Award-winning Americana/country artist Eric Hagen is the 2026 Midwest Country Music Organization Songwriter of the Year and Wisconsin Area Music Industry Album of the Year winner for Make Country Sad Again.

Based in the Midwest, his well-rooted sound rings with perplexing authenticity, suggesting he illegally phone-tapped into the wellspring at the heart of all timeless classics. Often praised for his powerful voice, he can infuse a modern story with gospel-like depth.

Hagen's music is a heartfelt ode to the timeless dance between joy and sorrow wrapped in the faded splendor of a bygone era. His performances are like vintage postcards, each one a snapshot of a wistful journey through a land where the echoes of heartache linger in the dusty corners of forgotten jukeboxes.

Matthew Douglas Simpson is a singer/songwriter from Cynthiana Kentucky. Self-described as “Rural Route Rock & Roll” Matthew Douglas Simpson pulls from Alt. Country, Blues and Soul to create an easily distinguished sound that is influenced by artists as sundry as Chris Stapleton, Ryan Adams, John Fogerty and Weezer.

Having lost both of his parents at a young age, Simpson turned to songwriting as a way to cope with grief. His gripping storytelling, sharp songwriting and soulful vocal has taken him all across the United States and most recently to the Nashville Nights songwriter festival in Odense Denmark. Matthew has shared the stage with many amazing artists such as Charles Wesley Godwin, Mark Wills, Craig Wayne Boyd, 7eventh Time Down and many others.