American Falcon w/ Bacon & Egg and J.A.D.E.
Saturday, January 18 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter As bands and venues come and go, some things reign eternal, like Missoula’s dread AMERICAN FALCON. Since their early days as LAZERWOLFS, the band have been in the local rock trenches for nearly a quarter century, unleashing a steady and blistering brand of stonerrock-influenced hard rock. Plan to stay up late, and bring ear plugs. Mom says to start the day with a healthy breakfast. If you’re lacking the federally mandated allowance of rock ‘n’ roll vitamins such as soaring vocals, noodling guitars and choruses extolling the virtues of rocking, then a serving of Bacon & Egg awaits, piping hot. Bacon & Egg hail from Missoula, MT and are prepared to blow you away. J.A.D.E. is a high-energy band hailing from the mountains of small-town Western Montana. Their wide variety of influences shines brightly in their songs. This unique, not quite rock, not exactly pop sound with an edgy punk rock twist is addictive. They send driving rhythms, interwoven melodies, and powerful vocals straight through your ears deep into your heart and soul. When on stage they are focused on bringing a sound that inspires everyone to get on their feet and dance like the universe depends on it. 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/.
.repetend w/ Desert Fantasy & Red Onion Purple
Thursday, January 9 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter .repetend utilizes extended range tunings, driving bass and guitar riffs, complex meters, dynamic tonalities and progressive, driving percussion for a total math rock experience. Brush up on your algebra and see if you can count along. Desert Fantasy features all original compositions and presents an eclectic mix of acoustic instruments: percussion, vibraphone, marimba, and drumset, blended with electronics: analog synths, drum machines, and live processing. Desert Fantasy sounds like old video game music that combines elements of math rock while blending traditional world percussion. Red Onion Purple began as a musical duo featuring Sean Burress (guitar) and Bethany Joyce (cello) in 2013. After a few years of experimenting with their sound and adding different members, the group coalesced into the spellbinding force that it is today with the addition of Joshua Chai (drums) and Cole Grant (bass). The ethos of the band is one of constant experimentation; treating each song as a separate world to traverse, going a little deeper with each iteration. Red Onion Purple’s sound is accessible, yet hard to pin down; at times upbeat and whimsical, other times melancholy and mysterious. They play a mixture of original songs, jazz standards, and covers. Their first full length album, ‘Frightening Sights’, was released in May of 2022. 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/.
Vittima w/ Places Called Home & ESP
Friday, January 3 // Doors at 8PM // Show at 8:30PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Vittima is an Anaconda based rock band that is FDA approved to prevent and cure all diseases! With the blend of classic and modern rock, we are a group that can satisfy all your rock n’ roll needs! We have Chris Illston smacking the sticks, Matthew Skiles on the metal cables and screaming, and Caleb Zenahlik shredding the six string and singing. We’ve been performing together since 2019, and will be coming out with our debut album soon (if it’s not already out)! Every show comes with high energy and good times! Come for the rock n’ roll, stay because someone stole your wallet! Places Called Home is an original concept created and led by Brandon Sturgell (rhythm guitar/lead vocals). After years of writing and recording, Brandon has always sought to bring his art to the stage and has assembled a team to do just that with supporting musicians: Jeremy Baldwin (drums), Preston Dabbs (lead guitar) and Peter Miller (bass). Melodic and inspiring while raw and vulnerable, Places Called Home invokes a fresh take on flavors that span from Midwest emo, post Alt punk, and indie folk that will take you to the places you never left and make you feel right at home. 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. 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/.
The Timber Rattlers w/ Blue Point, & Aidan Duffield and Rex Koenig Duet
Saturday, January 11 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Blue Point is a five piece Bluegrass Band from beautiful Missoula, MT. They specialize in traditional Bluegrass and Old TIme music, as well as Folk and Americana with a modern twist. Blue Point’s performances are wildly energetic and heartfelt and just might make you leave your seat to dance, or hold the ones you care about a little tighter. Their repertoire includes everything from classic songs, that everyone can sing to, and originals that stem from those deep places within the human condition that we all know and feel. The Timber Rattlers are an energetic bluegrass band from Missoula, MT. They pull inspiration from their traditional roots, but continue to push their boundaries in the realm of acoustic music. Aidan Duffield and Rex Koenig play Irish and Appalachian fiddle and Old Timey tunes. 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/.
Public Serpents w/ Pay No Mind & Big Mosquito
Tuesday, December 3 // Door at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $10 Advance // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Public Serpents are a six piece ska-core band from New Jersey, USA, fronted by Skwert Gunn, the drummer in New York seminal squat punk band Choking Victim.Since Public Serpents first entered the scene in 2008 with their debut album “The Feeding Of The Fortune 5000,” they’ve appeared on splits with bands UpperDowner and recent Fat Wreck Chords signee Escape From The Zoo, receiving critical acclaim in the worldwide crack-rock-steady scene. Public Serpents has toured and shared stages with incredible acts like Escape From The Zoo, Days and Daze, The Suicide Machines, Catbite, Rancid, Voodoo Glow Skills, Hot Water Music, The Menzingers, and so many more, and has played renowned festival stages across the globe including Podparou Festival (Czech Republic), SBÄM Festival (Austria), Brakrock Festival (Belgium), Rebellion Festival and Boomtown Fair (England). Following their second upcoming release on SBÄM Records (Austria), the band has plans to return to the studio in September 2024 to write and release a third full length album on an undetermined record label. 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. Pay No Mind is a skate punk band with hardcore and thrash influences consisting of former members of Stoned to Death and Super Sport (Great Falls). They have taken Missoula by storm opening for touring bands and supporting the local music scene. Two of their members are students at the U of M and have played shows on campus and supported headliner acts throughout town.
Joyer w/ The Pond & (latent)
Monday, December 9 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 Advance // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Joyer formed in New Jersey in 2017, and after releasing two self-recorded demo collections, they released their first studio album, Sun Into Flies, in 2020, followed by Perfect Gray in 2021. Night Songs marks a departure from their hushed slowcore beginnings and displays a more expansive sound—from blowtorched shoegaze guitars and poppier vocals to melancholy synths and pastoral lap steel. Fittingly, their detour into twistier, heavier territory coincides with the depraved nature of nighttime activities, and their foray into a more hi-fi, pop-forward direction aligns with the stark clarity that pitch-black skies provide. Their devilish distortion also functions as a cathartic foil to their quiet, real-life demeanors, and was informed by their live shows, which increasingly featured gnarlier versions of past Joyer songs. The more Joyer traveled to new places, the more they connected with like-minded artists, and consequently, Night Songs became their most collaborative record to date—also featuring appearances from Teethe’s Boone Patrello (guitar and piano on “777”) and Kitchen’s James Keegan (synth on “Night Song”). Another friend recorded and mastered the album, Big Nice Studio’s Bradford Krieger (Horse Jumper of Love, Squirrel Flower), who they describe as a magician and worked on their two previous full-lengths, while Drop of Sun Studios’ Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Indigo De Souza) mixed the LP and was a new addition to Joyer’s sonic universe, bringing a newfound polish. The writing and recording process for Night Songs was by far the longest period they’ve spent working on a Joyer record, and its dynamic songwriting and dense textures—beaming, blinking and evaporating like the headlights of distant traffic—bear this out. The Pond is Tender slowcore melancholy. They’ve got a new album coming out sometime with the band fka Bombshell Nightlight. (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.
WHUT? (Chicago) w/ Try Again & Pay No Mind
Sunday, November 17 // Doors at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $15 Hailing from Chicago, IL, WHUT? delivers a straightforward sonic assault! Fast, heavy, direct, & to the point, this 5 piece DIY Hardcore/Thrash/Crossover outfit pull no punches! WHUT? Is Gregory Charles – Guitar, Philly D – Drums, J. Keen – Vocals, Jerome Marshall – Guitar, and Boe Jangles – Bass. Try Again is a hardcore band that emphasizes PMA. Positive Mental Attitude permeates the lyrics and intention of their songs. Taking pages from many books, they are insistent on being heavy, innovative and invigorating. Weaving a fascinating presence and captivating sound, their acumen is refined through years of experience both of the life and stage variety. Seeing a Try Again set has been known to induce feelings of euphoria, well-founded confidence and breakneck headbanging. Pay No Mind is a skate punk band with hardcore and thrash influences consisting of former members of Stoned to Death and Super Sport (Great Falls). They have taken Missoula by storm opening for touring bands and supporting the local music scene. Two of their members are students at the U of M and have played shows on campus and supported headliner acts throughout town. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Donkey Fest ‘24: Donkey Island + Donkey Okay + (Mystery Guest)
Friday, November 22 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter More than an isolated land mass, Donkey Island is a state of mind. Founded by former members of Blessiddoom, Juveniles and the Bowie tribute band Glass Spiders, this trio of Missoula dads needed a space to unwind. Saxophone player Nathan Hoyme birthed this trio when he was finally ready to share a trove of songs for guitar which he had been secretly writing for decades. He called on power groovster Al Gooday to lay down some bass in order to electrify Nathan’s secret angsty ballads. Paul Rosen plugged in some heavy beats and brought his own secret songs which had been trying to escape his head since he was a teenager. With hints of sounds from classic Minnesota 80s Rock to alt-country and even grooves that’ll get you shaking that ass, a visit to Donkey Island is sure to quench anyone’s thirst for electric noise. 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. The only thing we can say about the Mystery Guest is that they too are fueled by pure donkey power. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Sunshine Deity w/ Heavyweight & Verne
Wednesday, November 20 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Sunshine Deity is based out of Missoula, MT. The band has Connor Racicot on keys, Llwyn Clark-Gaynor on drums, Evan Nesbitt on bass, Cameron Kinney on guitar, Cade Chastain on alto sax, Sean Stineford on trombone and Jolene Green on vocals/tenor sax. The band was started by its frontwoman, Jolene, and plays her original music which is a blend of jazz, low-fi, soul, hip hop, and metal. The band members are all former or current top music students at the University of Montana and use their formal training to create a sound that is new, unique, and informed. 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! Verne is a Missoula born and raised musician who loves playing saxophone, and writing original music. Their current music involves songwriting with a looper. Layering guitar, vocals, saxophone, and piano, the resulting songs are inspired by modern jazz, alternative rock, and folk music. 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, November 18 // 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/.
