Ashley Young w/ Taylor Burlage & Heart Machine (Solo)
Friday, May 9 // Door at 7:00 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15- $20 Artist Supporter Ticket Just below the Arctic Circle, in the heart of her Ancestral land in Alaska, songwriter Ashley Young captivates with her fiery, lush vocals. With a warmth that feels like a conversation with an old friend, she invites listeners into her world of honesty and infectious laughter. Her music defies genre, driven by an unquenchable curiosity and a desire to explore vulnerable truths that many shy away from discussing. From whispered confessions to powerful, soaring belting, her dynamic performances are best described as “journal rock,” where every note tells a personal story. Her melodies can silence a room, while her laughter fills it with life. After years of being a bedroom songwriter and guitar player, Taylor was launched rather unceremoniously into his first band in 2019 and began to explore the power and possibility of playing for other people. Over the years his songwriting has taken on a texture reflective of the mountains he grew up in, using their power and imagery to craft songs that navigate life, loss, and joys and heartbreak of the human condition. His debut album “I Might Be Gone” was released May 2023 Heart Machine is an Indie Americana act from Fairbanks, AK. A deep dive into the sacred and profane, their sound has been described as “Northern Gothic”, with a gravitas and humor that ranges from spoken confessional to howled exorcism. Spring of 2025 Heart Machine will dropping their first LP “Rites” wherever you stream your music, as well as on compact disc, for the dads.
Now That’s What I Call the 2000’s with Hot Stepdad & MP3
Tuesday, May 6 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // Free and Open to the Public! **$10 Suggested Donation The University of Montana School of Music Commercial Music Ensembles are proud to present Hot Step Dad and MP3, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 7:30 pm at the ZACC. Admission is free for all, but there is a suggested donation of $10. The Commercial Music Ensembles at the University of Montana are dedicated to teaching students the skills necessary to be in a pop band and to be gigging musicians. Most songs they perform are covers, but they also perform original songs written by students of the group. Each semester, the students collaborate within their band to create a setlist for their end of semester performance. Each student is able to suggest a song, and throughout the semester they learn each song. This semester, the bands have the theme of Y2k. Each song of their setlist is from the early 2000s. “I really love playing in CME because John and Bryan are not only teaching us about how to make the music sound good, but also how to perform to a professional caliber.” – Danger Gersh (Hot Stepdad) “I’m looking forward to wearing a funny outfit and playing Britney Spears for all my friends.” – Sam Haveron (MP3)
Icarus w/ TBA & J.A.D.E.
Thursday, May 15 // Door at 7:30 PM // Show at 8:00 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Ticket Icarus is a Rock band based in Bozeman, MT. The band shares a deep passion for jamming and creating unique art. Their influences include Kyuss, Primus, and a hint of Bob Marley. Icarus has a knack for conjuring diverse soundscapes, described by some as a thrashy Black Sabbath. Their first album Elysian Sun was released in April of 2025. 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. TBA is a Ska/Punk band from Missoula, MT. Relatively new to the scene, the guys are getting the party started!!
In Tune Missoula 2025
Thursday, April 17 // Door at 6:00 PM // $50 In Tune Missoula is dedicated to ensuring that family income is not an obstacle to middle school students learning how to sing or play a musical instrument. Music by Connor Racicot Jazz Quartet and The Western Front Band. Catering by Biga Pizza. A silent auction … a celebration of music educators … a great time for a great cause! Purchase tickets at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/1864/
Hammerhead Jack w/ Cowshit Kate
Monday, May 5 // Door at 7:00 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 ADV // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Hammerhead Jack is a local guitar driven Blues band. We combine smooth & tasty with high energy to give us our own organic feel – & plenty of slide guitar ! Since starting in October 2022 we have done over 50 shows, bringing “Blues You Can use” to western Montana – and now to the ZACC !!
The Sussex School Pop Rocks
Friday, May 2 // Door at 6:30 PM // Show at 7:00 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Join Us for an Unforgettable Performance by The Pop Rocks! We are The Pop Rocks, an ensemble from Sussex School, an independent progressive school in Missoula. Our group consists of eight talented members from grades six, seven, and eight, performing on bass, guitar, drums, viola, vocals, and keys. After seven months of dedicated practice and collaboration, we are excited to showcase our hard work with a dynamic performance at the ZACC. Our setlist features eleven carefully arranged songs, blending a variety of pop and rock styles that range from slow and soulful to upbeat and high-energy—living up to our name, The Pop Rocks! This performance marks the culmination of our efforts throughout the year, and we would love for you to join us for this special event. Get ready, because The Pop Rocks are about to take the stage and rock the night! We hope to see you there!
the pond Album Release w/ Sung Mountains & Levi Minson
Saturday, May 17 // Door at 8:00 PM // Show at 8:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter the pond is an indie-rock/slowcore band out of Butte, Montana built up around the tender and earnest songs of Jon Cardiello. Painting small corners of everyday life, Cardiello finds meaning in the mundane, processing both his innermost self and the world around him. The songs display a radical intimacy as Cardiello touches on grieving his father’s death, the pains of a drawn out breakup, and the clarity of new love.While the moniker ‘the pond’ is new, the project has been around for almost a decade under the name Bombshell Nightlight. The name change to the pond marks a new chapter with a new album, A Year As A Cloud coming out May 2025. The new tone is still melancholic, and somber, but brings forth a new sense of grit and directness that pushes Cardiello’s songs to their full potential. Levi Minson is a singer-songwriter currently based in Sacramento, California. Growing up in the Central Valley as part of the third generation of a Dust Bowl family, Levi’s songwriting is rooted in rurality and memory. He uses his music to work through hope and loss and fear and love, imbuing his songs with painful nostalgia and a Californian identity separate from Los Angeles or San Francisco. Sung Mountains is the musical project of multidisciplinary artists Kelly Schirmann and Jay Fiske, and sometimes others. Their music sounds like “meditative light, plains of gold before mountain blue” (from their favorite review). Their album “Sanctuary” is available to stream on Bandcamp and everywhere else.
Spirit Hotel w/ Dylan Running Crane & Renter
Tuesday, April 29 // Door at 7:00 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 or $20 Artist Supporter Nataanii Cornelius wants you to know Spirit Hotel is a haunted heart. Blending country, punk, shoegaze, and anything that tumbles in her thoughts- she sings the blues about love and loss in a way that checks in, checks out, and ensures every cowpoke and cowpunk is gonna feel it. Dylan Running Crane is a singer-songwriter from Browning, Montana, a place that remains the subject of most of her work. Her vibe is country meets rez-folk meets tender and silly. Check out her work with Cry Baby – https://crybabymissoula.bandcamp.com/track/missoula
Arrowleaf w/ No Fancy
Thursday, May 1 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Arrowleaf is an indie rock band from Missoula. Arrowleaf pairs washy guitar work, humming bass, and the occasional riotous trumpet with delicate anecdotes; dreamy conversations are carried by wistful harmonies. Arrowleaf’s 2021 album Getting By tacitly and pleasantly reconciles the unfolding of shared events with specific stories and feelings. Featuring the songwriting of Sarah Marker, the band is filled out by the thoughtful work of Brady Schwertfeger, Jake Whitecar, Peter Puczkowskyj, Amanda Ceaser, and Jon Filkins. Missoula, MT indie rockers No Fancy have always abided by their namesake rule—let’s just rock, nothing fancy. Their 2016 debut album Basement Life was an impressive display of tight, cohesive songwriting from the trio of Jordan Meyer-Morey, Maxy Dutcher (himself, Twinsleep), and Ray Lombardi (The Best Westerns). The record’s catchy, smart vocals, and distinct syncopated drumming earned the group local renown, and they polished off their live shows with the addition of James Riach (Catamount) on lead guitar, and later Brady Schwertfeger (Norwell) replacing Lombardi on bass. Appearances at Original Festival, Plus One Fest, and other shows across Montana and the Pacific Northwest were followed by the release of their single So Good in 2017, a lush anthem mixed and mastered by Brian McTear at Miner Street Recordings. After an indefinite hiatus prompted by adult responsibilities, No Fancy has reemerged with a fresh gripof songs in the Terrible Things EP, but the same lease on life. The core of Meyer-Morey, Riach, andSchwertfeger—now with the help of Jon Filkins’ (The Skurfs, Arrowleaf) formidable session drumming,and Tyler Duncan (Wilma Laverne Miner) for the live band—know that the recipe for tasteful basementrock has sharp lines and few tricks. The three new tracks pick up where the previous releases left off,and fans of Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, and other indie heroes will recognize the sound ofdistortion and chorus fostered from the outset with a millennial maturity, and a commitment to directdelivery that knows its purpose—simple is better.
Academy Order w/ DJ Sister Midnite
Monday, March 31 // Door at 7:30 PM // Show at 8:00 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Since 2021, Academy Order have been honing their sound through various releases and live incarnations, expertly showcasing elements of death rock, punk, new wave, and even hardcore in a sonic amalgamation that is uniquely their own, while remaining just familiar enough to keep heads nodding. Now they surge forth with a debut LP, unleashing “A New Kind of Fear” to solidify an approach that touches nerves both lyrically and musically via counterpoints of aggression and melody not so commonly coupled in the broad genre of post-punk. The deliciously cold attack of driving guitars and Matthew’s demanding vocals weighed against synth lines straight from the 80’s dance floor and Norelle’s angelic vocal hooks bring the shadowy rhythm of the whole album to halting depths and infectious heights. Fans of seminal acts such as 45 Grave, Clan of Xymox, and TSOL may find themselves moving just as readily as those who enjoy Danse Society, Bleached Cross, and Chain Cult.
