Paul Szmal: Joined in studio by the co-owner of Lake Drum Brewing, downtown Geneva, Victor Paltinas for Drumstock coming up this weekend It's good to see you again.
Victor Pultinas: Thanks, Ted. Good to be here.
Paul Szmal: Thanks for being here. So tell us about this lineup Well, first off, how many years you've been doing this now?
Victor Pultinas: This is our fifth year Yeah, we've been open 11 years, but our fifth year doing this and we're more excited than ever before This is our first year that we seeked a couple sponsors though. So we went out in the end of April So we were able to book this band Sol Munde out of Burlington So they're a national touring act. They play with Trey and Phish. Yeah, so we're very excited He was actually on the radio like yesterday.
Paul Szmal: Oh really?
Victor Pultinas: Yeah, talking to our friend Matt Oken That's working with us and he did great So I know you got Marriott Hotels as one of your sponsors and I saw that the local development corporation
Paul Szmal: Yep, and Geneva Community Projects is helping out too.
Victor Pultinas: Great cooperation there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No the city of Geneva I mean, this is what I think I mean, it's it's it showcases the musicians the artists from the area and and I think there's no reason That we can't like continue to grow this event and back it more
Paul Szmal: So tell us about how the idea came about to do a Woodstock style festival.
Victor Pultinas: Oh So this was yet 2016 or something Kim Draham Like like another local musician, I think he's based out of Auburn Came to us with the idea and so he did it with us in partnership for the first three years and now John Mannion's been working closely with me for The last one two years ago and then this one and John Mannion's really been able to look like elevated to the next stage here I owe him a lot of credit for this operation.
Paul Szmal: So I've never been so what's the layout look like? How's everything set up?
Victor Pultinas: Yeah, so Lake Drum is right downtown on Lower East Castle. We have a little public alleyway That's between us and the Dove block. The Dove block is kind of a cornerstone of Geneva. It's like exchange and castle The whole first floor is like an art space. That's a gallery and we're workshop space that we're kind of partnering with us. Well They they'll have a lot of artists that yeah from their organization that Will be there. We're doing a mural on the back of their building There's a public alleyway that's between us where that mural will be painted and if you walk down that public alleyway There's a big parking lot behind it that's owned by the antique co-op But it's a parking lot. That'll fit, you know, 600 people or so So as long as all the cars are out of there, we'll have a good time.
Paul Szmal: There is a separate website for the festival It's drumstockfestival.com. Tell us about some of these other bands I've heard of a few of them. Everyone loves cool club and the Lipker sisters and you got Elkabong and who else?
Victor Pultinas: Yeah, do you remember Elkabong? I mean Elkabong is a classic Geneva band So this is kind of like the all-star band of Geneva like like in my opinion The members of that band are playing in a lot of the other bands as well during that night So then they're gonna come together For the last show like what will be them? But yeah, like Elkabong I like I remember seeing after I graduated from the colleges back in 2008. They were playing I caught him in Boston a couple times
Paul Szmal: Wow
Victor Pultinas: Yeah, Project X is a new like a newish band That kind of put together by a couple local musicians. Zydecorp is like a Zydeco band Josh Decker Brady Leo and Paul Crowley.
Paul Szmal: Before I forget what time is this happening?
Victor Pultinas: It starts at noon. Okay, and it goes until 12 to midnight. We'll actually go Until 2 a.m. But the last two hours will be indoors.
Paul Szmal: Okay, very nice Yep now tell us a little bit about Lake Drum for people haven't been you talk about a sense of community and for people who have Been they they know that you feel I mean the first time I walked in you just feel like you're at some friend's house And you get the the vinyl on the record player and just tell us about how you came about crafting that atmosphere
Victor Pultinas: Yeah, I mean I've said many times Yeah, crafting the space was my favorite part of of putting the operation together Spent about a year doing that, you know creating a space that people want to hang out in that feel comfortable all ages all diversity and That's a big part of it. Just making people feel like they're they're welcome and that they're allowed to be there Yeah, I mean oftentimes people forget to pay because they just feel so comfortable there They're drinking in their basement or something and just walk out
Paul Szmal: But I think this list of musicians too it'll be you know, there's a lot of people that'll be playing in numerous bands that kind of like get up and play and that's it's it's a good example of Just that communal like part of it an aspect of Our space but then this music festival is a really great extension of that Do bands do that today as much as they used to I mean that back in there like in the 60s and it was kind Of common.
Victor Pultinas: Yeah. Oh, yeah, you'd be part of this band and then you go over here and you'd be part of this other band No, I think it's it's probably not but I mean here in Geneva where where it's a very tight community And you know a lot of the musicians they're all friends and they know each other's styles. So very well I mean one of the main bands they they're they're all there's two of the main guys that live in Nashville, North Carolina Paul like Pablo Falbreau and Yeah, Jimmy James and they're coming up for it. And and they just mentioned Pablo in a million years
Paul Szmal: Yeah, I've interviewed him way back when yep. Yep. Yep. Yeah, and you know, he's been there for the last six years
Victor Pultinas: So we're very excited to have him back Along with his good buddy. Jimmy James the website for the brewery is like drum brewing calm
Paul Szmal: So tell us about your your brewing philosophy. You you've kind of you haven't chased the trends you do Basic classic styles and do them. Well, yeah, exactly
Victor Pultinas: We're making beers that you want to drink and you want to drink a couple of them. They're very light. They're easy drinking Rick Morris is the brewer. He's making a great lagers like senor crispy is doing a pilsner. He's got a kohl's A cream ale trying to do the beers that just are pleasant that are overwhelming He does of course have an IPA he's got a pale ale We've got a red on nitro that we're gonna be like a releasing just for this which is kind of exciting You know as we're seeing the weather kind of turn right now. Yeah It's it's nice to have a couple darker beers on as well. You got the G town Brown, which is always a classic People love that. Yep. Yep, and I was looking at the ciders. These are exciting. You've got You've got the platypus which uses Bartlett pears. Tell us about that one.
Paul Szmal: Yeah Yeah, yeah, it's a Perry
Victor Pultinas: So so it's a cider that's based completely on Paris, which is called a Perry It's it's this is a very critical cider to have done in a timely manner Because of the Paris it's something you yeah you ferment and you put into kegs like almost immediately And this is the Bartlett's are being picked right now actually
Paul Szmal: So this is this is a funny thing that you know, we're doing this event this Saturday Yeah, we've already picked some apples the Bartlett's are being picked We're gonna be picking our own apples on our like 10 acres that we have of our own orchard like coming like next week So we're kind of Juggling a couple of these things. Yeah, which is great. You've got the the lady lavender is a family affair You've got apples that provided by your son
Victor Pultinas: Yeah Yes, where the lavender is provided by my mom. I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah Lavender from from in Boston. Yeah, as far as I know, I don't have any boys yet I've got a girl a lovely girl that just started school yesterday Now there's no changes in the family don't anybody panic It's an awesome cider. It's very floral and aromatic. That's one that we're gonna be featuring at Drumstock as well
Paul Szmal: So we'll have an outside bar in the back and then we'll have an inside bar as well That'll continue the outside bar will be kind of L-shaped so we could release a lot of our cans as well So we'll make sure to be as efficient as possible With you with both bars. We've got 14 people on staff. We're fully ready to go Yeah, the the outdoor seating right there on Castle Street during regular times for paid for hopefully a little while longer before the snow hits
Victor Pultinas: Yeah, yeah. No, that's something I got to do is bring out the warmers back out the heaters. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah But yeah, no, we're very grateful for the city of Geneva working with us on that space The DRI project overall was great. I think and and we were included in that which is awesome.
Paul Szmal: All right Well, I got to come down I'm overdue Lake drum brewing calm is the website check out the beers and the ciders and drumstock is Saturday beginning at 12 noon on multiple stages all kinds of bands arts and family and fun Drumstock festival comms website and it's all free.
Victor Pultinas: Yeah, and it's all free. There's there's there's no payment needed at all For any of the music, of course beer and vendors, you know, yeah But but yeah, it's it's that's that's 14 hours of music right there.
Paul Szmal: Sounds pretty good. Thanks for coming in It's great to see you as always. We appreciate the time Victor Paul Tina's drumstock coming up Saturday at 745 now
