Sunday Swing! w/ Ed Norton Big Band
Sunday, March 1 // Door & Lessons at 6:30 PM // Show at 7 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter **Dance lessons with Lindy Hop begin at 6:30** Get your dancing shoes on and spend a Sunday with hits from Ed Norton Big Band in The Show Room at the ZACC! The Ed Norton Big Band was founded around 1987 after trombonists Tom Wogsland and Scot Ray performed in the pit Orchestra for Missoula Children’s Theatre’s first production of The 1940’s Radio Hour – and didn’t want to stop. Since then the 18 piece band, made up of Missoula musicians from multiple generations, has been a staple of traditional and modern big band music throughout western Montana. Ed Norton Big Band has a long history of entertaining audiences of all ages from birthday parties, fundraisers, Out to Lunch, Second Sunday Jazz, and First Night. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
New Standard in Concert
Wednesday, February 4 // Doors at 7:00 // Show at 7:30 // $5-$20 Pick What You Pay Join us on February 4 at the ZACC for a live performance by New Standard, the free music improvisation workshop for Missoula teens led by Loren Stillman, John Wicks, and Tommy Sciple. This concert features intermediate to advanced instrumentalists and of all ages performing a variety of unique jazz standards and original student arrangements, alongside open improvisation in a collaborative ensemble setting. Expect spontaneous music-making, deep listening, and creative risk-taking as students perform with a professional rhythm section. The evening offers a glimpse into the workshop’s process—where interaction, individual voice, and collective expression take center stage. Come support local musicians, experience the joy of improvisation, and hear what this vibrant community is creating in real time. New Standard is part of The Teen Rock Club, a free contemporary music program for developing musicians, supported in part by a grant from the Montana Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Jules Jensen Album Release Show w/ Still Ugly & Chloe Tschetter
Saturday, February 28 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Jules Jensen plays acoustic music inspired by Elliott Smith, Pigeon Pit, Flatsound, Plumtree, and most importantly, her friends.
Western Union
Sunday, March 15 // Door at 6:30 PM // Show at 7 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Louie and Kimberlee are founding members of Montana’s hottest Texas swing band Western Union, with bandmates David Horgan and Beth Lo from one of Montana’s most renowned jazz and R&B bands-the Big Sky Mudflaps. They have the distinction of being the only Montana band to play at the Montana Folk Festival (July 2016) in addition to opening for Marty Stewart (Sept 2015) and Colorado’s renowned Hot Rize (July 2015). Where jazz meets country, Western Union is Montana’s favorite “countrypolitan” western swing band, specializing in classic Texas Swing & Honky Tonk music. With electric and acoustic guitars, standup bass, pedal steel guitar, and drums – plus sharp-as-a-tack lead vocals and vocal harmonies — Western Union delivers the true-blue sound of grassroots America. All tickets are general admission. Artist Supporter Tickets are a way for patrons to provide more financial support to performers. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Comedians with Disabilities Act- Live Recording!
Friday, March 20 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $15 ADV // $20 DOS The Comedians with Disabilities Act (CWDA) is a fabulous collection of comedians who have disabilities, both seen and unseen. The show is the brainchild of comedian Michael O’Connell, who started the group in 2010 in Sacramento, California. In 2016, O’Connell sadly passed away – but his legacy lives on. CWDA spotlights a variety of Disabled, seasoned and outrageously funny comedians. The comedy docu-special will include four shows featuring 10 comedians across two states. This will be director, Gina Chin-Davis’ third feature film and producer/comedian Nina G’s second film. The film crew, headed by John Howard and Gavin Workman, is from the BASE Film Extravaganza of Summit Independent Living from Missoula, Montana. Michael Beers is a comedian and professional speaker. He won the Norman G. Brooks Comedy Competition at the Hollywood Improv in 2005. He was also the previous winner of Funny Fest (Calgary Comedy Festival) and has opened for comedians like Gilbert Gottfried. He is a sought-after keynote speaker on topics like humor, disability advocacy, education and community building. Mean Dave, a San Francisco Bay Area favorite and regular at local comedy clubs will be hosting. He has opened for comedians like Josh Blue, Big Jay Oakerson and Jay Mohr and has performed at colleges across the US. Dave has been in recovery for over a decade, which he weaves into his humor. “Not a lot of people know that being an addict in recovery is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Mean Dave’s role in the Comedians with Disabilities Act helps to bring this message to audiences. Loren Kraut is a writer and comedian in San Francisco. She has performed in SF Sketchfest, Cyprus International Comedy Festival, Savage Henry Comedy Fest, SheDot Festival, Lysistrata Comedy Festival, Mutiny Radio Comedy Festival, HIGHlarious Comedy festival and The World Series of Comedy. She hosts a monthly show “Draw & Guffaw” where the audience draws the comics. Her solo show “A Bit Touched” won Best Comedy at the Tucson Fringe Festival 2018. She created “LOL Little Old Lesbian” on Instagram, and “Giraffe Corner” where stuffed giraffes have therapy. She lives with her cat, Scout, and an unprecedented number of giraffes. Adam Keys got his start in comedy with Armed Services Arts Partnership back in 2018 and has been hitting in person and virtual stages across the country ever since. He’s been North American his whole life- born in Canada and relocated to the U.S. as a teen. He then went on to serve in the U.S. Army after a little event called 9/11. As Adam tells it, “I tried to make it as a foot model but got denied for ugly toes. So, I stepped on an I.E.D to open myself to a world of possibilities, like phantom limb pain, awkward first dates, and endless jokes about my crazy new life.” Nina G is a comedian, professional speaker, comedy historical consultant and author of Stutterer Interrupted: The Comedians Who Almost Didn’t Happen, Bay Area Stand-Up Comedy: A Humorous History. Her first special, Nina G: Stutterer Interrupted debuted in 2024. Nina has been featured in/on everything from HuffPost’s Culture Shifters, Variety, NPR’s 51%,BBC’s Ouch, Psychology Today, Tedx, KQED radio and multiple day time talk shows and podcasts. Nina shares her wit and wisdom with corporations, colleges, conferences, and community events. She is a sought after headliner as well as keynote speaker.
Marie Smith Jazz Group
Saturday, January 24 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $20-$30 Sliding Scale // $17 Student One Stage. All Corners of Montana Meet. Pure Jazz Brilliance. This exceptional performance brings together a curated ensemble of premier jazz musicians from across the state. A bold, beautiful fusion of styles and shared passion, delivering a one-night-only experience of world-class artistry. Marie Smith, vocals Scott Jeppesen, tenor saxophoneCraig Hall, guitar Rob Tapper, trombone Tommy Sciple, bassRoxanne Jeppesen, drums
Superplex: Spring Neck-Breaker Tour
Tuesday, March 24 // Doors at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $10 ADV // $15 DOS Hailing from the FatRiff Valley of majestic Montana, these masked madmen are after one thing and one thing only: CHAMPIONSHIPS! With a sonic suplex of seismic soundscapes, SUPERPLEX is coming at you, a veritable top-rope drop-kick of heavy desert grooves, thunderous beats, and BIG MEATY RIFFS THAT SLAP MEAT! Witness the mighty SUPERPLEX: The Frontrunners of Wrestle-Rock, or forever be a JABRONI!
LSD and the Search for God w/ TBD
Sunday, January 18 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 8 PM // $25 ADV // $30 DOS LSD and the Search for God hit the Northern California coast in 2005––seemingly from another place and time––dosing San Francisco with hypnotic shows built upon swirling guitars, otherworldly drones, fuzzed-out pop melodies, and dreamy vocal harmonies. With reviews of early shows and recordings drawing comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Yo La Tengo, Spacemen 3, and Sonic Youth, the band quickly developed a must-see reputation within the underground psychedelic music scene. When LSD finally released their self-titled debut EP (Mind Expansion Records, 2007) it sold out from the record label prior to the official release date. It earned critical acclaim and continues to frequently appear on lists of essential shoegaze releases. The EP was twice reissued on vinyl (Deep Space Recordings, 2008, 2015), twice on cassette (Cellar Door Tapes, 2015), and selected tracks were featured on three compilations: Mind Expansion Vol. 1, M.E. Vol. 2, and Australian nugazer compilation Take Me on the Wildest Spree (Rubber Records/EMI, 2008).LSD’s most recent release, Heaven Is a Place (Space Age Recordings, 2016), captures a snapshot in time soon after Ricky Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre) temporarily joined the band on drums. Like the self-titled EP, it garnered critical acclaim and frequented many Best Of lists. Pop Matters calls it, “a long-awaited sermon for the faithful and a blazing induction for new converts,” while Primal Music says it’s “another astonishing collection of five psychedelic stories glistening with the same spaced out ingredients that blew my mind way back in 2007.” LSD’s time and space travels have led them all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including tours with Martin Rev (Suicide), Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3), and The Telescopes, as well as appearances at Levitation–Austin Psych Fest, SoCal’s Desert Daze, Manchester’s Cosmosis Festival (with The Jesus and Mary Chain), Bathysphere (with A Place To Bury Strangers), twice at Desert Stars (first with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, then The Dandy Warhols), Calgary’s Garbage Daze, and Portugal’s Reverence Valada (with The Damned, The Oh Sees, and Silver Apples). A new record is currently in the works.
Lovesick Ball w/ Malcolm Contreras and Soup Du Jour & The Dead & Down
Thursday, February 12 // Doors at 7:00 // Show at 7:30 // $12 Malcolm and his band are a 4 piece consisting of Lane Ulberg, Llwyn Clark-Gaynor, and Cooper Godfried. These fellas put on a spectacular spectacle, only seen about once every two months that ranges from indie rock to shoegaze to ambient music, folk, and bedroom pop. The Dead & Down are an indie roots-rock band inspired as much by the vast landscapes and dramatic mountain ranges of their Montana home as they are by the myriad musical influences that weave through their sound. Based around the introspective songwriting and dusty vocals of frontman Taylor Burlage, the band navigates sonic trails between rust-flecked alt country and atmospheric indie rock, with detours through psychedelia and genre-bending experimentation. They have opened for the likes of Fruition, Futurebirds, The Last Revel and Blind Pilot. They have hit the stage at Zootown Music Festival, Treefort Music Fest and more. Their 2024 release, No Broken Bones, displays the sound of a band willing to take chances and explores the human condition in fun and surprising ways. “The Dead & Down have a sound that doesn’t fit into one bin. They combine elements of Country, Americana, and Rock for a sonic experience that stays interesting. Their new song, “Switchbacks” has a solid country-rock feel, but the break in the middle is a lot more akin to prog rock. It’s a combo that works!” – Bob Wall, KGVM Bozeman “Alt-country, but on the moon––– and still so down to earth.” – The Pulp, Missoula
Canta Brasil
Friday, February 27 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Artist Supporter Ticket Canta Brasil is Missoula’s only band specializing in the music of Brazil – from romantic Bossa Novai to Hot Samba, and beyond. The group features the unique vocal abilities of Magda Chaney, who sings expertly in Portuguese and is adept at a wide range of classic Brazilian styles. Utilizing a broad range of rhythms and percussion patterns, the band conveys the magical spirit of Brazilian Carnival! Composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Vinicius Moraes, Edu Lobo, plus many others, are represented in Canta Brasil’s highly danceable repertoire. With Magda Chaney on vocals, David Horgan on guitar, Beth Lo on bass, Graeme Pletscher on saxophone, Naomi Siegel on trombone, Pedro Marques on vocals and percussion, and Ed Stalling on percussion.For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
