Distillery to become folk music venue

WINNER of the 2021 Australian Folk Alliance awards solo artist of the year, Khristian Mizzi, will be playing at Kilderkin Distillery this Friday evening.

Mizz’s poetic lyrics and imaginative stories aim to connect with the hearts of his listeners and he is known for his intimate solo performances.

“He is such a highly regarded folk singer here and overseas,” said Chris Pratt, owner of Kilderkin Distillery.

“He is a great songwriter and between songs he gives enough of an introduction to tune you in to what the songs are about.

“He is also able to play well known folk songs so there is a mix of stuff he produces.”

Mr Pratt said the performance is part of a plan to bring more folk music to Ballarat.

“There really wasn’t much of a folk music scene in Ballarat and we thought this was a chance to develop it,” he said.

“There’s a lot of people here, for example there’s a lot of Scottish people around and Irish, and also people interested in the broader folk scene.”

Mr Pratt said expanding the distillery to a folk music venue is important in the current economic climate, especially with the recent closure of Palais-Hepburn.

“That’s one less opportunity for people to catch up on some great artists that are around,” he said.

Khristian Mizzi will be playing Friday August 8 from 7.30pm. Tickets can be purchased on the Kilderkin Distillery website.