A Day In The Country: A full day of live country music, BBQ, home-made pie, and cold drinks.

The festival celebrates its eighteenth year with a return to the Hideout!

Bluegrass / Cowpunk legends Split Lip Rayfield will headline the day, supported by a gaggle of country, honky tonk & americana acts.

BBQ from Baby Gold.

Pie from Bang Bang.

Doors 12:30

1pm start

VIP & general admission pre-sales now available!

All fees included in pre-sale prices!

LINEUP INFO:

Brandon Good

Brandon Good is a Chicago artist with a penchant for Country music. Nodding to a wide range of notable genre influences, he brings in rock n’ roll, soul, singer-songwriter, and blues into his songwriting, all while remaining true to the dance hall and honky-tonk heritage he loves.

Brandon is no stranger to life on the road, having spent a decade playing with celebrated Chicago Celtic Punk outfit Flatfoot 56. During his time with the band they toured internationally and even charted on Billboard’s Heat Seekers chart.

After moving to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Brandon wrote and recorded his first solo EP, breaking into the Country scene with the release of “The Anvil” and the subsequent, stripped down, two-track EP titled “The Spitzer Sessions”.

Soon after, Brandon returned to the studio to begin recording his first full length record, “Restless”, which will release May 15 2026, but that's not all, Brandon’s sophmore full length release is in the final stages of recording and is set to come out early 2027 with the first single Bumper to Bumper to release June 5th 2026!

After hosting several highly respected residencies and booking himself and other touring bands countless shows in his home base of Chicago he’s revving up to start touring nationally and bring his songs and style to a town near you.

Lydia Cash

Lydia Cash's sophomore album Violet was recorded at Wilco’s Loft studio and is slated for release June 5th. Channeling the dreamy grit of The Cranberries and the unfiltered angst of Alanis Morissette, Violet is vulnerable, honest, and defiant - a glittering ode to radical self-love and female empowerment.

Cash writes candidly about her life; her delicate melodies woven with alt-rock angst showcase this native Alabamian/Chicago transplant’s dichotomy of grit and sweetness.

Mike Giannini & The Rhythm Rangers

Chicago’s premier roots band, The Rhythm Rangers—led by dynamic frontman Mike Giannini—blend old Nashville twang and early Memphis R&B into a high-energy throwback packed with honky-tonk heart, rockabilly soul, and nonstop swing!

Orillia

Under his moniker Orillia, Andrew Marczak follows the long tradition of folk music's more progressive stewards, commanding audiences with his unique bracing tenor and ever-shifting arrangements. With 2 albums under his belt, he has toured across the US, Canada, and Europe, and currently resides in Chicago with his partner and collaborator, Peach. His newest record, Fire-Weed, is out now on Far West Records.

Orillia recently performed an Exclusive Mini-Concert for Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country Channel, and has been featured on NPR's Great American Folk Show, Holler Country, The Chicago Tribune, and radio stations across the U.S., Canada, and Germany.

#QueerCountry Bandwagon

#QueerCountry Bandwagon plays queer songs by country artists and country songs by queer artists. We have been playing around Chicago for more than two years. Last year, we toured to Louisville and Nashville, where we played the Queer Roots event at Americanafest. Our first two recorded singles will be released this year.

The Lawrence Peter's Outfit

The Lawrence Peters Outfit play un-ruined Country music, a term Lawrence coined to describe the band’s original, deep-rooted, Honky Tonk sound.

They are 2019 and 2018 Ameripolitan Award nominees, in the Best Honky Tonk Group category, two time winners of the “Best Country And Western Entertainer” trophy (Chicago Music Awards), and “Best Country Band” in The Chicago Reader’s “Best Of 2022” poll.

Their LP “What You Been Missin’” is cited as one of the essential Chicago Country and Folk albums, in Mark Guarino’s 2023 book “Country & Midwestern” (University Of Chicago Press).

Lawrence may be best known for his lead vocal on “The Old Black Hen”, on Jason Molina’s watershed "Songs: OHIA- Magnolia Electric Company" album.

Peters leads the "Outfit" through his own finely crafted originals and cherry-picked classics. The band is a super-group of Chi-Town pickers, including Matt Gandurski on lead guitar, John Huber on rhythm guitar, and Josh Piet on upright bass.

The Menards

Band namesake Tim Menard is a Chicago veteran. Tim’s hand-picked a coterie of his favorite players – his fiddle-playing bride, Cathie Van Wert, drum legend Paul Bivans, veteran bass ace Michael Krayniak, guitar master Jim O’Donnell, and pedal steel guru Gabriel Stutz. Featuring Tim’s indelible original tunes mixed with some carefully curated covers, the Menards spin aspects of folk, rock, blues and country into a rich web of Americana.

After many years of playing together, The Menards released their first album, “All by Heart” on January 3rd, 2026.

Tobacco City [duo]

Tobacco City is a poser country band from Chicago Illinois. Started by Lexi Goddard and Chris Coleslaw while working in a diner, the band has been slowly winning hearts since 2018. As a duo the more intimate side of the band shines and a focus on the silly lyricism comes through. Once called “millennial John Prine” by a fan with questionable intentions, the songwriting does indeed sway from absurd to reverent, usually within the same number.

Trophy Wife

Trophy Wife is here. Chicago-based. Mike Burns on lead guitar, Theresa Drda on drums, Jason Labrosse on bass, and Caroline Nutley singing with the rhythm guitar. We play the old songs, the ones George Jones and Tammy Wynette knew, along with Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Merle Haggard. There's a certain countrypolitan way to it, sure, but not too rough, not too clean, just right. And our own tunes, they fit in. No grand statements. Come on out if you've got nothing better to do, or if you’re looking to dance the two-step.

Wicked Drawl

Wicked Drawl is a unique cross-country experience that resonates deeply with all audiences. Based in Chicago, they craft a sound that's as rich in tradition as it is boundary-pushing. Led by composer Keith Kusterer, the group features the powerhouse vocals of Christina Pecce, the driving upright bass of Jeffrey Parker, the virtuosic piano & songwriting of Casey Cross and fiddle from special guest John Daniel Lane. Their first full length album will be released on vinyl this October.

Wild Western Avenue

Wild Western Avenue formed over the course of a year after frontman Scott Cary moved to Chicago in 2023. Most members met at the Banjo After Dark old-time jam on the city’s north side.

Their influences include Leon Redbone, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Prine, and Bob Wills, among other classic country greats. During one of their sets, you might hear a Hank Williams cover, a countrified jazz standard, or one of several original songs.

Though the group’s lineup is fluid, core members include Cary (lead vocalist), Kevin Doyle (bass), Chelsea Dvorchak (viola), Elliott Esparza (lead guitar), and Matt Uribe (violin). They’re currently working on their first EP while playing shows across the Midwest.