LSD and the Search for God w/ Harsh Intention
Sunday, March 29 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 8 PM // $25 ADV // $30 DOS LSD and the Search for God hit the Northern California coast in 2005––seemingly from another place and time––dosing San Francisco with hypnotic shows built upon swirling guitars, otherworldly drones, fuzzed-out pop melodies, and dreamy vocal harmonies. With reviews of early shows and recordings drawing comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Yo La Tengo, Spacemen 3, and Sonic Youth, the band quickly developed a must-see reputation within the underground psychedelic music scene. When LSD finally released their self-titled debut EP (Mind Expansion Records, 2007) it sold out from the record label prior to the official release date. It earned critical acclaim and continues to frequently appear on lists of essential shoegaze releases. The EP was twice reissued on vinyl (Deep Space Recordings, 2008, 2015), twice on cassette (Cellar Door Tapes, 2015), and selected tracks were featured on three compilations: Mind Expansion Vol. 1, M.E. Vol. 2, and Australian nugazer compilation Take Me on the Wildest Spree (Rubber Records/EMI, 2008).LSD’s most recent release, Heaven Is a Place (Space Age Recordings, 2016), captures a snapshot in time soon after Ricky Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre) temporarily joined the band on drums. Like the self-titled EP, it garnered critical acclaim and frequented many Best Of lists. Pop Matters calls it, “a long-awaited sermon for the faithful and a blazing induction for new converts,” while Primal Music says it’s “another astonishing collection of five psychedelic stories glistening with the same spaced out ingredients that blew my mind way back in 2007.” LSD’s time and space travels have led them all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including tours with Martin Rev (Suicide), Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3), and The Telescopes, as well as appearances at Levitation–Austin Psych Fest, SoCal’s Desert Daze, Manchester’s Cosmosis Festival (with The Jesus and Mary Chain), Bathysphere (with A Place To Bury Strangers), twice at Desert Stars (first with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, then The Dandy Warhols), Calgary’s Garbage Daze, and Portugal’s Reverence Valada (with The Damned, The Oh Sees, and Silver Apples). A new record is currently in the works. Harsh Intention is a sexy heartthrob musical duo.
Jules Jensen Album Release Show w/ Still Ugly & Chloe Tschetter
Saturday, February 28 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Jules Jensen plays acoustic music inspired by Elliott Smith, Pigeon Pit, Flatsound, Plumtree, and most importantly, her friends.
Lovesick Ball w/ Malcolm Contreras and Soup Du Jour & The Dead & Down
Thursday, February 12 // Doors at 7:00 // Show at 7:30 // $12 Malcolm and his band are a 4 piece consisting of Lane Ulberg, Llwyn Clark-Gaynor, and Cooper Godfried. These fellas put on a spectacular spectacle, only seen about once every two months that ranges from indie rock to shoegaze to ambient music, folk, and bedroom pop. The Dead & Down are an indie roots-rock band inspired as much by the vast landscapes and dramatic mountain ranges of their Montana home as they are by the myriad musical influences that weave through their sound. Based around the introspective songwriting and dusty vocals of frontman Taylor Burlage, the band navigates sonic trails between rust-flecked alt country and atmospheric indie rock, with detours through psychedelia and genre-bending experimentation. They have opened for the likes of Fruition, Futurebirds, The Last Revel and Blind Pilot. They have hit the stage at Zootown Music Festival, Treefort Music Fest and more. Their 2024 release, No Broken Bones, displays the sound of a band willing to take chances and explores the human condition in fun and surprising ways. “The Dead & Down have a sound that doesn’t fit into one bin. They combine elements of Country, Americana, and Rock for a sonic experience that stays interesting. Their new song, “Switchbacks” has a solid country-rock feel, but the break in the middle is a lot more akin to prog rock. It’s a combo that works!” – Bob Wall, KGVM Bozeman “Alt-country, but on the moon––– and still so down to earth.” – The Pulp, Missoula
Magic Castles w/ Sasha Bell Band & J.A.D.E.
Monday, November 10 // Door at 7:00 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Minneapolis’ musician Jason Edmonds started self-releasing music as the Magic Castles in the late aughts, and has since refined his dreamy take on psychedelic music, creating a lush Byrdsian soundscape that has grown more clear and direct over time. Known for her work with New York baroque ensemble Ladybug Transistor and Elephant 6 psych pop group, The Essex Green, Sasha Bell is a multi-faceted performer and musician most heralded for her sweetly melodic vocals and lithe instrumentation. She currently lives in Missoula. MT with band members John Fleming, Bryan Ramirez, Chris Bacon and Colin Johnson. 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.
Jared Justen w/ Spencer Kellum & Madeleine Tucker
Friday, September 5 // Doors at 7:30 PM // Show at 8 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Indie singer-songwriter Jared Justen is not an artist one can easily pigeonhole. He’s known for the refreshing variety and unique intricacy of his songwriting, exploring his own mind and emotional spectrum in carefully crafted, lyrical reflections. An idiosyncratic, highly introspective artist, Justen was raised on a broad mix of late-90s music, ranging from gangsta rap to underground indie rock and everything in between. That diversity still informs his stripped-down, emotionally complex sound, characterized by expansive exploration of mental and musical possibilities. Weaving together elements from a wide range of genres, his genre-defiant boldness evokes pioneering acts like Ben Harper, while his intimate vocal style draws comparisons to folk icons like Devendra Banhart, José González, and Pete Seeger. Spencer Kellum is a dynamic and genre-defying musician known for crafting thought-provoking, lyrically rich music that resonates deeply with listeners. Hailing from the soulful city of Memphis, Tennessee, Spencer Kellum has toured the western United States as a solo artist, captivating audiences with heartfelt performances and a genuine connection to the human experience.Driven by a passion for expressing the myriad emotions of the soul, Spencer Kellum brings an unforgettable energy to the stage. Whether delivering intimate acoustic moments or putting a unique spin on your favorite covers, every show is a journey that leaves fans craving more. Madeleine Tucker is a musician and visual artist from Missoula, Montana.
Briana Marela & Dorris Doom
Tuesday, July 29 // Door at 7:00 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Briana Marela is a Peruvian American composer, vocalist, and performing artist based out of Oakland, CA. Using her voice as a focal point, she makes use of visually engaging elements of tech augmented gestures and objects to compose and perform her music live. Her gestural and lyrical song performances draw from elements of both experimental electronic music and vocal driven pop music. Using a visual programming language and machine learning, she is able to make custom tools to create compositions with varying fixed elements that transition into moments of improvisation. She was most recently a spatial sound artist in residence at Audium in San Francisco for their residency New Voices IV, performing her multi-channel piece live every weekend from February to April 2025. She is currently a Montalvo Lucas Arts Music and Composition fellow. She received an MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College in 2020. Her newest full length release My Inner Rest, is due to be released on June 6th 2025 via AKP Recordings. Marela has self-released past albums, as well as releasing records with Jagjaguwar, Surface World and PIAPTK.
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.
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.
Beau Akimbo Album Release Party
Thursday, October 24 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Formed in 2020, Beau Akimbo is a Missoula-based Indie Pop band that is crafting their sound over the last four years. Their music consists of lush harmonies, earworm melodies, and tongue and cheek lyrics about their fucked up 20’s. Their music resembles the influences of bands like The Magnetic Fields, Lake Street Dive, Avett Brothers, Stevie Wonder, and more. Come join them for the release of their debut album at the ZACC. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Ivory Daze w/ Wildlands & Perfect Blue
Tuesday, September 3 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15-$20 Artist Supporter Ivory Daze is an alternative shoegaze band from Lincoln, Nebraska formed in early 2022. Consisting of Isahen Harms, Maeve Nelson, and Van Foster. They released their debut EP “Doing Just Great” in May of 2023 and released their newest single “Junebug” August 16th. The band seamlessly mixes new sounds and ideas with classic 90s grunge influences while consistently pushing how much power a three piece can have. Wildlands is an aspiring Indie Rock Quartet based out of Missoula. The band creates and performs with an electrifying stage presence for all to enjoy. The power of the songwriting and the chemistry between the members creates an infectious atmosphere full of excitement, heartbreak and the urge to move around. Wildlands is here to inspire, entertain and show the world the passion of music. The band consists of Ben MC, the snow loving frontman. Josh Streit, the resident electrician that rips on the guitar. Runyon Matthews, the 1# King Gizzard fan that lays down the bass and Spencer Nelson the Titan of sound behind the drums. Perfect Blue is an Instrumental, Experimental Post-Rock band from Missoula, Montana. 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/.
