Sara
Diggins
Little Basement
Big Sound
When the band is nearly one tenth of the people in the venue, there is either a problem, or a very large band. At the Z.A.C.C. Below on Saturday night, Jan. 19, 2019, it was a large band.
The 12-person, all-student soul/rock band The Fertile Crescent packed the Northside basement with nearly 130 UM students, teachers, and Missoulians. The show marked the band's last for a few months, as frontman, vocalist, and bass Kyle Curtis will be taking the semester off school to pursue his other passion: the outdoors.
The Fertile Crescent at the ZACC
In the last few years, Curtis has emerged as a force in the Missoula DIY music scene. He recorded a solo album, Camelopardalis, in the Eel Pit in December, and performed with several bands over the past few years.
Curtis started The Fertile Crescent back in August. "I wanted it to be all people who are super passionate about music," he said, adding that he hopes to inspire people to do the things they are passionate about.
The band also challenged Curtis, giving him the opportunity to arrange music—his own and covers—for 12 people. These 12 people brought their passion, hard work, and love for music to the Z.A.C.C stage.
The audience danced the night away, filling the space with smiles and movement. Curtis summarized the night with a facebook post to the group's page hours after the performance: "weehoo!! good times with friends tonight guys, huh?"