Scott Eckart founded Pilgrimage Wine Company two years ago to make Indiana-grown wine in a European style. Now, the Cambridge City business owner seeks to mirror that success for Indiana music artists with his independent label.
Eckart, a lifelong musician and songwriter, formed Treaty Line Records. The winery features artists at weekend showcases and concert series, so Eckart said it felt like a natural next step. It started with an idea to record a song with fellow artists.
“We made a song together that they wrote and I produced,” said Eckart, who owns a studio. After that first spark, two songs became four. Suddenly, eight songs were recorded.
The group decided to release the recorded songs as a compilation. The eight-track listing was pressed to vinyl and became “Treaty Line Records Presents Sampler Vol. 1.” The album will be released during a launch music festival on Saturday, Aug. 8.
“All the musicians that contributed will be there to play, not just that song, but some other music,” Eckart said. Acts include The Mortonians, AJ Wetzel, Paul Anguiano featuring Chris York, Two Jasons, Chad Wosnik, Rachel Appleby and Jansen Duncan. The sampler boasts a mix of rock, from classic to indie, to folk and bluegrass. Eckart said their binding thread is being original music recorded at the Treaty Line studio.
Still in its infancy, Treaty Line Records has three artists under a memorandum agreement — Eckart, Wosnik and Kyle Hazard. For this project, a licensing agreement allowed the label to record and release the song, while the artist kept the rights and masters. Rather than sign bands and collect royalties, Eckart aims to build a collective of local and regional artists.
“We support each other and believe that the music deserves wider appeal,” Eckart said. The project becomes a marketing tool for both the winery and the artist.
In tandem with the winery’s second anniversary, the festival will have multiple vendors and food options, Pilgrimage’s signature beverages, and an after-party featuring a DJ set.
“It’s going to be a big celebration of just the local talent that’s here in Eastern Central Indiana, with the kind of cherry on top being a record that people can take home and listen to,” Eckart said.
The festival is scheduled from noon-8 p.m., with vendors available through 6 p.m. Music begins at 2:30 p.m. For more information, visit pilgrimagewinecompany.com or view the album release music video on YouTube at youtube.com/@PilgrimageWineCo.
A version of this article appeared in the July 22 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
