Kelly Hunt (Memphis, TN) & Lee Rizzo
Thursday, September 12 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $12 Advanced // $15 Day of Show Memphis-raised singer-songwriter Kelly Hunt paints stories as old and offbeat as her Depression-era tenor banjo and parlor guitar, reimagining traditions of folk, blues & old-time music in a style that hovers beyond the constraints of genre à la Anaïs Mitchell & Gillian Welch. Hunt’s debut album, Even The Sparrow, was released in May 2019 and named as a finalist for the International Folk Music Awards “Album of the Year.” Her sophomore album, Ozark Symphony, was recorded with Grammy-winning musician & producer Dirk Powell and released on Compass Records in October 2023. Kelly has toured nationally and internationally since 2018 and has opened for the likes of Josh Ritter, Pokey LaFarge, Sarah Harmer, Great Lake Swimmers, John McCutcheon, and The Gibson Brothers. “Kelly Hunt sings with the lilting cadence of a folksinger born somewhere far away, sometime long ago.” — ROBERT CRAWFORD [ROLLING STONE COUNTRY] “Standing shoulder to shoulder with contemporaries like Gillian Welch and Rhiannon Giddens…folk music harking back to the stripped-down sounds of Leadbelly, Robert Johnson and Woody Guthrie.” — JOHN VAITES [AMERICANA UK] Lee Rizzo is a humanist folk artist based in Missoula, MT. She released her debut solo album Moon Light Moon, June 2022. “Music is so many things of my spirit and my flesh and it is none of these things. It is something else entirely. Something that cannot be known, where no thought can harness its mystical arithmetic. It belongs to us all and to no one. I am always singing, sometimes the singer and sometimes the song. Singing has been an essential aspect of my connection to my humanity, my story, and to my world. I have been making songs since I was a child. Chanting around my house, making rhymes while walking to and from school. I tried to sound like others and still try to be with my own sound. I could never say for sure how music would be for me, It just was. I avoided studying hard and didn’t like being told what to do. I was a student of life and my impulses. I followed rules barely when my life depended on it. Music lives in me this way too. It shows up when it wants and stays as long as it wants and as far as I know I have little say in the matter. I have a lot to say on a lot of matters and so writing just happened. Starting without paper and a lot of talking to myself. I love to rhyme and I speak the language of metaphor. Eventually my mental wanderings became journaling, then poetry and song. I have compiled this work from the last 16 years of my life as a student of a most intimate love. There is no way to sum up its meaning here in these words. I invite you to listen.” https://www.leerizzo.com For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
ESP w/ Motorhome + Hannah & Sloane
Sunday, September 8 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter 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. Reconstituted from the fevered pitch of late-wave noisepop and early ‘90s fuzz, Missoula’s Motorhome mimics a nitrous-fueled Winnebago that’s dropped its muffler. Vibraphone and synthesizer chime and swoon atop twin-guitar attacks, stuttering drums. and propulsive bass. Layered vocals weave tales of hope, regret, and tangled relationships. As graduates of indie scenes in Albany, San Francisco, Chapel Hill, and Missoula, today’s Motorhome incites a sonic swirl of melodic chaos and a churning tide of noise. Hannah & Sloan are a melodic and lyrically driven duo beginning their journey into the world of song. The goal of their work is to one day compel an audience to slowly thrust their heads in a state of melancholy bliss. 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/.
Mega Bitch w/ support from Why We Went West
Thursday, September 5 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Embarking on a mesmerizing sonic odyssey, Britt Arnesen, Becca Kelley, Gabrielle Tusberg, Maria Zepeda and Damien Margo converge their talents to craft an enchanting experience on stage. This dynamic group transcends musical boundaries, effortlessly traversing the sonic world of sound. Together with their combined years of songwriting and music making they seamlessly weave threads of advocacy, storytelling, humor, and healing. Their artistic expression is kaleidoscopic, rendering performances that are limitless and atmospheres that are both inviting and eccentric, always perfectly attuned to the moment. As they unite in harmonious collaboration, they create a sanctuary for the soul, beckoning audiences to immerse themselves in the captivating magic of their collective artistry. Welcome to the enchanting world of Mega Bitch — a satirical realm of unfiltered, transformative growth that invites you to join the audacious journey. 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/.
Ivory Daze w/ Wildlands & Perfect Blue
Tuesday, September 3 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Ivory Daze is an alternative shoegaze band from Lincoln, Nebraska formed in early 2022. Consisting of Isahen Harms, Maeve Nelson, and Van Foster. They released their debut EP “Doing Just Great” in May of 2023 and released their newest single “Junebug” August 16th. The band seamlessly mixes new sounds and ideas with classic 90s grunge influences while consistently pushing how much power a three piece can have. Wildlands is an aspiring Indie Rock Quartet based out of Missoula. The band creates and performs with an electrifying stage presence for all to enjoy. The power of the songwriting and the chemistry between the members creates an infectious atmosphere full of excitement, heartbreak and the urge to move around. Wildlands is here to inspire, entertain and show the world the passion of music. The band consists of Ben MC, the snow loving frontman. Josh Streit, the resident electrician that rips on the guitar. Runyon Matthews, the 1# King Gizzard fan that lays down the bass and Spencer Nelson the Titan of sound behind the drums. Perfect Blue is an Instrumental, Experimental Post-Rock band from Missoula, Montana. 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/.
Turtle Tuesday w/ The Naked Limbs & Shane Coburn
Wednesday, September 4 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter 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. The Naked Limbs play music with rocks in it. Shane Coburn is a songwriter and performer in Missoula, MT. Coburn is active in the Missoula open mic scene and performs songs he’s written about life in Western Montana. His solo music is often described as “Alt-Country” and “not too bad”. The music shoots for clever and skewed, and was designed to make people giggle and sometimes dance. 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/.
Sleeping Jesus (MN) w/ Minot & Apocolipstick
Saturday, September 14 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Sleeping Jesus is a rock and roll band started by Nick Elstad in Winona, MN. The now five-piece Minneapolis band, featuring Tyler Steinley, Andy Bauer, Seamus St. Clair, and Dante DeGrazia, just released their new album “Hollywood Smile. which peaked at #22 on the NCAA Top 200. Hollywood Smile sees the band ditching the hazy dream pop stylings of their debut album and dipping their toes into the waters of Rock and Roll and Americana for the very first time. Their live shows consist of jangly dueling guitars, three part harmony, tight locked rhythm, and intense moments of controlled chaos all tied together by the raspy croon of lead singer Nick Elstad. After a successful album release show at First Avenue’s 7th street entry, the band is set to bring their charming version of rock n’ roll to festivals and audiences across the midwest and beyond in 2024. Minot is a lo-fi garage punk baking mixture made of two parts Midwestern and a dash of Northern New England. The shortest distance between two sonic points is made by leaving no room for lengthy melodic banter. Drenched in reverb to cover their inadequacies; This band has a driving rhythm of Mo Tucker’s brother and the belief that less is always more. Minot because….Why not? 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. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Adam Christopher w/ Galactic Axis + Garon and Me
Thursday, August 29 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Adam Christopher is eclectic original instrumental guitar with live looping. Galactic Axis is a rock-fusion band in Missoula, Montana, featuring PanMan on drums, Devin R on bass, and Matty J on lead guitar & vocals. A galaxy of original music awaits concert goers seeking energetic, dynamic, interstellar jams! Garon and Me is an acoustic duo from Missoula Montana. They play a mix of folk, jazz, blues, and funk covers and originals. 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/.
Apocolipstick w/ The Sardines & Calamity Cowboy
Wednesday, August 28 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Apocolipstick, we are a relatively new art punk band from Missoula, Montana. We incorporate a myriad of styles into our sound such as new wave, glam, blues and even a little country twang. We love performing and try to put as much energy as humanly possible into our live shows. 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. Calamity Cowboy is a rock n roll band founded in 2022. Their unique blend of country and psychedelic rock has garnered tens of fans. They’re the real deal! 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/.
Nox Novacula: Feed the Fire Tour w/ Fuuls & DJ Gingerbat
Tuesday, August 27 // Door at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $12 Advance // $15 DOS In some twisted alternate reality, Bauhaus’ macabre, psychedelic take on post-punk languished in obscurity, never reaching the legions of disaffected teens that were desperately waiting for something like that to come along. Luckily, in this timeline, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” kickstarted a gothic revolution whose echoes are still resonating today. Enter Seattle deathrock stalwarts Nox Novacula. Formed in 2017, Nox Novacula delivers a no frills, traditionalist take on deathrock that distills the form’s strongest elements into a potent and timeless formula. Their most recent effort, 2021’s Ascension, could easily be mistaken for a long-lost companion piece to Christian Death’s magnum opus, Only Theatre of Pain. Ice cold, reverberating guitars, tastefully theatrical vocals, a precise, energetic rhythm section, and occasional injections of atmospheric synth evoke the best components of goth rock’s most compelling progenitors. From the triumphant apocalypse anthems of Sisters of Mercy to the chorus-drenched post-hardcore goth of Burning Image, Nox Novacula assembles its influences into a recognizable but fresh sound that both pays homage to the genre’s roots and strives to grow beyond them. Whether you rushed out to buy black lipstick after seeing Return of the Living Dead in 1985 or you’re a relatively new convert ensnared by goth’s recent, long overdue resurgence, Nox Novacula’s masterfully crafted brand of urgent deathrock will satisfy. Fuuls (or fools) is a raucous decolonial post-whatever punk ensemble based out of the PNW. The collective is led by trans indigenous front woman, Nataanii Cornelius, known for her piss-and-vinegar onstage fervor. As a revolving door outfit of friends and family, the band gives pocket tight chaos in a wildly electric live experience. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Big Mosquito + Evergreen w/ Mark Elliott, & The Sardines
Wednesday, August 14 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Big Mosquito is a local Missoula ska outfit bringing a mix of authentic ska and high energy, with renditions and covers of such classics as The Skatalites, The Specials, laurel Aitkens, Phyllis Dillon/Freddy McKay, ect. Plus originals and more lively tunes like Murphy’s law’s 1%. Big Mosquito’s goal is to bring authentic ska and love for roots music to the forefront of our rising youth movement in Missoula and beyond. Big Mosquito is made up of Zane Lambert, Maxum and Cameron Doucette, Evan Wright, Spencer Nelson, Nick Morgensen, Jacob Tirado, and Danny Boatwright. Starting as a jazz combo through the University of Montana, the members of Evergreen decided they all liked each other’s company and wanted to keep playing music together. Rooted in jazz, the band is not afraid to dive into other territory, such as funk, hip hop, and fusion. Groove and improvisation is the name of the game, and Evergreen is here to have a good time playing. Mark Elliott is a local rock-n-roller who likes to follow in the shoes of guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix and has a passion for early protest songs and continuing the rebellious nature that created them. 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. 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/.
