By Kate Bartlett
The village of Ellicottville will again come alive in celebration of Mardi Gras and the annual Winter Carnival on March 14 & 15. It’s become an annual tradition for The Brass Machine, a Buffalo based brass band, to lead the parade on Saturday with their high-energy, New Orleans Style jazz music, then keep the party going at Villaggio with a live performance directly following the parade.
The Brass Machine has led the Mardi Gras parade for the past 4 years and feels fortunate to be a part of this event. Kyle Yagielski, founder of The Bass Machine, describes the parade as a one-of-a-kind experience, a true “Mardi Gras” in the small town of Ellicottville. “The energy is just awesome,” ex-plains Kyle. “It’s a high-energy, family-friendly event.” The Brass Machine plays the upbeat, New Orleans Style jazz that their band was founded on during the parade, then switches to a more all-encompassing music style during their Villaggio performance. “It’s a multifaceted event,” explains Kyle. “We love playing the more traditional New Orleans-style “trad jazz” music in the parade, but it’s great to break it down and throw a funky party at Villaggio afterwards.”
Founded in 2015, The Brass Machine features a rotating cast of musicians featuring a wide variety of horns, guitars, keys, drums and more. As one of the hottest acts on the live music circuit today, Kyle describes The Brass Machine as a ‘brass gumbo’ of music weaving together funk, jazz, R&B, and more. What started as 8 horn musicians as students at the University of Buffalo just ‘having fun and messing around’ has evolved into a professional touring ensemble.
Currently, The Brass Machine has 40-45 musicians in rotation, typically playing 5-6 musicians at a time per show. “It’s almost impossible to put the same show on twice,” explains Kyle. “We have such a talented group of musicians, all with unique backgrounds and talents, it makes for a great show each and every time.” Kyle explains the brass-led style of music as energetic and unpredictable. “It changes the energy of the music and throws people off in the best way. It keeps our musicians on their toes and makes for a fun, energetic vibe.”
The Brass Machine recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary this past September. Over the past 10 years, the group has collected impressive accolades including performing alongside many national acts including Earth, Wind and Fire, Trey Anastasio, The Soul Rebels, Goose, The Flaming Lips, Starship and many more. Festival appearances include Borderland (6x), Railrider Jamboree (3x), Rochester Jazz Fest, Night Lights, and Folkfaces Fest, among others. The band recently played several Mardi Gras shows in the Buffalo area, and is looking forward to kicking off their touring season in the coming weeks. The Brass Machine is also currently working on recording a debut album. “For the past 10 years the focus has been on live performances, so we’re really looking forward to putting an album together.”
The Brass Machine first became involved with Mardi Gras in Ellicottville after meeting Nick Pitillo at Borderland about 4 years ago. “We connected with Nick and hatched the idea of bringing a Mardi Gras parade and party style performance to Ellicottville,” explains Kyle. “It’s been a great experience and it’s something we look forward to every year. It’s great working with Nick and we love playing and partying in Ellicottville.”
The Mardi Gras parade kicks off Saturday at 6:30pm with the party continuing with their second performance at Villaggio directly following the parade. Kyle invites everyone to come out for this free, family-friendly event and experience the energy and fun vibes of The Brass Machine.
For more information https://www.thebrassmachine.com/ and follow on social media for updates.