. Larysa Blavatsky is a multi-talented musician with a folk-pop sensibility. She’s a violinist, pianist, guitarist, organist, and vocalist who was raised in Butte, where she began her musical journey. She’s now in her last year studying music education and violin performance at the UM School of Music. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Infinite Ammo + Simp (WA) + But I’m a Cheerleader
Thursday, September 8 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket Infinite Ammo came out of the swamps of Missoula changing the local music scene forever. Started in March of 2021 with just a short song developed for a demo at Subtower, Steven Seagull the first song ever written didn’t even have a full band, it was just for fun. Then we decided (Keith S, and Cameron) to start a new band, playing grindcore/powerviolence. With the addition to the band, Moses on Drums, and Elli on Bass, the band was set to take off. During Covid we created a sound and practiced 2-3 times a month until December when we played our first show with Big Laugh(Milwaukee). Keeping it going we played shows at multiple different venues in Missoula as well as Mosh In the Mountains in Libby, and a show in Moscow,Idaho. Recently we did a two date run to Dreyfest. The sound is ever changing with Keith stepping down from guitar and Brady stepping in. Our newest song SPEEEEED is thrash with doom riffs. We decided we are forever changing our sound whether its hardcore punk or grind we want to do something no one does in this ever changing local music scene. Simp is a hardcore band from Clarkston, WA, that sounds like if Ted Nugent had a child who disowned him. But I’m a Cheerleader is a band comprised of three nice queers and all of their repressed feelings they sing about. They invite you into all their sweetness and rage expressed through song (if you’re into that kind of thing). For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
KFGM Summer Showcase / New Old Future + 1nfinite Now + John Brownell
Friday, August 26 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 The KFGM Summer Series boasts some of the great talent the Missoula music scene has to offer. Each show will showcase two great bands, cross genres, and offer a platform for audience members to discover and engage with some of Missoula’s best artists. KFGM’s desire for this series is to highlight some of their favorite local artists and for Missoula Community Radio’s listeners to tune-in to a true local experience. August’s artists are New Old Future supported by 1nfinite Now and John Brownell. New Old Future says – “It’s like this: We are the New Old Future and we play rock music. Doug from Built to Spill likes us. Sometimes we travel through time and tweak the future and past to bring the freshest beats and booms!” 1nfinite Now is music and creative content composed, produced, and performed by LeRoy Menahan and various artists. This will be their live debut! John Brownell is some dude in Missoula, Montana. He’s also a prolific songwriter that has helped to shape the Missoula Music Scene. He’ll be debuting a new solo set. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
No-Fi Soul Rebellion + Cat Positive w/ The Western States
Saturday, August 27 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 Advance // $12 Day of Show No-Fi Soul Rebellion consists mostly of upbeat pop songs influenced by rock, soul, oldies, and punk. Mark Heimer conceived the project during the late Jay’s Upstairs era in Missoula’s underground music scene. At that time the project used an MP3 player inside a hollowed out guitar known as the “Soul System” to perform the songs as Glam Karaoke. The band is now a full on rock band performing old and new songs. Cat Positive is an indie/punk rock band centered around the songwriting of Tyson Ballew. The band dabbles in Midwest Emo, Powerpop, and alt country sounds to bring earnest and plaintive story telling to the forefront of the project. The band released in 2021 a full length album called “The Star Thief” and will be playing songs from that album and Ballew’s back catalog on this run of shows. The Western States is a punk rock band from Missoula, MT. The band just released their full length “Heavy Pours” in 2021. The album is full of anthemic songs featuring classic punk gang vocals and old school pop punk hooks. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Dark Dazey + Golf Alpha Bravo w/ Bluest & Cosmic Sans
Friday, September 9 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket Dark Dazey is an independent, LA-based psych-rock band with a flare for genre bending. They are an ambitious and dedicated group of UCLA alumni or current students who have worked together for years to create and share music with communities throughout California. Notable performances include UCLA’s Spring Sing, Far Out Fest, and COASTALONG Festival. They also planned and executed a California tour on their own in the fall of 2019. Their unique sound is broadly a blend of psychedelia, punk, dream-pop, Americana, and Latin music. Dark Dazey draws influence from classic and modern rock experimentalists the likes of Pink Floyd, Santana, Grateful Dead, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, and Vampire Weekend. Their current discography features a number of psych-rock singles (2019), a jammy live album titled Dark Dazey Live from the International Space Station (2020), a psych-punk-thrash EP NARCS (2020), and an anti gun violence country single, NRA (2020). They are dynamic and diverse multi-instrumentalists, visual artists, audiophiles and recording engineers who are dedicated to their craft of creative composition and performance, always exploring new sonic avenues. Dark Dazey records all of their own music (including most concerts that they play). This do-it-yourself attitude and passion for sound has solidified their ability to see their vision out to completion. Golf Alpha Bravo is the adopted moniker of Australian singer/guitarist Gab Winterfield. His is a unique brand of Surf Blues – a siren to a childhood of growing up on the coast of Sydney Australia: an eternal loop of surf, skate, Frusciante and Hendrix … Golf Alpha Bravo uncovers a new authenticity. Stripped of any embellishment, Golf Alpha Bravo presents live as a classic trio. Gab sings and plays guitar accompanied with bass and drums. Wavey verbed up guitar tones, dissolve into gravelling howls from the guitar amid mid and up tempo grooves & melodic bass lines – pooling together to create a cool colored collage, reviving the essence of groove from our collective stone age. Bluest is an indie rock band orchestrated by the longings and hauntings of Noelle Huser. Sifting through dreams and nightmares, Huser finds solace in serenading her ghost, turning self- soothing acoustic guitar folk and bedroom pop songs into full-band bops that pay homage to 90s/ early 00s angst pop and alt rock icons. Formed via some quality pandemic trauma bonding in true “School of Rock” fashion out of a group of kids rock camp instructors and their friends, Huser is joined by Erin Szalda-Petree on lead guitar and backup vocals, Duncan Szalda-Petree on bass, Ally Fradkin on keys and sax and Caleb Tutty on drums. They plan on releasing their chilling debut album Cold Sweat in 2023. Cosmic Sans is a western-psych five piece from Missoula, Montana – with Jake Howell on vocals, Lane Ulberg on bass, Cole Bronson on drums, Seamus Jennings on lead guitar, and William “Stos” Stoskopf on rhythm guitar. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Black Shore w/ SenterLine
Saturday, August 6 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket Black Shore is a democratic artistic collective power trio comprised of D.L. Johnson (vocals/guitar squanch), Joseph Running Crane (vocals/thunder drums) and Dead Ed (vocals/sub-contra bass)! Their music has been described as a punk rocker’s psychedelic journey thrashing and laughing their way through the dystopian jungle of the modern world, while discovering all the treasures left in the muddy ashes with childlike wonder. Having released their first ep in June 2022 to a potpourri of excited new fans, Black Shore has been diligently working on new material to excite and entice all walkers of life to join in its epic journey! SenterLine is a new three-piece rock band based in Missoula, MT. It consists of Marcus Knight on drums, Matt Miller on bass/vocals, and Stanley Kipp on guitar/vocals. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Mido Skip + Wet Dog Nightmare
Thursday, August 4 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 From the great city of Missoula, Mido Skip started out as a simple idea, formulating into one of the biggest conspiracies to date. It is said that on a full moon you can hear the mad ravings of the nü-emo band from abandoned alleyways. Have you captured a glimpse of this enigmatic event? If you’re lucky enough, it could change how you look at yourself, and the world as you know it. Take a mix of David Bowie, The Front Bottoms, Modern Baseball, Tom DeLonge, Alex Cameron, and you get what is Wet Dog Nightmare. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
But I’m a Cheerleader / The Love Darts / YOAX
Saturday, July 30 // Doors at 7 PM // 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket But I’m a Cheerleader is a band comprised of three nice queers and all of their repressed feelings they sing about. They invite you into all their sweetness and rage expressed through song (if you’re into that kind of thing). The Love Darts are Lean Drinkin, blunt smokin, horse owning, cat loving, shirt wearing, quarter Irish rock and rollers from Bozeman Montana. YOAX is a Missoula, MT based duo consisting of Carter French and Dylan Smith. Their alt-noise sound is reminiscent of early Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene and Women. All there music is recorded at home in mount orange studios. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Darity w/ Bluest & ESP
Wednesday, July 27 // Doors at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket Darity is the curated, multi-genre project of singer/songwriter Linsley Hartenstein. Thename Darity comes from the word “solidarity” meaning “to be unified”. Without the prefix “sol”, we find “Darity”, is defined as “the sum of”. As the name suggests, Darity is the result of collective influences and changing of hands that results in “out of the box” songwriting and production stylings. Bluest is an indie rock band orchestrated by the longings and hauntings of Noelle Huser. Sifting through dreams and nightmares, Huser finds solace in serenading her ghost, turning self- soothing acoustic guitar folk and bedroom pop songs into full-band bops that pay homage to 90s/ early 00s angst pop and alt rock icons. Formed via some quality pandemic trauma bonding in true “School of Rock” fashion out of a group of kids rock camp instructors and their friends, Huser is joined by Erin Szalda-Petree on lead guitar and backup vocals, Duncan Szalda-Petree on bass, Ally Fradkin on keys and sax and Caleb Tutty on drums. They plan on releasing their chilling debut album Cold Sweat in 2023. Erin Szalda-Petree is a musician from Missoula, MT. In 2020, under the name ESP, Erin created her first studio album ‘Backyard’, a collage of personal mementos from her teenage years up until the present. Other Missoula musicians, Christopher Baumann (producer), Joe Kirk, Duncan Szalda-Petree, and Noelle Huser performed on ‘Backyard’. Erin grew up listening to folk music and later found influence in pop-punk, and indie-folk songwriters. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
