Missoula Active Band Database

Just popping my head up from my underground lair to let y’all know that there’s a nifty local project going on: the Missoula Active Band database! It’s a Google doc based on the Bellingham model.

Check it out to see what bands are active and find contacts if you need to fill out a bill.

Also: some rad shows coming up, including Big Business at the Badlander on June 27. woooooooooooooo

mother may I

hello! quick note to say that I am alive, and that it would be really feeble of me if I only ever posted on this blog to tell you about when “my” band is playing shows. so I am definitely not posting here, now, to do that. how silly.

anyhoo the show calendar is updated, which I do try to do with regularity although I am less clued-in to the scene these days since I’m not a calendar editor, nor am I going out to shows as often. Full-time, 9-5 work will make you a poser. I’m just telling you right now.

shoutout to the touring bands who have been contacting me, yes, I am delighted that summer touring season is starting! reminder that the FAQ on the site is still a handy resource and I am still not booking shows. I leave that to the Martys and Kyleses of this world.

also, worthy events are coming up include Eel Fest on May 27, Glass Spiders in Butte on June 11, Helms Alee at the Palace on June 19 and Amayafest on June 27.

party on.

four 20, brah

‘sup kids. The weather is here, wish you were beautiful.

Just popping in to say NEW MEAN JEANS is streaming! And The Falcon announced West Coast tour dates, and a contingent of Missoula nerds will probably hit up the SLC one. The show calendar is a bit sparse right now but I’ll update it in a bit.

Rock Lotto IV: nope, I still don’t care about Led Zeppelin

photos as blurry as my recollections

I tried, I really did, but I can’t with the Led Zeppelin. I even recognize that some of those songs technically sound pretty cool! “We come from the land of the ice and snow/From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.” What a nifty lyric! “Ramble On” has references to Lord of the Rings in it, yes, I know! And yet I feel nothing for it.

BUT, I do care deeply about partying with a slew of rad people and watching weird creative performance, which Rock Lotto IV: Zoso delivered in spades. Here are my assorted notes from Rock Lotto, as I haphazardly typed them into my notepad app. I gently edited these for clarity in some places, redacted some enormously inappropriate comments, but mostly left any whiskey-soaked autocorrect errors as they were.

Also when I don’t know a band’s name, it is designated as according to my friends who are in that band. We here at Missoula Punk News practice flagrant favoritism.

Amy’s photos rule

I took a bunch of real lousy iPod photos, but you should go check out Amy Donovan’s incredible photos from the night.

9:05 p.m.

Flint Water! First up. Just realized what that name references. Hippie vibes.

9:27 p.m.

Jamie’s Band When the Dental Dam Breaks kicks off with Janis’ “Mercedez Benz.” (They went on to kill it with a Kinks cover that I really dug.)

9:34 p.m.

dang I should worn beads and fringe

9:35 p.m.

Jamie’s band: “I’d like to dedicate this song to my grandma, who’s in the front row right now.”

9:38 p.m.

Men in spangly short shorts! Sarah Meismer in pants like a couch! Fucking gold lamé!

9:41 p.m.

“Is this a Led Zeppelin song?”

“Yes, the last three of these have been Zeppelin songs. But they do all sound the same”

(ETA: okay yes, fine, that was me who asked that)

9:59 p.m.

Jean Pain band with Hermina on drums, fucking weird, it’s about time

(ETA: Jean Pain all dressed up in homemade masks and headdresses made out of denim, and the singer sang into a vocoder and they finished with a cover of ABBA’s “Fernando.”)

10:03 p.m.

Oh God, I got on Twitter:

@kettlemt erotic jean dances and vocoder rn pic.twitter.com/ZqOVeLRKkU

— Whittler On The Roof (@kettlemt) February 28, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

10:28 p.m.

Jessica’s band Fiyah! is bringing the hair and the reggae. (That curly haired Robert Plant wig made several appearances that night.)

10:36 p.m.

Jess’s band crushed the only Led Zeppelin song I know (ETA: not sure which song that was, lol)

10:41 p.m.

And now we just sang happy birthday to a singer’s mom?

10:42 p.m.

Rock Lotto Committee says “Marty will give you a screaming deal on t-shirts if you’re in a band and [blankity blank] you to death if you’re not”

11:10 p.m.

And then I missed the band [Sex Police] that did Kashmir, I am a jerk. Someone was singing Weeknd songs in the stairwell of the parking garage tho. On Point.

(ETA: I went out to get food from Masala and had missed it. I’m told they slayed. My FOMO is very real.)

11:24 p.m.

Yea Amanda’s band Mud Shark is doing a weird alt-electronic version of “Whole Lotta Love.”

(There’s a significant gap here where I went upstairs to the Rose to chill out. and by chill out I mean I belted out an extremely incorrect rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” along with the jukebox. the ending chorus really does sound like “A BANANAAAA, A BANANAAA,” you know. I think that’s mostly when Backdoor Man & The Secret Shakes with Kia and Dave Jones played. There was a gong even!)

Feb 28, 12:10 a.m.

Ok some other bands played including Kia’s amazing band and the Rock Lotto Committee conceded that that was not entirely randomly chosen. Also whoever is about to play said “Give it up for old people!”

Oh it’s Lit Zipline

Feb. 28, 12:12 a.m.

Oh, fucking Coach Shane is i. A band

Feb. 28, 12:38 a.m.

Coach Shane and Tricia Opstad’s band sits down for acoustic “Stairway” and hand-clapping group jams, v cool, so weird these people would be randomly assigned to a band right

Marty is now supposed to be selling shirts for five dollars

Feb. 28, 1 a.m.

Sarah and Davenport band [Hot Air Buffoon] yay! I am gonna pass out soon tho

…

and thus concludes the Missoula Punk News staff report on Rock Lotto IV.

NEW MEAN JEANS

Hello everyone! I’ve updated the show calendar; there’s a ton going on in the next few weeks, including Rock Lotto IV, Tummyfest at the ZACC, Glass Spiders and Reverend Horton Heat.

ALSO THERE IS A NEW MEAN JEANS TRACK AND I’M ABOUT TO LISTEN TO IT

that is all.

Long Live Eel Fest

What up, nerds. So Total Fest is over, but now some of the Eel crew are putting together Eel Fest for Missoula in July. You know, the “eels” who keep posting “canceeled” in events and ceaselessly posting ridiculous memes.

Per the event description, which can be found on the Eel Fest Facebook page: “EEL FEST is a non-profit, diy, punk/hardcore/folk/whatever else I feel like music festival happening every third week of July in Missoula, MT. h”

If you are interested in playing Eel Fest, hit up Eel.fest.msla [at] gmail.com for all the dirty details. I do not condone their incredibly irritating memes, but I do highly condone and encourage DIY punk shows.

If you live in the Missoula area, Mr. Davenport of Deadbeats and various Internet memes has this message for you:

Eel fest needs some funding. I have a recording space/equipment. See where this is going? I want to record yer shit in exchange for the necessary evil aka money. Do I care what you’re recording? NOPE! Let me break this down for ya:

FULL BAND AKA THE DEMO DEEL: simple. Either your band comes to my space, or I go to your practice space (and set up some of my mobile acoustic treatment) and we do all at once takes. I mix it down, send it to ya, instant demo. $75 for the whole thing.

STUDIO SHIT: typical set up. Recording each instrument separately, starting with the rhythm section. $50 per session (more or less per instrument). I can send you raw tracks if you want someone else to mix it or I can do mixing for an additional $50

SOLO/SPOKEN WORD: you want to do some kind of voice over thing? Maybe you’re just a singer/song writer type with a guitar? Hell, maybe you’ve got some sick ass beats and want to lay down some fire on the mic. $50 will get you however much you can get done in 2 hours. I can send you raw tracks if you want someone else to mix it or I can do mixing for an additional $50

LIVE SET: Looking for that live experience? I can work something out. You need to tell me where your next show is so I can work with the sound guy to get his shit into my shit, all figured out, before the show. I’d be recording your whole set. $75 for raw tracks, $100 for Recording and mixing.

JUST MIXIN’: already have a bunch of raw tracks that need mixing? That’ll be $50 boo. Turn around time is 2-3 weeks, depending on quality of the raw tracks and what you want it to sound like. This is the only option i can do for outside of Missoula area folks.

If you want to listen to anything I’ve done prior, head on over to jackrecords.bandcamp.com and take gander with yer ears. Hit me up on here or email bigdiaperboy666 [at] gmail.com for appointments. I’ll be much more open starting in March.

You can tell he’s legit because of that email address. Good luck errybody!

-Kate

Please send me your best-of list so I don’t have to write one

To the three people who read this site: It’s going dark for the next few weeks, on account of the holidays and not many shows to write about and my life being generally ridiculous. I’m hoping to start back up again around the New Year with some year-in-review posts and such.

If you would like to submit a year-in-review or favorite albums of 2015 post, that would be excellent. I am generally quite reachable at missoulapunknews [at] gmail.

stay golden, pony boys.

so you got a raise this week, so you got a new car

hey Missoula! I fell down a lot on an icy slope last weekend and it hurts to type, so this’ll be brief. You know, totally unlike most of the elaborate and well-thought-out posts on this internet website.

anyway! frickin KYLESA Tuesday nite at Stage 112 with Eat Strike opening. see you in da pit.

In Sellout News: A Dopamines song was played during Sunday Night Football. I imagine the band has already relocated to a private island and will never release another album.

(That last part seems likely, sadly.)

anyhoo, this week is Thanksgiving and I’ll probably continue posting as much as you’d expect, which is to say hardly at all. party on kids.

Shellshag forever!

Shellshag’s rad homemade setup

Whatta Monday! Shellshag rolled into town at 9 PM and we all met up at Fred’s, for 45 unforgettable minutes that words can’t quite describe. Then we rolled to the VFW for a swimmingly good time with Hermanas Y Hermanas (more Jawbreaker-y every day!) and Midnight Hotdog, who had a proposal halfway through their set! Congrats to Mikki and Max! Holy crap!

photo party time outside of Fred’s

Shellshag played a rad set with much boogying, and this time I did not fall down. I dig it when bands set up on the floor and the crowd stands around in a circle; makes for a much more fun and intimate experience, and nobody has to get stuck behind a tall person.

Then we all partied in Marty’s freezing garage and some wonderful lady showed up with a Piehole pizza. Shellshag said they plan to come back Lewis and Clark style and float down the river while playing live. Sounds like a plan.

So today I feel fantastic, but totes worth it. <3s to Shellshag and here’s hoping the rest of their crazy-long tour goes without a hitch.

In other news: Noisey has a profile of Dillinger Four that I am about to read, and Iron and Wine covered Gwar for AV Club. (Talk about things I never expected to say.)

❤ ❤ ❤

missoulapunknews [at] gmail

and now the slow march toward death

welp, my favorite holiday is over, nothing left to look forward to but seasonal affective disorder and hot buttered rum!

Rachel Patrie sings “Under Pressure” with Glass Spiders. posted by the Palace/Badlander on Instagram

I didn’t manage to get any photos of Glass Spiders because I was too busy getting rad and being awesome, as I think most attendees were.

I’ll try to update the show calendar in a bit here. Looks like this month’s Thursday nite residency at the VFW is with somebody called Drift???

Oh, also, Kylesa comes through town on Tue., Nov. 24, and I’ll try to get fully amped up for that shortly here.