The Guest List presented by Poss Music Works

TODAY'S EPISODE: Caleb Caudle (Germanton, NC) joins us for the final episode of Season 4 today. Caleb's family approach to the music business is a big topic of this conversation, including he and his wife Lauren's new record label "Handplow Records." His songs tell the story of a small, mountain community in North Carolina, and his perspective on life flows through his ric...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Mark Stuart (Nashville, TN) joins us for the 2nd to last episode of Season 4. Mark has lived many lives in music, from sideman to the stars, to road-dog singer-songwriter, to owner of his own record label, Gearle Records, with his wife Stacy. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll and a bevy of great songs. Enjoy this look behind a great American musician!   Mark S...

TODAY'S EPISODE: We are back on location at the 4th annual Little Grassy Winter Songwriter Retreat in Makanda, IL. This time, we are interviewing our very own Bill Poss! We turned the tables from our previous episode and Hope Dunbar (flawlessly) handles the hosting duties and grills Bill about his 5 most popular songs. Bill's songwriting repertoire spans decades of thoughtful, funny, and...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Hope Dunbar joins us live on location from the 4th annual Little Grassy Winter Songwriter Retreat in Makanda, IL. She was the head of the faculty at this year's retreat which featured 3 days of instruction, feedback, and inspiration for dozens of regional songwriters.  We were thrilled to take the podcast studio on the road and talk shop with Hope. She is an accomplished...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Aaron Lee Tasjan (Nashville, TN) joins us for a chat about his thoughts on songwriting, sobriety, and Snider (Todd that is). Aaron Lee has lived a thousand lives in the songwriting world and we were thrilled to let him spill his guts to a packed house in the Starlight Listening Room. You'll hear stories from the road, interspersed with powerhouse songwriting and performa...

Register now for Poss Music Works' 4th Annual Little Grassy Winter Songwriter Retreat ! TODAY'S EPISODE: Chloe Kimes (Nashville, TN) doesn't mess around. She's here to rock the festival stage, the campground, the parking lot, the living room, the honky-tonk, and bigger and bigger stages all the time! She (and her band) brought the house down at Summer Sundown Music Festival thi...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Shanna in a Dress (St. Louis, MO) joins us with 5 songs ranging from a goofy song about an honest dating profile, to a devastating take on loving someone through a fight with dementia. Shanna's energy is infectious and she lives for the type of songwriting and community we celebrate on the podcast. This is a special episode with an artist who is smack dab in her element...

Moccasin Creek Festival 2026 1st Wave Announcement Hidden In Today's Episode! TODAY'S EPISODE: Justin Rose and Tait Kelly are mainstays of the STL music scene and you can find them traversing the festival circuit each year with their band Justin Rose & the Green Thumbs. This podcast episode sees them strip their 7 piece band's songs down to just 2: guitar and mandolin. Justin&ap...

TODAY'S EPISODE:  Hunter Peebles is a sweet-singing, slick-songwriting, and seriously hard-working troubadour, headquartered in St. Louis, MO. You can find Hunter Peebles & the Moonlighters traversing the Midwest with their raucous country sound, including a stop at Summer Sundown Music Festival 2025 this past September. And you can hear their new single "Bring Back My Heart" no...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Alex Thoele is a singer/songwriter from our very own neck of the woods (Teutopolis, IL) now residing in the great (and windy!) state of Colorado. Well known for his antics on stage with Chain Station and off stage around the jamfire, Alex brings pure joy and a mischievous grin wherever his acoustic leads him. This week's podcast dives in to some great new solo material,...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Sarah Beatty joins us today from Ontario, Canada for an exciting episode of the podcast. Sarah was in Effingham, IL this past September for Summer Sundown Music Festival, seeing her perform at one of our PMW events for the first time since 2019. It was a thrill to have her back in the area for the festival and a treat to have her on the podcast the following week. For those w...

TODAY'S EPISODE: We are thrilled to welcome The Local Honeys to episode 1 of season 4 of The Guest List! This episode was recorded in front of a live audience on Sunday, September 14, 2025 at Summer Sundown Music Festival on Lake Sara, outside of Effingham, IL. We hope you enjoy this FULL BAND on-site festival performance, the first of its kind on our show. What an amazing band. What a great...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Grant Peeples (Tallahassee, FL) is a singer/songwriter who got his start in live music at age 50, after a stretch of island living saw him build and manage his own small hotel. He turned to music at the urging of a friend and has since carved out a name for himself as a songwriter whose lyrics often touch on political or otherwise thought-provoking themes. Grant writes from a...

NOTE: Today's episode features a SNEAK PEEK of the 2025 Little Grassy Get Down lineup! Be the first to know who is coming to Touch of Nature this October! You'll have to listen to the episode to find the announcement! TODAY'S EPISODE: Katie Dahl (Door County, WI) is a singer/songwriter/playwright whose lyrics are courageously honest and whose live shows are devilishly funny. We were...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Lucas Wayne (Carmi, IL) has crafted a catalog of witty, heartfelt, songs that range from honky-tonk rippers to folky ballads...all the way to country soul. The southern IL singer/songwriter has a unique tenor voice, a knack for songs that have just the right amount of all the right ingredients, and a passion for performing and creating his own brand of unique Illinois music....

TODAY'S EPISODE: With a career spanning 11 albums and several different cities-called-home across the years, Jess Klein has been churning out memorable and heartfelt songs since the early 2000s. Her stop on The Guest List tapped into her deep and undying passion for sharing songs with anyone who wants to listen. Jess was a Main Stage act at Moccasin Creek Festival 2024 and her storied music c...

TODAY'S EPISODE: It's not often we get to feature a fingerstyle guitar player of Pierce Crask's ability and talent level on the show. But beyond the great songwriting and singing, today's episode features top level guitar playing. Pierce has been entertaining for most of his life, including a 2024 appearance (and forthcoming 2025 appearance) at Moccasin Creek Festival. Today, h...

TODAY'S EPISODE: The songwriting duo My Politic joins us on today's episode for a look into how they've crafted such a large catalog of well articulated, thoughtful songs...and a full tour schedule, all while living 600 miles apart! Kaston and Nick formed the group in their late teens and don't intend to slow down. They have produced 11 records together, the most recent of whic...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Southern Illinois songwriting stalwarts, Carter and Connelley, join us for today's episode. The duo has been writing and playing music together for over 35 years and you can feel it while they're performing. The songs reflect a deep appreciation for folk music, storytelling, and nature. The delivery is sharp-witted, often funny, and heartfelt all at once. This podca...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Enjoy today's episode with Mat Kuhlig, recorded Saturday, March 1st on location at the Little Grassy Winter Songwriter Retreat -- one of Poss Music Works' flagship events. Thanks to everyone who traveled to Makanda, IL and made our 3rd annual retreat an inspirational gathering of songwriters and creatives. Mat Kuhlig (Flora, IL) is a mainstay of the Poss Music Works...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Bruce Moon joins us today from Bloomington, IL. Today's episode was a fun and thought-provoking episode to record. Bruce's heartfelt style brings his life story....well, to life! The songs are all emotionally evocative and cut at the deepest parts of ourselves. His perspective is shaped by a life of working with psychiatric patients as an art therapist. We hope you...

NOTE: Today's episode features a SNEAK PEEK of the 2025 Moccasin Creek Festival lineup! Be the first to know who is coming to Lake Sara this June 19-22! You'll have to listen to the episode to find the announcement! TODAY'S EPISODE: Terry Klein (Austin, TX) joins us for a thoughtful look at a songwriter who took the leap of faith into becoming a full time musician later in life afte...

TODAY'S EPISODE: Jacob Kuhns, of the Jacob Kuhns Experience, is a mainstay in our Effingham, IL area music scene. Jake is a prolific writer, often carrying around multiple notebooks full of new tunes and lyrics. He has also been behind the scenes helping make events like Moccasin Creek Festival, Summer Sundown Music Festival, and the Time To Kill Campout happen for several years. Now, he find...

EOY Fundraiser Update - 12/26/24: Our End-of-year fundraiser currently sits at almost $19,500 of our $30,000 goal! If you haven’t donated yet – you have until midnight on Jan. 1, 2025! Can you help us meet our new goal of $30k? To donate, or to find out more info about our giving options, visit: www.possmusicworks.com/donate TODAY'S EPISODE: Michael Paul Murphy (Nashville, TN) and Jack Murphy...

EOY Fundraiser Update - 12/11/24: Our End-of-year fundraiser currently sits at almost $10,500 of our $30,000 goal!  If you’ve already donated, THANK YOU! We appreciate you and we couldn’t do it without you. Would you mind forwarding this to a friend or family member with a note about how you think they might enjoy what we do?  If you haven’t donated yet – you’ve still got time! But the sooner you...