James McMurtry
Saturday, June 22 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 8 PM // $25 Advance // $30 DOS “Lyrically gritty, musically gutsy, go tell ‘em all…we need James McMurtry bringin’ us more.” —Andrew Farrris, INXS “James McMurtry may be the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation” —Stephen King “I first became aware of James McMurtry’s formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the ’90s,” says New West president John Allen. “He’s a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James’ already successful and respected career.” McMurtry perfectly fits a label housing “artists who perform real music for real people.” After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter’s most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry — who’s not prone to autobiographical tales — credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.” His lauded storytelling — check out songs such as “Operation Never Mind” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” on The Horse and the Hounds— consistently has turned heads for decades now. “James writes like he’s lived a lifetime,” said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don’t think anybody writes better lyrics.” McMurtry’s albums Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005) back the claim, each scoring endless critical praise. The former earned McMurtry his highest Billboard 200 chart position in two decades (since eclipsed by Complicated Game) and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Childish Things spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006, and won the Americana Music Association’s Album of the Year, with “We Can’t Make It Here” named the organization’s Song of the Year. Other accolades include a 1996 Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body and an American Indie Award for Best Americana Album for It Had to Happen (1997). McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances, reflected in the release of two live discs: the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records, and 2009’s Live in Europe, which captured the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, Live in Europe features special guests Ian McLagan (Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). 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/.
Jackson Holte & The Highway Patrol w/ Joseph Running Crane
Wednesday, May 18 // Doors at 7:30 PM // 8 PM // $10 // $15 Tour Supporter Ticket Jackson Holte & The Highway Patrol are a Grammy-eligible rock and roll band from Missoula, MT, formed by several of the town’s greasiest bar-band veterans in 2017. Jackson Holte is a hard-nosed, soft-spoken folk singer who aspires only to possess the cathartic wit of John Prine and the biceps of Kris Kristofferson. The Highway Patrol are Landon George on drums, Eric Rudnick on guitars, and Marko “The Midnight Shadow” Capoferri on bass. They have been called “a pretty rippin’ band” by U.S. Senator Jon Tester, “a cavalcade of horses on the plains of America” by an independent Portuguese music podcast, and “heroes” by the owner of a small Chinese restaurant in Virginia City. Their most recent album, Last Rain of the Summer, was released in March 2020. www.highwaypatrolrocknroll.com @highwaypatrolrocknroll Joseph Running Crane is a singer/songwriter from Browning, MT, the cultural and administrative center of the Amskapii Piikunii nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
