Nashville, TN: Tasjan has been on a shapeshifting musical journey his whole life. From his glam rock roots, when Jimmy Iovine told him “guys in make-up don’t sell records” and Lady Gaga would open for his band in NYC, to his legend-hopping guitar sideman days.

Aaron Lee Tasjan’s Stellar Evolution is a record with songwriting beholden to nothing — no expectations, and certainly no genre. Just the pure sense of wonder and discovery that had made him fall in love with music as a kid in Orange County, devouring it all with no understanding or care for what was “cool.”

As he was writing, times became very dark for the queer community in the South. Bathroom bans and drag bans were enacted in Tennessee, while right-wing rhetoric around LGBT people became uglier and uglier. Tasjan knew this album needed to reflect the vibrant community that has become home to him.

Stellar Evolution celebrates love, claims space and shines bright.

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 8:15pm

Demopolis, Alabama: Taylor Hunnicutt makes old-school southern music for the modern world. She's a proud daughter of Alabama, writing songs that nod to the state's tradition of country story telling, rock'n'roll rebellion, and guitar-driven grit.

Sharpened by a touring schedule that's kept her on the road for roughly 200 days a year, she makes her full-length debut with Alabama Sound —an album that unfolds like a love letter to the American South, written by a road warrior who's spent most of the decade far away from home." It's a little country, a little singer/songwriter, a little Americana, and a lot of soulful southern rock," says Hunnicutt, an opera-trained vocalist who began writing songs after dropping out of music school, landing a waitressing job at a blues juke joint, and sitting in with the bands that came through town.

She's no longer the guest artist, though — she's the main act, and Alabama Sound showcases her high-energy, hellraising brand of southern stomp, country-rock twang, and amplified attitude.

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 8:15pm

Nashville, TN: Though many artists are defined by place, only a handful of artists come to define the places they’re from. The Local Honeys are Kentucky and Kentucky runs through their veins like an unbridled racehorse. When a master songsmith like Tom T Hall calls an artist “a great credit to a wonderful Kentucky tradition” it’s time to pull up a chair and pay attention. As it pertains to The Local Honeys he was right on the money. For almost a decade the duo (Montana Hobbs and Linda Jean Stokley) have been an integral part of the Kentucky musicscape. They’ve paid their dues, garnering countless accolades and accomplishments (tours with Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, praise from the New York Times) and have become the defining sound of real deal, honest-to-god Kentucky music.

We are thrilled to welcome back “the defining sound of real deal, honest-to-god Kentucky music”!

Set times:

Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 6:45pm - Main Stage

Sunday, Sep. 14, 2025 - 3:15pm - Lake Stage full band, live taping of The Guest List podcast.

Champaign/Urbana, IL - Sun Stereo creates a full sensory explosion incorporating a hybridization of organic and electronic elements blended with Beatlesque vocal harmonies, electronic soundscapes, circus-esque performance dance, sing-along story book lyrics, orchestral strings, interactive audience integration and a funk-your-face-off horn section. They are a one of a kind original psychedelic circus.

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 10:00pm - Main Stage

Eastern Kentucky/Outer Space: With an orange mustache, golden voice and cherry red Gibson ES-335, Appalachian Space Funk artist Jeremy Short has quickly risen to the top shelf of must-hear players on the scene. “Kentucky’s Jeremy Short is one of the top 30 blues guitar players in the world. Don’t take it from me — take it from the judges at Memphis’s International Blues Challenge, where Short semi-finaled in 2016 and 2017. Short is known for his guitar pyrotechnics and commitment to groove” (No Depression).

“A little bit Marvin Gaye, a little bit Grateful Dead and a little bit Tyler Childers, Jeremy Short’s jam-fueled Appalachian soul music proves that there’s a lot more than country and bluegrass music radiating from the Eastern Kentucky mountains. Short’s epic tales will leave you dancing with jubilation one moment and crying the next. His unique blend of Appalachian soul music is incredibly effective and authentic because Appalachia is such an integral part of his own soul, and always will be.” (Matt Wickstrom) 

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 10:00pm - Main Stage

Nashville, TN: Kimes was born and raised on the lakeshores of northern Michigan. As a rural midwest native her music is built on folk festivals, family harmony, and the barefoot back roads always taken. Chloe has built a strong Michigan following touring every small Mitten town since she was fourteen years old, but relocated to Nashville, TN in 2016 to continue her work as a professional singer, songwriter, bandleader, and recording artist.

The Nashville based singer-songwriter is actively defining the next generation of folk-singing troubadours with an old-soul sensibility for storytelling in a spirited alt-country outfit. She released her debut album in 2022, a strikingly live self-titled with rafter reaching vocals and songwriting that garnered her comparisons to the likes of Lucinda Williams (Jonathan Frahm, For Folk’s Sake) and landed her a spot on NPR Music's Top 10 Nashville Artist's on the rise in 2022. Since then, the record has also been awarded Listener’s Choice Album of the Year by her home state’s WYCE Radio Jammie Awards. Following in the footsteps of many Michigan artists looked up to throughout her career, (Billy Strings, Lindsay Lou, The Accidentals, to name a few) Kimes continues to forge the Michigan-native-Nashville-based pipeline with an electric band not to be missed.

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 4:45pm - Main Stage

Nashville, TN: Self proclaimed ramblin’ gal, Hannah Juanita has toured heavily around the country since 2021 headlining and supporting acts like Kaitlin Butts, Nick Shoulders, Emily Nenni, Summer Dean, Jesse Daniel & Kelsey Waldon.

Her debut record ‘Hardliner’ established her reputation as a full-hearted, free-spirited, and irresistibly genuine honky tonk angel. Hannah Juanita’s second full length record, ‘Tennessee Songbird’ was released August 30, 2024 to high acclaim, breaking into the top 40 Americana Radio Chart and top 3 on the Alt Country Chart.

Mose Wilson: With a distinctive sound that reflects life’s complexities—from love and heartbreak to the philosophical musings of existence—Mose’s music resonates with authenticity and depth. His thought-provoking lyrics explore themes of hard work, the nightlife, and the poignant realities of family and mortality.

As a skilled guitarist, songwriter, and producer, Mose has collaborated with notable artists like Melissa Carper, Hannah Juanita, Sweet Megg, and Eliza Thorn, further enriching his musical tapestry. 

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 6:15pm - Main Stage

St. Louis, MO: Nick Gusman and The Coyotes are a true-grit Alt Country band from St. Louis Missouri. Carrying the torch lit by genre originators like Uncle Tupelo and The Bottle Rockets, NG&C bring an energetic performance full of telecaster twang and a howling fiddle.

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 7:20pm - Lake Stage

Champaign/Urbana, IL: The Tractor Kings are a rare and intriguing blend of alt-country and neo-psychedelia, mixing influences ranging from Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan to Chris Knox and Galaxie 500. The duo of singer/songwriter/guitarist Jacob Fleischli and drummer Rebecca Rury formed in Champaign-Urbana, IL, in 1999 and released their first album, Sunday Night, on the local imprint Mud Records in 2001. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi

We are thrilled to welcome the new Tractor Kings lineup to Summer Sundown Music Festival!

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 5:10pm - Main Stage

Carbondale, IL: Lucas Wayne's new album “Wookin' Overtime” was recorded in Slade, KY at Fat Cave Studios and features 11 original songs smothered with steel guitar, fresh fiddles, and driving rhythm that is sure to make you laugh, dance, and cry. 

With a great new version of his band The Cottonmouths, he's hitting the road hard!

Set time: Sat., Sep. 13, 2025 - 5:50pm - Lake Stage

Effingham, IL: Taylor Steele & the Love Preachers are a four piece Americana band with a powerful female singer/songwriter as its driving force. Based out of Effingham, IL, they perform a blend of roots rock with soul, country, blues, and funk influences. The group performs original music written by Taylor Steele, 27 year old rhythm guitarist and vocalist, along with their interpretations of eclectic music by their favorite artists.

The Love Preachers have a way of sneaking up on you. The music is soulful, but sublime. The songs are smart and original, with roots that take you through rock and roll back to the blues of the old south. The vocal quality of Taylor Steele is reminiscent of great legendary singers like Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples but also modern stars like Susan Tedeschi and Gillian Welch.  Stemming from these influences, she has immense control of her voice as she belts out notes and improvises, all while finding a beautiful balance between vibrato, tone, and projection.  Just when you think you have it figured out, the Love Preachers start preaching, Taylor’s voice starts soaring, and they take you for a ride you won't soon forget.

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 11:15pm - Lake Stage

Springfield, MO: We are thrilled to welcome GPD back to his 3rd SSMF — this time with their own band! Grady Philip Drugg began writing music as a teenager, forming several short-lived bands while attending high school in the rolling hills of Canyon Lake, Texas. Like many other recent high school graduates of the time, Grady decided to skip town and join a Midwest-based fourth wave emo band.

In the years since, Drugg has maintained laser focus on their developing their skills as a hired gun, touring and recording with artists (and dear friends) such as folk singer-songwriter Willi Carlisle, Arkansas-based crooner Dylan Earl, Seattle lullaby rock outfit Ings, and Springfield darlings Dreamgirl.

Aside from touring and recording out on the road, Grady works tirelessly as the sole recording engineer in their homegrown studio. They've produced and recorded an impressive, wide-ranging number of local and regional projects over the past few years. They also teach guitar lessons in their spare time.

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 2:40pm - Shady Stage

Ontario, Canada: We welcome Moccasin Creek Festival alumnus (2018 and 2019) back to Effingham! Eclectic and captivating, songwriter and scientist Sarah Beatty might be best described as a late night conversation between Joni Mitchell, Julie Andrews and Albert Einstein. With a voice as sharp as a silver-spur and dangerous as a diamond-backed sidewinder (Raw Ramp), she's a curious observer and constant inquirer of life's offerings. Bandit Queen chronicles women at the leading edge of social norms, graces, and allowances. It peaked at #1 on Canada's Roots charts, became a staple in Top 30 charts across the country, appeared in the Earshot Top 20, and planted her square in the ears and hearts of bloggers and industry insiders.

As a live performer, she's known for enchanting audiences with warmth, wit, fresh perspective, and messages that make people think.

Set times:
Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 12:00pm - Shady Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Kasey Lee Rogers, Father Kentucky, Erin Goldstein, & Sarah Beatty
Sunday, Sep. 14, 2025 - 2:05pm - Shady Stage

St. Louis, MO: Blending the raw storytelling tradition of John Prine with the timeless sounds of George Jones, Hunter Peebles & The Moonlighters bring a fresh yet classic energy to the Country/Americana scene. Fronted by Hunter Peebles, whose powerful vocals and poignant lyrics explore the highs and lows of the human experience, the band features a signature mix of crying steel guitar, rich instrumentation, and heartfelt melodies.

Based in St. Louis, MO, Hunter Peebles & The Moonlighters have quickly made their mark, sharing the stage with notable acts such as Ben Haggard, Sunny Sweeney, Vincent Neil Emerson, and Willie Watson. Their debut EP, Volume One, released in November 2023, showcases Hunter’s ability to weave personal narratives with universal themes, offering a collection of songs that resonate with fans of classic country and modern Americana alike.

With a sound that honors the past while embracing the future, Hunter Peebles & The Moonlighters are poised to make their mark on the country music landscape.

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 11:10pm - Lake Stage

Effingham, IL: Power Trio rock "n" roll band…Central IL style. Their debut album "Vol. 1: The Madness" is out now on all platforms.

The sound: a fresh take on a classic grunge rock sound…with some groovy/earthy tones and out-of-the-ordinary songwriting.

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 2:30pm - Van Stage NEW

Chicago, IL : Iris Marlowe is an alternative-country songwriter that uses her love of classic country usic to create cinematic songs that paint a southern gothic landscape. Her latest album ‘Where the Devil Bid the Owl Goodbye’ features songs driven by revenge, terror, and a yearning for the danger of the old west. Iris creates country music for the eccentrics and folks that are looking for something a little different in the country music landscape.  

Iris is currently working on her fourth album which will be released in 2025. The record will be heavily inspired by her love of horror movies and classic country music.

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 1:30pm - Shady Stage

Carbondale, IL: Snowbird Street Band is a Southern Illinois Folk-Grass duo with Cody Dawkins on banjo and Betsy Brink on guitar.

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 4:00pm - Main Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Snowbird Street Band, Nick Stine, Jesse Beals

Urbana, IL - Singer/songwriter and pedal steel player from Urbana, IL. Bio to come!

Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 4:00pm - Main Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Snowbird Street Band, Nick Stine, Jesse Beals

Southern IN: Gas City’s own Jesse Beals is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Now, he is covering southern Indiana with his clever and thought-provoking original songs and razor sharp banjo playing. Jesse spent his school days playing in punk and metal bands, all the while writing and playing acoustic originals. You can find the Beals Man in the honky tonk playing drums with his longtime pals in the Rhett Family Band, at tattoo shop,  around a bonfire with a mandolin, or leading the charge with Low Landers.

Set time: Set time: Friday, Sep. 12, 2025 - 4:00pm - Main Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Snowbird Street Band, Nick Stine, Jesse Beals

Marion, IL: Kasey Lee Rogers is a country singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist currently based in Marion, IL.

When not on the road promoting his country material, Kasey also plays guitar in Buzzzard, a somewhat bluesy stoner rock group.

Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 12:00pm - Shady Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Kasey Lee Rogers, Father Kentucky, Erin Goldstein, & Sarah Beatty

Indiana: Bio to come!

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 12:00pm - Shady Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Kasey Lee Rogers, Father Kentucky, Erin Goldstein, & Sarah Beatty

Newton, IL: Bio To Come

Set time: Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 12:00pm - Shady Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Kasey Lee Rogers, Father Kentucky, Erin Goldstein, & Sarah Beatty

ST. Louis, MO: Bio to come!

Set time: Sunday, Sep. 14, 2025 - Songwriter Showcase with Lefty Daytona, Johann Wagner, LoveSeat

Austin, TX: J Wagner is a songwriter out of Austin TX who was raised in the deserts of New Mexico and one time park ranger for Joshua Tree National Park. His music often draws from this desert landscape. His song (Wagner/Isakov/Elliott) “If I Go, I'm Goin", has been covered by the country artist, Bart Crow, by the Denver symphony orchestra, and also appears on the TV shows Californication, Teen Wolf, and The Haunting of Hill House.

He co-writes often with his long-time friends Gregory Alan Isakov and Ron Scott. Their collaborative work lead to their song “Suitcase Full of Sparks”  being featured on NBC's show, The Blacklist. The Dallas Morning News has called him “A Texas folk music staple”, and the Austin Chronicle gives his album "The Runaway Kid" a perfect "Four Stars".

In addition to being a Texas songwriter, J Wagner has spent the past twenty-plus years teaching the Honky-Tonk Two-Step throughout Central Texas. He offers weekly lessons every Wednesday at the iconic Little Longhorn Saloon in Austin and has appeared in several music videos, both as a dance instructor and performer.

Set times:
Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025 - 3:45pm - Shady Stage - Johann and Brit Poss will lead the dance instruction Time To Kill: Texas Two Step (lesson and dance)

Sunday, Sep. 14, 2025 - 1:00pm - Shady Stage - Songwriter Showcase with Lefty Daytona, Johann Wagner, LoveSeat

Effingham, IL: Husband and wife duo, Bill and JJ Passalacqua, singing sad and funny songs they made up.