A Marriage of Moonshine and Music: Sugarlands Distilling Company’s Back Porch Paves Way For and Embraces Up-and-Coming Americana Artists
Tucked away in the Great Smoky Mountains is a music venue known simply as the “Back Porch.” Although Gatlinburg-based Sugarlands Distilling Company has only been open a few months, its Back Porch stage has already played host to some of the Southeast’s most promising up-and-coming Americana artists.
“Music and moonshine have always gone together,” said Ned Vickers, owner of Sugarlands Distilling Company. “Our distillery is proud to support the region’s unique musicians, artists and storytellers.”
Aside from its award-winning moonshine offerings, Sugarlands Distilling Company is now giving people another reason to enjoy the complete moonshine experience. Continuing this fall, the distillery’s Back Porch will boast an exciting line-up of local and regional touring music artists.
For four nights a week, the Back Porch entertains locals as well as tourists, but music lovers from all over the country often travel to the distillery just to catch a favorite artist or band.
“Visitors really do get to experience the best of worlds at our distillery – listening to great music and enjoying authentic moonshine that hearkens to the days of Prohibition,” said Brent Thompson, director of strategy for Sugarlands Distilling Company. “Of course, sips of shine are free around here, as well as distillery tours which are always popular with our guests.”
Sugarlands Distilling Company is a big supporter of musical events and festivals across the Southeast as well.
“Although the Back Porch hosts a variety of great artists, we’re huge supporters of the musical community overall,” said Thompson. “We’re proud to associate Sugarlands Shine with Rhythm & Blooms, Floyd Fest, Jammin’ at Hippie Jacks, WDVX in Knoxville and Lightning 100 in Nashville, just to name a few.”
The Back Porch events calendar was quickly filled this fall due to the exceptional booking skills and connections of Jess Hale, special events manager for Sugarlands Distilling Company. Her experience has helped put the distillery on the map, this time as a music venue.
A few of the highly-anticipated acts to play the Back Porch this fall include North Carolina acoustic combo Mipso (Aug. 21); Athens, Ga., pop-folkies Ruby the Rabbit Foot (Sept. 10); and folk-rock Boston trio the Ballroom Thieves (Sept. 24). The complete fall lineup is available at http://www.sugarlandsdistilling.com/happenings. Most shows on the Back Porch start at 7 p.m. and end around 10 p.m. All shows are free and open to all-ages.
“Our mantra is that there are 'Stories in Every Jar' of authentic Sugarlands Shine,” said Vickers. “We want visitors who come to our distillery to enjoy the slower pace of life in the mountains and hear some incredible music at the same time.”
