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/.
KFGM Summer Showcase / Sarah Frazier, Coyotes, & Jesse The Ocelot
Thursday, July 14 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 The KFGM Summer Series brings forth 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. July’s artists are Sarah Frazier and Coyotes. Sarah Frazier creates soundscapes like the darkest of rural Montana nights when the stars look like diamonds floating on an impossibly deep inkwell. Heavy, graceful, and beautifully ominous. Coyotes is the solo electronic music project of composer Bryan Curt Kostors. Performing on analog, digital, vintage, modular, and percussion synthesizers, Kostors creates compelling musical landscapes that are sonically enveloping and epically danceable. Pulling from inspirations as diverse as 90’s techno, 80’s New Wave, orchestral compositions, experimental dance music, and more, Coyotes is an aural exploration without boundaries of style or time. Jesse The Ocelot was born from the mountains, and learned at a young age his song from the songbirds. He’s traveled the cosmos in search of of the secret and wants to share the beauty with anyone who will take the time. Taking influences from Thom Yorke, Leslie Feist, Robin Pecknold, and Jeff Buckley. Lush, atmosphere harmonies and intense lyrics make up most of his sound. Blending color and emotion, Jesse will take you on a journey you didn’t know you needed to take. He uses a loop pedal to create layers of atmospheric goodness with vocal harmonies and angel sounds. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Stephen Wilson Jr. + Wailing Aaron Jennings
Thursday, July 21 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 in Advance // $13 Day of Show Stephen Wilson Jr. is a singer/songwriter from rural Southern Indiana. Wilson was raised by a single father who was a boxer and had him boxing from age seven through adulthood as an Indiana State Golden Gloves finalist. Wilson, a self-taught guitarist moved to Nashville to pursue a degree in Microbiology at MTSU. There, he started indie rock band AutoVaughn after finishing his degree. They toured for over five years and Wilson co-wrote songs as lead guitarist until his creative focus turned more to songwriting and singing. After the band, Wilson relied back on his education where he worked for several years as an R&D scientist at Mars until signing a publishing deal with BMG Nashville in Aug 2016. He is currently building his catalogue and has had songs cut by Caitlyn Smith and Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, Chase Bryant, Mackenzie Porter, Kameron Marlow, Sixpence None the Richer and Leigh Nash. https://www.stephenwilsonjrmusic.com/ Wailing Aaron Jennings songs champion the traditions of Honky Tonk and Western Swing while giving a knowing wink and a nod to the modern world. Every song is a story. Whether it’s a rambling waltzing exposition, a dance tune punctuated with acrobatic yodels, or a rockin boogie woogie – the ghosts of the past are jumping, shouting and dancing right along with Wailing Aaron Jennings (and YOU!). Jennings has performed across the Northwest at Breweries, Dive Bars, Vineyards, Guest Ranches, Hot Springs, Campgrounds, Underpasses, Historic Chapels, Farm Parties, Pool Parties, Birthday Parties, Theaters, and Nudist Colonies. Memorable anecdotes, old jokes, and older songs are all part of the journey for him, and at the end of the night: if it feels like the ghosts of the past are dancing arm in arm with you and your hopes for the future? Well that’s just dandy. http://wailingjennings.com/ For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Henry Mansfield + Pale People
Wednesday, July 20 // Doors at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket From his Seattle origins to his Los Angeles hopes, Henry Mansfield brings a songwriter’s introspection to the indie rock genre. In between the technical piano and blasting drums, Mansfield pulls together the feelings of various lost souls and shows us how alone we really aren’t. The lyrics hit the sweet spot right between your heart and your head, and the melodies will leave his pertinent questions lingering in your head long after you’ve stopped dancing. With musical invention to spare, his dramatic and innovative arrangements are easy to listen to, but rewarding upon revisiting. https://www.henrymansfield.com/portfolio Pale People is a rock band formed in Missoula, MT in 2015. It consists of Mack Gilcrest (keyboards, vocals), Kurt Skrivseth (bass, guitar), Saje Johns (guitar), and Austin Graef (drums). The band has released 5 full-length albums. They recorded their first album, Bright Ideas (2015), by sneaking into their university’s recording studio while it underwent renovation. A demo of sorts, it included songs about Frankenstein, porn, and the NSA. They are always ready to have a good time. http://palepeoplemusic.com/ For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Charmaine’s Names (CA) / FjshWjfe / Brain Sweat (WY) w/ Rainbow Gorilla Visuals & triciavision
Wednesday, July 13 // Doors at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket A night of music, media, performance, unending possibilities, mystery and intrigue. A night of holographic fault lines, bursting light bulbs and a return to the pure beauty of human nature. Playing out the opera of our lives in a moment in time entangled in an upheaval and dynamic eruption of our times. What new desires, dreams and wild movements are born in this universe on this one night under the light of a bulging full moon? Charmaine’s Names (CA) is a lounge singer act exploring the borders of masculinity and sensuality. Charmaine’s Names gropes for identity in a sea of perspective; confident, present, and unphased. His rich baritone and inhuman lung capacity weave empathetic tendrils of comedy and tragedy, leaving few unscathed by his devastating performances. http://charmainesnames.com/ Kate “Fjshwjfe” (FL) is an exquisite and original musician working in both lyrical and experimental music, electronic beats, featuring a range of sounds, and a voice illustrious and sensual like dripping wax. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZdbM2gJBcI Brain Sweat (WY) is high desert experimental “rock”. https://brainsweat.bandcamp.com/ Rainbow Gorilla Visuals (MT) is an interdimensional tour guide taking you through light filled rainbow portals into unknown lands of your soul. This video collage composed mostly of thrifted VHS tapes combined with free digital software invites you to breathe deep, let go, follow your subconscious dreamscapes, dilate your pupils and imagine new frontiers. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCouFE9ZN2ZdriSR3A–IjmQ triciavision (MT) is a shapeshifting time traveler in a funhouse of her own making looking into all the different mirrors that make up her ever changing self. In listening to her senses and embodied response in relation to audiences and spaces she fills, she makes experimental, post-mod dance performances walking the tightrope of shadow and light. triciavision.blogspot.com For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Gabrielle Tusberg + Tiny Iota
Friday, July 8 // Doors at 8:30 PM // Show at 9 PM // $10 // $15 Artist Supporter Ticket Gabrielle Tusberg is a singer songwriter from Portland, OR. She has been writing her own music since high school and enjoys conveying deep emotion with her raw and honest lyrics. She is inspired by female artists like Jewel and Fiona Apple and hopes to come out with a complete album by fall of 2023. Tiny Iota writes tiny songs that scream like a dust mite into the eternal abyss. Flavored with a fondness for doo wop and punk, their debut album HUBBUB, released May 2022 is an ode to overthinking, toeing the line between anxiety and acceptance and finding solace in uncertainty. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Sera Cahoone + Margo Cilker w/ Night Palace
Thursday, July 28 // Doors at 7 PM // 7:30 PM // $15 (Advance tix recommended)w/ opener Night Palace Americana singer-songwriter Sera Cahoone grew up in the Colorado foothills. The daughter of a dynamite salesman, she played her first gigs on drums in a dive bar’s open blues jams at 12. As a young adult, she moved to Seattle where she played drums with the adored indie rock group, Carissa’s Wierd, and later Band of Horses. She then went on to release four solo records, two with Sub Pop. In 2019, Cahoone received a Gold Record for her work with Band of Horses. Cahoone has earned great praise from KEXP, NPR series Tiny Desk Concert, First Listen and Songs We Love. Her work has been featured on UPROXX, ELLE and KEXP. But not only do her songs ring out in rooms of mile-high castles and the edges of sprawling forests, Cahoone is beloved by her fans. Her audiences are filled with the curious, the seekers, and those who just want to hear sing once more, “I wanna be your sidewalk / I’ll take you everywhere/ We’ll travel ‘round this world a million times.” Margo Cilker is a woman who drinks deeply of life, and her debut record Pohorylle, released in November 2021 on Portland label Fluff and Gravy, is brimming with it. For the last seven years, the Eastern Oregon songwriter, who NPR calls one of “11 Oregon Artists to Watch in 2021,” has split her time between the road and various outposts across the world, from Enterprise, OR to the Basque Country of Spain, forging a path that is at once deeply rooted and ever-changing. Night Palace’s (ATHENS, GA / NYC) debut album Diving Rings is a shocking alchemy: aching nostalgia meets frothy anticipation of what’s beyond the garden wall. Tantalizing pop melodies take wing with lush instrumentation, weaving a reedy bed for songwriter Avery Draut’s shimmering vocals. It’s hard to believe the album is not a soundtrack to . . . something. You find yourself picturing it: a moonlit-gilded diorama of Draut’s dreams and memories. Spanning eleven songs and interludes, Diving Rings ebbs and flows through tracks like “Enjoy the Moon!” dubbed by AllMusic Editor’s Choice, “a song that sounds like a lost Pet Sounds track played by Broadcast;” grounded indie-rock songs “Into the Wake, Mystified” and “Stranger Powers;” and the celeste-gilded folk song “Titania.” Paste Magazine encapsulates the now Athens, Georgia and NYC-based act’s sound: “Diving Rings wraps freak-folk energy in a lush psych-pop package.” The album was released on April 1 via Park the Van. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Kiltro w/ Jesse The Ocelot
Sunday, August 7 // Doors at 7 PM // 8 PM // $12 (Advance tix recommended) // $15 DOSKiltro is the brainchild of Chilean-American singer-songwriter Chris Bowers Castillo. Conceived in the lively, bohemian port city of Valparaiso, Chile, Kiltro draws much of its thematic energy from Latin-American folk artists like Victor Jara, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and Inti-Illimani, making for an emotive and stylistically unique merging of older genres with contemporary ones. Jesse The Ocelot was born from the mountains, and learned at a young age his song from the songbirds. He’s traveled the cosmos in search of the secret and wants to share the beauty with anyone who will take the time to listen. He creates lush, atmospheric vocal harmonies and instrument loops with about half of his performance being improvisational and the other half being dialed in songs. Blending intense lyrics and ethereal sounds, Jesse will take you on a journey you didn’t know you needed to take. Jesse The Ocelot loves you! For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Down North w/ Trans Future
Saturday, July 2 // Doors at 7 PM // 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket “Dude sings like James Brown… bass is less slap and more groove.” – The Stranger “A sound that’s downright impossible to resist.” – Seattle Weekly ‘No Retreat, No Return, No Surrender.’ – The Down North Motto There are some performers who come to music later in life. Then, there are folks who you can just tell were voracious students and consumers of music since before they could talk. Seattle / Los Angeles / North Carolina based quartet Down North fall squarely into the latter group. Trying to pin genre tags onto their unique brand of psych-infused punk soul is an exercise in futility. These creatives pick and choose just-right bits and flavors drawn from the whole of modern western music like painters with unlimited palates. Front man Anthony Briscoe, bassist Brandon Storms, guitarist Nick Quiller, and drummer Conrad Real (who also plays with Ayron Jones and icons Digable Planets) were on a roll following the release of the No Retreat Volume 1 EP (2018). The record had been well received by the press, and extensive touring plans were in place. Then, the global pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt. When other artists might have succumbed to despair, Down North strives to live their motto: No Retreat, No Return, No Surrender. “We tried to see it as an opportunity,” explains Briscoe. “We’ve been known as a great live band. This time we really wanted to show that we could capture that magic in our recorded music.” The music that Down North has laid to tape on No Restraint Volume 2 is driving, crisply executed, and tight as all get out. It is funky – but it would be wrong to call it funk. Strong pop melodicism anchors searing punk energy. Brash technical virtuosity nods to Alternative rock. Funky gospel metal, maybe? Regardless of what you call it, this record exudes its creators fierce focus and determination. It is powerful, defiantly celebratory, and downright captivating. No Retreat, No Return, No Surrender indeed. Self-described as New Wave Soul and Roll, Trans Future’s sound reflects the eclectic influences that warrant the inventive term, but a closer listen reveals their music is as much about what’s not there as what is. Each musician’s part is salient and distinct, but leaves space for the musical conversation to unfold. While space can be what makes things fall apart, the space TF creates is the architectural element that holds their music so tightly together. Space seems to come naturally to a band who formed in early 2020, masked and distanced, in the height of the pandemic. Their new album, Scream on the Inside, is out now! For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
