UM Jazz Small Groups
Monday, March 3 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // Free and Open to the Public! Join the UM Small Group program for an evening of jazz standards, contemporary tunes and originals from the University of Montana musicians as they prepare for the 45th Annual UM Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival.
Canta Brasil
Friday, March 7 // 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/.
Femme Cell, Anna McClellan, & Sardines
Sunday, March 9 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Femme Cell is psychosis rock from Portland, OR. It’s ten in the morning, and Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Wanna Wait” rings from the punchy speakers of a young Anna McClellan’s living room TV. It’s the summer of 2004, and Anna’s parents have signed up for basic cable—a lifeline for a kid left to her own devices while her parents were at work. For McClellan, shows like Dawson’s Creek, The O.C., and Friends were not just entertainment but friends and mentors, shaping her understanding of relationships and life. These long summers spent in front of the TV cemented a love of narrative that would later reveal itself through songwriting. By seventeen, Anna McClellan was performing original songs in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Her debut album, Fire Flames, garnered attention and earned her an opening slot on a Frankie Cosmos tour, setting the stage for her subsequently adored albums, 2018’s Yes and No and I saw first light, released in late 2020. Now, with her most recent release Electric Bouquet, out October 25, 2024 via Father/Daughter Records, McClellan crafts a musical journey that unfolds like one of her cherished television series. Each track is an episode, chronicling the past four years of her life – navigating a career change, a cross-country move, and relationships gone sour. Electric Bouquet is a narrative tour de force showcasing McClellan’s remarkable ability to transform life’s myriad of messy experiences into captivating musical stories. 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.
flowers from the pool w/ The Sardines and Malcolm Contrares & The Relatively Elderly
Wednesday, February 12 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter 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. 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. Malcolm Contrares and the Relatively Elderly is a new band!
Missoula Collective Music Ensemble, Conducted by Naomi Moon Siegel
Monday, February 10 // 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/.
Big Mosquito, w/ Evergreen, Punisher, & Heavyweight
Friday, February 28 // 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, Cameron Doucette, Evan Wright, Spencer Nelson, Nick Mogensen, Jacob Tirado, Rhett Matthew, 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. Punisher finds beauty in the unexpected—unapologetically exploring grooves that wobble on the edge of collapse before veering into surprising cohesion. Stillman’s saxophone spits and whispers, Doucette’s trombone slides and growls, and Wicks’ drumming creates a humorous, tuneful backbone, crafting a sound that feels full even without a bassist. Whether riffing downtown soul or diving headfirst into dissonant explorations, the group is hell-bent on pushing boundaries with joyful abandon. This is music that dares you to laugh, think, and lose yourself in its unconventional charm. We are Heavyweight. We are from Missoula and all students at the U. Owen Meador on Sax, Evan Nesbitt on Bass, Simon Hickey on Keys, and Danger Gersh on Drums. Our sound blends hip-hop, jazz, pop, and soul into a fun, backbeat oriented jazz. We were inspired by artists such as Nate Smith, Jamiroquai, PJ Morton, D’Angelo, Louis Cole, George Duke and so many others!
Missoula Collective Music Ensemble, Conducted by Naomi Moon Siegel
Monday, January 27 // 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/.
The Browning w/ Swarm, The Defect & Blessiddoom
Tuesday, April 8 // Door at 6 PM // Show at 7 PM // $20 Advance // $25 DoS The Browning is an American electronicore band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 2005. The band’s musical style is characterized by an eclectic blending of electronicore and deathcore. The group currently consists of vocalist Jonny McBee, drummer Cody Stewart, and bassist/guitarist Akeem Bivens. The Defect is an electronic-rock duo founded by The Browning frontman Jonny McBee and debut singer, Moon, in 2023. “Swarm has carved out such a strong and unique sound for himself that if we were to start a new Mount Rushmore for producers, his songs alone would sculpt out his image in the stone.” -YourEDM Blessiddoom began in the fall of 2005 on a mission to shine a light on social norms that often label people, places, and things as being unwanted or ugly in some way but hold their own inner beauty. Showcasing an oxymoron even in the name, that our doom would indeed be blessid. Having come from modest means Blessiddoom aims to be a voice for the shunned, the societal outcasts or the metal head that was always told they would grow out of it. With lyrics that can be seen as quite serious, Blessiddoom does not take themselves too seriously, ultimately just wanting to have the best parties we can while we are still here. “We don’t have a lot of time on this earth, we weren’t meant to spend it this way.”
Youth Lagoon w/ Valley James |Rarely Do I Dream Tour
Friday, March 28 // Doors at 7PM // Show at 8 // $20 Advance // $25 Door
Garon and Me w/ Sierra Cistone & Gabrielle Tusberg
Thursday, January 9 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Garon and Me is an acoustic duo from Missoula Montana. They play a mix of folk, jazz, blues, and funk covers and originals. Sierra Cistone is passionate about telling stories of connections between people and the rest of the natural world. If you haven’t heard Sierra sing, you need to, we promise. Gabrielle Tusberg is a singer songwriter from Portland, OR. Her inspiration comes from female songwriters like Lucinda Williams, Fiona Apple, and Sara Jarosz. Listening to Gabrielle’s songs tells a story about her life experiences, relationships, love lost, love gained, a changed perspective, with wit and charm. Her songs will make you cry and laugh with her deepest thoughts and secrets. 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/.
