4th Annual
Great Plains
Art & Music Festival
Lineup 2025
The 4th Annual Great Plains Art & Music Festival – Saturday, October 18, 2025
Sesquicentennial Point Park, Lawrence, Kansas | Art/Handmade Maker Market with food, dessert trucks, and baked goods begins at 11:30 AM. The first act hits the Main Stage at 12:30 PM.
For just $20, experience a full day and night of music, art, and community. The festival features professional regional and local touring musicians, a vibrant art fair and maker fest, and a curated selection of food trucks with flavors for everyone.
MoonShroom can jam with the best of the jamgrass and bluegrass scene, blending rootsy twang with cosmic grooves in a style they call “Grassadelic Twang.” Formed in 2022 by Kansas City songwriters Lily B Moonflower and Jake Keegan, with bandmates Colby Allen Walter (electric guitar/mandolin) and Zach Bozeman (bass), they’ve already performed alongside jamgrass heavyweights including Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Railroad Earth. With high-energy shows full of dobro, mandolin, guitar, bass, and tight harmonies, MoonShroom have quickly won the hearts of fans across the Midwest and beyond. Since their start, MoonShroom have also shared stages with Split Lip Rayfield, Kyle Tuttle Band, Arkansauce, Pert Near Sandstone, Todd Sheaffer (Railroad Earth) & Chris Thompson, and The HillBenders. Individually, Lily and Jake have supported artists such as Kitchen Dwellers, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Jim Lauderdale, and Chuck Mead. Their forthcoming debut album, Take A Trip (out June 27, 2025), highlights their evolution—expanding Americana, bluegrass, country, folk, and rock into a sound that’s both earthy and cosmic. Songs explore themes of love, nature, and self-discovery, brought to life with passionate energy and crowd-igniting performances. Whether under the stars at a festival or in the intimacy of a club, MoonShroom continues to inspire and uplift audiences. With Take A Trip and a nationwide tour on the horizon, this vibrant act is taking the Americana artform to the Moon—so hop on the cosmic train and join the Party on the Moon!
Pretend Friend is a nationally touring progressive bluegrass band based in Wichita, Kansas. Focused on creating original music, Pretend Friend melds captivating lyrics and soulful melodies into timeless songs. The blending of traditional familiarity with improvised jams, driving bluegrass, vocal harmonies, and anthemic choruses only begins to encompass the soundscape created by the genre-bending acoustic group. Founded in 2015 by songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, Grant Boesen, Pretend Friend is an ever-evolving fusion of musical influence featuring Evan Ogborn on mandolin, Caleb Drummond on upright bass, and Rami Stucky on drum set. Pretend Friend has opened for acts such as Bela Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart, Yonder Mountain String Band, Fruition, and Arkansauce, and their high-energy sets have been sought after by festivals such as Walnut Valley Festival, Blue Ox Music Festival, Hillberry Music Festival, Kaw River Roots Festival, McAwesome Fest, Lake Erie Folk Festival, Elevation Celebration, Terp Float Festival, Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, and more.
Dames of the Dead Kansas City’s only all-female Grateful Dead tribute band, Dames of the Dead deliver soulful harmonies, psychedelic improvisation, and high-energy jams that honor the Dead while blazing their own trail. Praised by The Pitch as “a truly unique band with talent that could move mountains,” they stand out as one of the few all-women Dead tributes in the country. With co-founders Brooke Kafka and Michelle Cox at the helm, the band has quickly risen from intimate shows to festival stages across the region. Their performances are a celebration of classic rock, creativity, and community. Brooke and Michelle’s long-time musical partnership forms the heart of the Dames. Brooke, a Kansas City native, studied at the UMKC Conservatory under jazz greats Bobby Watson and Joe Miquelon and has performed in tributes to Bob Seger, Joe Bonamassa, Phish, James Brown, and more. In 2023 she embarked on her first national tour. Michelle is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and classically trained vocalist with a degree in vocal performance from MidAmerica Nazarene University. She previously served as music director at Kansas City’s oldest and largest Jewish congregation, B’nai Jehudah, and currently plays with several local tribute acts. Whether performing as a duo, trio, or full band, Dames of the Dead creatively blend and weave melodies from the Grateful Dead and beyond, bringing new life to beloved songs while building an inclusive and inspiring space for music lovers.
Black Light Animals
Black Light Animals are a psychedelic soul band from the Midwest, blending fuzzed-out guitars, vintage soul, hip hop beats, and cinematic flourishes. Their debut album Playboys of the Western World (2020) earned critical acclaim for its prescient themes of loneliness and social media obsession, all wrapped in the mood of a long-lost Italian horror film soundtrack. Known for their dark, groovy, and immersive live shows, the band has carved out a unique soundscape in the regional music scene. Formed as a quintet with a love of soul, fuzz, and cinematic psychedelia, Black Light Animals released their debut record during the height of the global pandemic, striking a chord with audiences craving connection through art. Playboys of the Western World was celebrated for its bold mix of styles and its ability to soundtrack the uncertainty of the times. Their 2023 follow-up, Last Call Love Songs, showcases the band’s evolution — a collection of nocturnal love songs inspired by dusty soul cuts, hip hop, and R&B. Designed to be played loud on long drives at night, the album cemented Black Light Animals as one of the Midwest’s most inventive genre-blending acts. With cinematic scope and an ever-expanding sound, they continue to captivate listeners ready to step into their psychedelic world.
From the heart of the Kansas City–Lawrence music scene comes Half Tiger Half Bear, the brainchild of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cain Robberson. Known for their raw energy and fearless genre-blending, the band stitches together indie rock, Americana, and psychedelic textures into a sound that’s both driving and deeply emotional. Their reputation as one of the region’s most original rising acts has earned them a loyal following and a place on some of the Midwest’s most eclectic stages. Half Tiger Half Bear’s music reflects Cain’s bold songwriting and willingness to experiment across styles. Audiences can expect shimmering guitar riffs, lyrics that balance grit and vulnerability, and a live performance that feels both cathartic and communal. Emerging from the creative crossroads of Kansas City and Lawrence, the band has built momentum by sharing bills with fellow innovators in the regional scene and capturing listeners who crave something authentic and unpolished. With Robberson at the helm, Half Tiger Half Bear deliver music that is equally at home in a dive bar, an art house, or a late-night festival set.
Kansas City’s own Sirens in the Suburbs are an unapologetic original rock quartet born during the pandemic, fusing punk rock grit with Midwestern soul into electrifying, high-voltage performances that leave a mark on every stage they take. Formed during the lockdown era, Sirens in the Suburbs have quickly carved out a reputation for themselves with raw energy and in-your-face attitude  . Their sound has been described as occupying “somewhere in the space between punk rock and glam rock”—a blend of self-deprecating edge, irreverent hooks, and even a strategic cowbell . The band has ignited dance floors and dive bars alike, earning high marks for their high-octane live shows. In October 2023, they headlined a night at the Aztec Shawnee Theater, delivering “in-your-face rock energy” and leaving audiences craving more . They also brought the same punk-fueled intensity to stages such as Sk8bar in St. Joseph, MO, as part of a record release tour stop .
Called “one of the greatest harmonica players of our time” by B.B. King, Brody Buster is a powerhouse bluesman whose gritty vocals, fiery guitar, and soul-stirring harmonica have been turning heads for more than 30 years. A self-taught prodigy who first picked up the harmonica at age seven, Buster quickly found himself jamming on Beale Street in Memphis and becoming a featured regular at B.B. King’s Blues Club. Over the years he has shared the stage with Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Keb’ Mo’, Lee Oskar, and many other greats, while performing at legendary festivals including the Montreal Jazz Festival, Tremblant International Blues Festival, Tall City Blues Fest, Las Vegas Big Blues Bender, and his own Brody Buster’s Blues Fest in Kansas City. In 2017, he earned 2nd place in the International Blues Challenge’s Solo/Duo category and was named Harmonica Player of the Year. With his “One Man Band” project—combining guitar, harmonica, kick, snare, and vocals—Buster continues to wow audiences across the U.S. and abroad, delivering raw, soulful, and high-energy blues that prove why he remains one of the most exciting voices in the genre today.
Page 7 delivers a fresh blend of reggae and rocksteady, bringing classic island grooves into a modern context with energy and soul. Its members are veterans of the genre, with a combined track record that includes over 100 album credits, national and international tours, and performances alongside reggae greats such as Morgan Heritage, Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, The Wailers, Luciano, Tony Rebel, Yellowman, Junior Murvin, Dean Fraser, Eek-a-Mouse, 311, and No Doubt. Formed in 2014, the group has built a reputation for powerful live performances that channel reggae’s roots while weaving in global pop and soul influences. Page 7’s sound honors the tradition while pushing the genre forward, creating music that resonates with audiences everywhere.
Jessica Paige Band
Jessica Paige brings the roots of her rural Kansas childhood to life with heartfelt, folky lyricism carried by a powerhouse voice that moves effortlessly between grit and grace. A three-time American Idol semi-finalist, she draws on influences from Janis Joplin and Brandi Carlile to Norah Jones and Jeff Buckley, showcasing a vocal range and emotional depth that set her apart. Paige has twice been voted “Best Vocalist” in Kansas City, is a TEDxKC Artist, Folk Alliance International Showcase Artist, and a featured vocalist with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. Her career includes over a thousand performances across the U.S. and internationally, earning her recognition as one of Kansas City’s most respected musicians and bandleaders. On stage, Jessica Paige can captivate a quiet listening room with just her guitar or command a festival stage with a full band. Wherever she performs, her passion, artistry, and authenticity shine through—drawing audiences in and leaving a lasting impression.
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