Jazzoula Spring 2023
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday // April 26, 27, 28, & 29 // Doors at 5:30 // Show at 6:30 PM // $20 // $17 Students & Seniors (50+) It’s Jazzoula Spring ‘23! Celebrating 21 years of Jazz in the Missoula community – presenting 20 plus jazz combos, big bands, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists over four days, April 26, 27, 28, and 29. Providing a complete variety of the only original form of American music: jazz. Jazzoula gives the listener a chance to experience Missoula’s eclectic jazz performers showcasing their individual talents with their groups, and as soloists. With combo jazz, trios, big band, vocalists, student groups, and various musical incarnations. Acts include All City Jazz, Margi Cates, Salsa Loca, Joan Zen Quintet, Night Blooming Jasmine, Finn Carroll Trio, Basement Boyz, Ryan Belski Quartet, Missoula Jazz Collective, Patti Nolan and the Undeniables, Skyler Mendell Sextet, Chuck Florence Birthday Bash – Featuring Chuck Florence and His Motor City Five, Owen Ross Trio, An Absent Wilson Conspiracy, U of M Boyd Combo, Melody Anderson Vocal Trio, Loren Stillman, Kyle Curtis Trio, and SG Modern Jazz Project. Enjoy short sets and a fantastic variety of awesome jazz music. See you there. Wednesday, April 26 Line-up:All City JazzMargi CatesSalsa LocaJoan Zen QuintetConnor Racicot Trio Thursday, April 27 Line-up:Night Blooming JasmineFinn Carroll TrioBasement BoyzRyan Belski QuartetMissoula Jazz Collective Friday, April 28 Line-up:Patti Nolan and the UndeniablesSkyler Mendell SextetChuck Florence Birthday Bash – Featuring Chuck Florence and His Motor City FiveOwen Ross TrioAn Absent Wilson Conspiracy Saturday, April 29 Line-up:U of M Boyd ComboMelody Anderson Vocal TrioLoren StillmanKyle Curtis TrioSG Modern Jazz Project For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Austin Britton + Gabrielle Tusberg + Renee Ross
Wednesday, April 5 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Artist Supporter Ticket Austin Britton is all about writing a good song. He has opened for the likes of Mason Jennings, Simon Joyner, and Jake Bellows. He resides in Missoula and keeps writing songs with mystical lyricism and searching melodies. Gabrielle Tusberg is a singer songwriter from Portland, OR. Her inspiration comes from female songwriters like Lucinda Williams, Fiona Apple, and Sara Jarosz. Gabrielle’s songs tell a story about her life experiences, relationships, love lost, love gained, and a changed perspective – all with wit, sadness, and charm. Her songs will make you cry and laugh with her deepest thoughts and unleashed secrets. Renee Ross has been a lover of all things “pizzaz” from a young age. Her passion for the performing arts originated at the piano, and scribbling in her first of many songbooks at age 5. She went on to receive a BFA in Musical Theater, and has since enjoyed dancing on the Wilma Stage as Janet in Rocky Horror Picture Show 2022, and AM Theatrical’s Next to Normal as Natalie Goodman. She has been fortunate enough to bring queer representation with Pips in Hearth: A Yuletide Tale with the Montana Repertory Theater and most recently as Lulu in Stumptown Stage’s Cabaret in Portland, Oregon. She is so excited to be back performing at the ZACC to sing original music that is honest, deeply personal, and not usually shared. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Gilda House w/ Queenager & Jesse The Ocelot
Thursday, May 11 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $15 The Montana-based electronic duo, Gilda House, is out to snare your soul with their new single “Give Me Some”, a synthpop smasher that leans toward the shadow inside. The group is comprised of Tony Morales – guitar/keys/backing vocals/production, and the relentless engine of this machine, Meg Gildehaus – lead vocals/bass synth/writing/ engineering and production. Increasingly known for their energetic live show, Gilda House has been performing across their home state; not an easy task in the expanse of Montana. Playing the mainstage for Missoula’s State Pride Festival and opening for Milky Chance are a taste of the shows they are beginning to stack up, yet no matter the city, Gilda House is notorious. Their shows invite the audience in to be part of the mood, a part of the show. Feel the synths. Feel the bass. Forget where you are. Disappear. Queenager is the combination of glitchy, punchy synth tones mixed with vocoded lyrical beauty that pierces listeners straight to the heart. The project was started in January 2020, and through the pandemic the duo Sarah Frazier and Bryan Kostors hunkered down together on a sexy synth wave mission. With the release of their debut album “Easy” in June 2021, Queenager is on the path to leading crowds to dancing bliss and leading the charge on making Montana a place for letting loose Jesse The Ocelot is a multi-instrumentalist artist from the mountains of Bigfork, Montana. Now a veteran of the Missoula music scene, he plays a variety of genres and incorporates a healthy mix of originals and covers lead by his powerful vocals. He uses guitar, keys, percussion and vocal loops to create atmospheric landscapes that are heavily based on improvisation. Dreamy sounds of reverby, ethereal vocal harmonies and warm guitar melodies combined with jazzy, soulful style. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Big Sky Django Jazz Festival
Featuring Cottonwood Club, Montana Manouche, & Night Blooming JasmineApril 7 at Free Cycles // April 8 at The Show Room at the ZACCDoors at 6:30 PM // Music & Dancing from 7 to 10 PM // $15 Tickets at ZACC available online & at the door // Tickets at Free Cycles available at door only For more information visit: bigskydjangojazz.com The third ever Big Sky Django Jazz Festival will take place on April 7 and 8, 2023, in Missoula, Montana! Started in 2017 by the Rimrock Hot Club of Billings, the BSDJ Festival is Montana’s only music festival dedicated to celebrating the sublime music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapellie’s Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Strings and accordions take the place of horns and drums in this infectious European interpretation of American jazz. This year the festival brings together 15 musicians from across Montana including: Cottonwood Club of Helena, Montana Manouche of Bozeman, and Night Blooming Jasmine of Missoula. Dress your best for two unforgettable nights of swing, and don’t forget your dancing shoes! For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Mudhoney
w/ Special Guest HooveriiiSaturday, October 14 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 8 PM // $25 Advance // $30 DOS The world is filling up with trash. Humanity remains addicted to pollution despite the planet getting hotter by the minute. People are downing horse dewormer because some goober on television told them it cured COVID. Tom Herman of pioneering avant garage band Pere Ubu still doesn’t have his own Wikipedia article. The apocalypse, it seems, is stupider than anyone could’ve predicted. Fortunately, the absurdities of modern life have always been prime subject matter for Seattle-based band Mudhoney. The foursome take aim at all of them with barbed humor and muck-encrusted riffs on Plastic Eternity, their 11th studio album. Mudhoney (vocalist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters) remain the ur underground group, their gnarly primordial punk stew and Arm’s sharply funny lyrics as potent a combination as they’ve been since the band’s formation in the late 1980s. From taking on climate change from the perspective of the climate if the climate tried to play guitar like Jimi Hendrix (“Cry Me An Atmospheric River”) to a driving rock and roll song about taking drugs meant for livestock (“Here Comes the Flood”) to a classic punk attack on treating humans like livestock (“Human Stock Capital”), Plastic Eternity is a heady run through all the proto-genres of guitar rock with a keen eye on the inanities of the world in the 2020’s. Photo Credit: Emily Rieman Official Mudhoney Website:https://mudhoney.org Official Mudhoney FB page:https://www.facebook.com/MudhoneyOfficial/ Official Mudhoney Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mudhoney_/ Official Mudhoney Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/7LuYiSXiWs86rwWJjEEgB9 Official Mudhoney Bandcamp:https://mudhoney.bandcamp.com
Pile (Boston, MA) w/ Panther Car & (latent)
Tuesday, September 19 // Door at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $16 Advance // $18 DOS For fifteen years, Pile’s evolving take on rock has earned the group one oft-repeated superlative: “your favorite band’s favorite band.” Ceaseless touring took its members from Boston’s basement circuit to international festivals, hitting loftier technical apexes with each new record. Maguire—the fastidious composer, evocative guitarist, and potent voice behind the solo-turned-punk project—gives musical body to his interior world in scream-along-able lyrics that skew surreal. Drummer Kris Kuss’s time-defying performances, layered over gnarled basslines, have garnered widespread acclaim. 2019’s Green and Gray took Pile’s thunderous noise to more intricate realms, thanks to new recruit Alex Molini’s work on bass and keyboards, and Chappy Hull’s dextrous interplay on second guitar. After completing past records, Pile’s had goals bubbling on the backburner. Maguire poured all of those and then some into All Fiction, and this purity of intention unlocked a refreshed sense of joy and fulfillment in Pile’s music. “I like thinking art has the capacity to change things and the way people function. But the means to get that art out there and get people to connect to it can be draining—and I overcommitted, in a lot of cases, to trying to be an island,” Maguire admits. All Fiction was sparked by a beguiling sonic palette, but it’s also infused with love from the years of trust between Kuss, Molini, and Maguire. Proof’s in the aftermath: though they spent five years as a long distance project, post-All Fiction, all three members of Pile are once again living in the Northeast.https://fieldbookingagency.com/pile/Photo credit Adam Parshall. Panther Car comes in the shape of a traditional rock band yet sounds far from it. Their amorphous brand of pop music teeters between the radiant iridescence of psychedelia and the murky darkness of dreams. Every moment is a door that opens into a new room. Songs progress through tangential wormholes as in an ecstatic conversation; music that is equal parts meditation and celebration. Hard to categorize, maybe Panther Car is better defined by negation. Panther Car is not something you want to miss. (latent) is a Missoula based band composed of Zack Buchholo, Nick Togliatti and Jake Swank. These three fellers have been playing music together for nearly a decade and this band is a culmination of their endeavors to incorporate absurdity, sincerity, and high energy music into a single intense project. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
The Pack Strings + The Gravy Ladles + Arwen Grace Baxter
Thursday, March 30 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Artist Supporter Ticket The Pack Strings are a lively acoustic trio from Missoula. Their music is rooted in Americana and draws inspiration from folk, rock, and bluegrass. The members of this cohesive three-piece settle into a fun groove as they trade lead vocals, swap instruments, and sing harmonies. You can expect to hear some creative original material as well as spirited covers and unique takes on some good ‘ole stand-bys! The Pack Strings feature Marit Olsen on violin, Connor Adams on bass, and Chad Pickett on guitar. The Gravy Ladles “pour it on” to serve up a slice of Americana music with a homegrown feel. Twins Sky (vocals, guitar, bass) and Kevin (vocals, djembe, ukulele, bass) Weaver join Alia Fintz (vocals, saxophone, fiddle, ukulele, bass) to bring soaring three part harmonies and a mix of instrumentation to heartfelt originals and some fun covers. Arwen Grace Baxter is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor. Raised on the rivers of Idaho and Montana, place inspires her work. Her first album, ‘Wildfire Season’ is available on Spotify and all streaming platforms, with her second album, ‘Prodigal Daughter,’ set for release in June of 2022. She holds degrees in English literature and theatre from the University of Montana and lives in Missoula, Montana. Her writing has been published in the Scribendi Literature and Arts Magazine, The Sun Magazine, The Oval, and UReCA, and her poetry chapbook, Anchor Ice, is available at Fact & Fiction in Missoula. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Bluest + Summer like the Season (Detroit) + Modular Haze
Tuesday, March 28 // Door at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket Bluest is an indie rock band out of Missoula MT, orchestrated by the longings and hauntings of Noelle Huser. Her songs are chalked full of adolescent nostalgia and sweetness, soured by the biting existential dread of figuring out who you are in it all. With pleas of empathetic anger a la diary-scrawled lyrics, she pays homage to her 90s/00s angst pop and country influences Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow. Bluest’s chilling debut album Cold Sweat, sifts through dreams and nightmares to find solace in serenading ghosts. It is emboldened with a hunger to return from dissociation back into the body, finding oneself in the present, feet on the ground, blood boiling, head in the clouds and heart on the sleeve. Cold Sweat will be released in May 2023 through Anything Bagel. Summer Like The Season is an indie electronic/art rock/experimental pop band performing the musical musings of Summer Krinsky. Based out of Detroit, Summer’s sound is characterized by poppy vocals mingling with polyrhythmic harmonies, bizarre breakbeats, and ethereal soundscapes. Exploring themes of this cyborg era, the musical/lyrical content examines the intermediary role technology plays in modern identity. The sound is stylized by the use of mixing and production as a compositional foundation, tracing the edge between live instrumentation and contemporary electronics. Summer experiments with programming novel audio controllers and designing interactive installations, pushing boundaries to ameliorate human/digital expression. For the live show meticulous songwriting collides with bursting noise, Summer plays drum kit and sings alongside Scott Murphy (synth/electric violin/mpc) and Liam McNitt (guitar/backup vox/electronics). ModularHaze is a wave of sonic, synth thickness and visuals! Consisting of Sam Kaley, Chris Lee, Chris Bacon, and Sarah Frazier. We make you want to get in Neon Powered Cars and drive fast! For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
WOW Songwriters Showcase (& Bake Sale!), A Fundraiser for the Literary Podcast Words Out West
Sunday, March 26 // Door, with Bake Sale & Songwriters Merch Sale starts at 6:30 PM // Showcase begins at 7 PM // $10 // $15 Podcast Supporter Ticket Enjoy an evening of music and support the literary podcast, Words Out West! Hosted by Cole Grant, this Showcase boasts five Montana-based songwriters – Sean Howard Burress, Rebecca Kelley, Greg Owens, Gabrielle Tusberg, and Maria Zepeda. A bake sale by friends of WOW and artist’s CD and merch sales start at 6:30 PM. The Showcase starts at 7 PM. Words Out West is a nonprofit literary podcast, bringing listeners original writings from the Rocky Mountains and beyond, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, songs, audio plays, and more. Listen, subscribe, and donate at wordsoutwest.org, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. The Words Out West podcast is produced by Jay Kettering and Cole Grant in partnership with Montana Public Radio. This event is made possible thanks to the following sponsors: Montana Public Radio, The Bell Pipe & Tobacco Shop, & Gallery 709 (Montana Art and Framing).For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Desperate Electric + STiLGONE + False Teeth
Saturday, March 25 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket Desperate Electric wants you to feel alive. Weaving melodies through the triumphs and tribulations of life, growing up, and relationships, the pair use their electric disco soul to tantalize crowds across the nation. Desperate Electric’s high energy live show makes you feel good; their lyrics are playful and honest, exploring themes of both vulnerability and resiliency. Groove with them as their thoughtful composition glides along an emotional roller coaster. STiLGONE is a Bozeman based band that plays a unique fusion of genres, spanning funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, psychedelic rock and more. While covering so many styles they manage to create a cohesive sound that is uniquely their own. Their live shows are an immersive trip through detailed soundscapes, danceable grooves, and the lyrics of songwriter and guitarist Symon Palmer, who founded the band originally In 2016. Since then STiLGONE has gone on to play many of their own events, and supported nationally touring acts like Deltron 3030, Nappy Roots, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, and Michal Menert. Since 2010, False Teeth has been the pseudonym of audio collage, beats, visual projection and performance art creative Nora Justice. Exploring themes of nature, death, surrealism, jazz, history, and pop ephemera, False Teeth as a project grows in scope with each release. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
