ROCKTOBER VOL. 4
Thursday, October 31 // Doors at 7:30 PM // Music 8 PM to Midnight // $15 ROCKtober is back with an epic line-up of favorite local bands and musicians (like Calamity Cowboy, The Naked Limbs, Big Mosquito (featuring members of Pay No Mind) and Radio Mulder [with members of Rach Against the Machine returning!]) covering, in costume, an incredible array of bands and styles including 70s & 80s Synth Pop, Stone Temple Pilots and assorted 90s jams, Classic Country, and a super special, sure-to-make-you-dance set of Ska Classics! Believe us when we say, this is going to be way more than just a rock show. Costumes strongly encouraged! For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
GHOSTFASE SHOWCASE, A Halloweek Getdown!
Tuesday, October 29 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter GHOSTFASE SHOWCASE is an opportunity for folks to partake in some of the fine, funky and fun musical artists that occupy our beautiful valley. Since it is Halloween week, costumes are encouraged but not a necessity! Join us on a Tuesday lark, enrich your life and have a great time! Sarah Frazier’s artistry is intricate, fascinating and a balm on the senses. Creating soundscapes that perfectly suit her thoughtful stylings, Sarah is a captivating presence onstage. Her lyrics are relatable and fantastical, her melodies enriching. Become enwrapt in the ambience! Doctor Fly – A consummate experimenter and lover of all genre, Doctor Fly has been a student of the game for years now. A throughline of groove permeates the good Doctor’s music, as he intrepidly explores audio space and brings his audience along on the journey, whether their minds are prepared or not. Study under the Doctor and find your mind expanded! Stay Ugly is a Hip Hop group based out of Missoula. They have a penchant for highlighting the unusual and imperfectly perfect aspects of life in their lyrics, over beats with heavy kicks and smacking snares. They have a closely-knit energy onstage, helping their audience feel as if they are part of every bit of the proceedings. If there is a duo that encapsulates Montana Hip Hop, it could very well be Tonsofun x Wormwood Nowa. Both staunch veterans of the live music scene, their stage presence is sharp and engaging. Precise bombardments of insightful lyrics permeate their music, as they relentlessly bound from one song to the next. They effortlessly bring their audience into the moment, sharing their energy and combining into something greater than its parts. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Kate’s Birthday & Fundraiser for the ZACC
Friday, October 25 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10-$30 Sliding Scale It’s Kate’s 21st Birthday and all she wants to do is party in support of the ZACC! Help raise money for Missoula’s community arts center, and enjoy music by Calamity Cowboy, Thermoresistant, flowers from the pool, and Jules Jensen. 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! Thermoresistant is a band made up of Kate Widmer (guitar/vox), Dorothy Moran (guitar), Jules Jensen (bass) and Maxum Doucette (drums) that makes loud alt rock music. You can call them Thermo for short. flowers from the pool makes music for friends, with Jules Jensen and Kate Widmer on guitar/vocals, Sid Boyer on bass, and Larry Leonard on drums. They are arguably Missoula’s most niche supergroup. Jules Jensen is a musician, actor, and friend-haver. She’s originally from Great Falls. She’s happy to be here. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Western Union
Sunday, October 27 // 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/.
Beau Akimbo Album Release Party
Thursday, October 24 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Formed in 2020, Beau Akimbo is a Missoula-based Indie Pop band that is crafting their sound over the last four years. Their music consists of lush harmonies, earworm melodies, and tongue and cheek lyrics about their fucked up 20’s. Their music resembles the influences of bands like The Magnetic Fields, Lake Street Dive, Avett Brothers, Stevie Wonder, and more. Come join them for the release of their debut album at the ZACC. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Patti Nolan & The Undeniables + The Mitchell Bailey Large Ensemble
Tuesday, October 22 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $15 Patti Nolan & The Undeniables perform their unique and spirited blend of jazz classics and standards, with Patti on vocals, Ben Schuberg on piano, Pete Hand on bass, Graeme Pletscher on saxophone, and Ed Stalling on drums. The Mitchell Bailey Large Ensemble is a 17-piece jazz big band, featuring a plethora of creative musicians from the Missoula Music Scene. The band plays original music and arrangements by Mitchell Bailey, along with other members of the band and modern big band writers. Although listeners will hear nods to titans of music such as Thad Jones, Wayne Shorter, and Charlie Parker, the band is also heavily influenced by contemporary jazz, modern rock, free music, electronic music, and hip hop. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Missoula Collective Music Ensemble, Conducted by Naomi Moon Siegel
Monday, October 21 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $5-$25 Sliding Scale Admission Featuring the entire ensemble under conduction/direction by Siegel, these collective improvisations and compositions feature “conduction”, a jazz technique utilized to organize, expand and inspire improvisation in a large group setting. “Conduction” was created by the late Lawrence “Butch” Morris and is now used throughout the world. Siegel learned Conduction from playing in Wayne Horvitz’s ensemble for many years. The first set will be an open rehearsal, and then second set will be a performance utilizing the Conduction techniques practiced in the open rehearsal. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
And the light from which you came is now the [love] work we must do
Saturday, October 19 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $20 **$12 Students & $5 for Kids 8 & Under (Door Only)** Bill Kautz premieres a new work for quartet on October 19th at the Zootown Arts Community Center. This composition, which balances composed material with improvisation, tells the story of the life, death and ongoing influence of his infant son Sterling through a family systems lens. In this work, Bill seeks to highlight the healing power of love and the ongoing journey of grief. It is his hope that others who have experienced the death of a child or loved one can not only relate to the challenging nature of living with grief, but can also feel that their story is heard and valued. It is through telling our stories that we honor our loved ones and lean more deeply into that love as we move forward with our lives. Love and beauty are still possible after loss, perhaps more pronounced than ever before. This work will be performed by Bill Kautz, trumpet; Jessica Catron, cello; Jeremy Drake, electric guitar and Aria Peters, violin. Opening performance by Michelle Boulé, dance. This work is made possible by a grant from the Montana Arts Council. ABOUT BILL KAUTZ Trumpet player, composer and educator Bill Kautz has worked in a variety of creative music projects in Missoula including work with Michelle Boulé, Cole Bronson, Jessica Catron, Jeremy Drake, Michael Musick, Tricia Opstad, Naomi Siegel, and as a leader/composer for his ensembles crosstalk and Golden Mean. He runs a trumpet studio for elementary to high school students and has worked at Sentinel High School providing support to the Concert and Symphonic bands. Bill is a recipient of a 2023 Montana Arts Council Strategic Investment Grant which is specifically for this new work as well as a 2023 City of Missoula Public Art Committee Performance Grant. ABOUT MICHELLE BOULÉ After 21 years in NYC, Michelle Boulé relocated to Missoula, MT, where she runs an international coaching+healing practice and continues dancing and creating. She has received commissions and presentations from multiple New York venues and beyond, including The Chocolate Factory, Danspace Project, Triple Canopy, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Summer Stages Dance @ICA Boston, River to River Festival, The Met Breuer (with Okkyung Lee), The Kitchen, Mount Tremper Arts Festival, and ISSUE Project Room. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Loren Stillman & Haymaker
Wednesday, October 9 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $12 Advance // $15 Day of Show Haymaker is: Loren Stillman on Saxophone & Songs, Tommy Sciple on Bass, and John Wicks on Drums. One of the greatest challenges in music is making complexity feel natural and effortless. Saxophonist Loren Stillman continues to push his compositional boundaries, creating free-flowing pieces that draw from the past 60 years of American jazz — embracing its wide range of styles and temperaments: soft and loud, fast and slow, in tempo and out, free and composed, cluttered and sparse, swinging and non-swinging. His compositions challenge musicians to navigate these intricate musical landscapes while driving the music forward. To bring this vision to life, Stillman partners with collaborators, bassist Tommy Sciple and drummer John Wicks, performing a dynamic repertoire of new works. The saxophonist Loren Stillman communicates great intensity but not a lot of drama. He’s an intuitive self-regulating improviser, averse to any flourish that calls attention to itself. What you hear in his playing is the real-time synthesis of information, the melodic and harmonic, and the rigorous subtlety of his response. He pairs uncannily mature instincts with the open-minded spark of youth. – Nate Chinen, The New York Times In this first hearing I believe that as a writer and a stylist, he (Stillman) has found a previously unoccupied slot in the jazz spectrum, which is a very rare thing indeed. – Anthony Troon, Jazz Review UK The magic, that which entrances, is not technique, although Stillman obviously can play anything his mind hears. He is that special musician, one who is totally free. Stillman projects a searching intelligence far beyond his years with every note. – Budd Kopman, Cadence Magazine For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Owl the Conqueror + Turtle Tuesday + Donkey Okay
Monday, October 7 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Born from the ashes of Writ Large, Owl the Conqueror is a groovy, bluesy, progressive grunge band. Driving rhythms and powerful guitars. Formed in 2022, and based out of Missoula MT, wearing their influences and hearts on their sleeves, strides Turtle Tuesday. Your new favorite local band. Meeting and forged in the blazing hot fires of heartbreak, raising reptiles, and playing 20+ year old video games. This electric and exciting DIY basement/garage punk/emo/folk/whatever group is hard focused on delivering you the best possible sounding method of receiving tinnitus. They’ll have you fumbling over your words when asked by your friends as to what genre they play, before you inevitably retire the effort and answer “uhh, rock”. Featuring frontman Kage, drummer Griffin, guitarist Collin and John on bass, expect electrifying performances with tracks whose lyrics detail a splendid range of topics. From whaling about death, to finding happiness, to the woes of public transportation infrastructure. Keep an eye out for their upcoming performances and debut project on the horizon. And in the meantime, they’d love for you to swing by the Hellgate Elk’s Club on Tuesdays to play Super Smash Bros Melee for the Nintendo Gamecube. Donkey Okay – With a silver moon just so, hanging low above the languid canyon walls, cacti shadow dancers stretch out across a scrub brush sea. A cricket stirs in anticipation. In the distance a desert hare thrums across the sandstone mesa: a bass note, burrowing owls chirp low: a tuning orchestra. Then comes the wind’s rising chorus, shifting sands through arroyo halls. A kind of peace, a subtle song, broken at once by the Donkey’s bray. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
