By Chad Neal
Music festivals are very much a part of the Ellicottville scene. The village holds a few every year, and there is also an annual festival held at The Ellicottville Distillery going on its 5th year. Saturday, August 17th Distilled and Chilled Music Festival will be highlighting nine musical acts from all over the Western New York area. The festivities will have the relaxed and cool atmosphere as two stages will be showcasing non-stop live music all day until 9:30pm. There will be a Main Stage hosting 6 bands and the Acoustic Stage lineup has 3 acts to keep the vibe steady.
The organizers wanted to focus on original music for Distilled and Chilled. Nick Kody, who puts the festival together, said that he enjoys “putting on a larger festival type event to feature local music. Most of the acts are 70% original material, not cover bands, although we do mix in a few covers, or our take of a cover every now and then. I used to put on an event at my house, but then realized that Ellicottville Distillery would be the perfect location for the event to grow with their large outdoor space.”
The Ellicottville Distillery is located outside the village, 4 miles east on Rte. 242 on Robbins Rd. at Ashford Junction by the Tubing Park. The property is perfect for a festival of this kind as it is on several acres along with Bigfoot Park Golf next door and the tasting room in the distillery itself. There will be over 25 vendors selling many great and fun items, from plants to jewelry, crafts and clothing. Food will be provided by two separate food trucks Jake & The Fatman and KB Food Catering. Delicious cocktails and tasty beers will be available in the tasting room, all made with spirits and ales made in New York.
Tickets at the gate are $20 per adult and kids 12 and under are free. The doors open and festivities start at 12pm. There is some seating under the pavilion, but they suggest you bring your own chair for comfort, as with all the open space, there will be good spots with a good view of the main stage everywhere. There is a section of the distillery’s website to find more info on the Distilled and Chilled visit their website ellicottvilledistillery.com/distilled-chilled-music-festival.
The outfits that will be sharing their talents on the Main Stage starting at 12:30 are Porcelain Train until 1:30; Fuzzy & The Rustbelts play their music stylings from 2-3pm; The Beard & The Bird from 3:30-4:30pm; Marshmallow Overcoat from 5-6pm; Kody & Herren from 6:30-7:30m and to end the evenings excellent live sets of original music Captain Tom & The Hooligans will be jamming from 8-9:30pm. In between these acts, acoustic artists will be playing under the pavilion. Three different solo musicians will play twice each twixt the plugged-in acts. Brian Wreck, who plays Wednesday nights at the Gin Mill will have the 12-12:30 and 1:30-2pm sets; Jason Mirek will croon for the crowd at 3-3:30 and 4:30-5pm; and Tina Williams will highlight her music from 6-6:30 and 7:30-8pm.
Not only will the venue be a relaxed and peaceful place to enjoy live tunes, but the performances will make the atmosphere even better. The Ellicottville Distillery and Bigfoot Park Golf will both be working together to make this a fun event and Nick Kody’s planning and organizing are sure to keep everyone delighted. The Distilled and Chilled Music Festival is growing every year and this one is set to be the best one yet. The Ellicottville Distillery is located at 5462 Robbins Road Ellicottville.