Article Contributed by Propeller Publicity
Published on 2026-03-06
Out Today: Midwest poet/songwriter CHICAGO FARMER & the FIELDNOTES releases new album ‘Homeaid’ on LoHi Records
Chicago Farmer, the moniker of musician Cody Diekhoff, is releasing Homeaid today on LoHi Records. Recorded with his touring band The Fieldnotes, Homeaid puts a spotlight on the old-soul nature and deep ethos of compassion and camaraderie that resides at the core of his being. Diekhoff taps into his rural Midwest upbringing — he grew up in the tiny Illinois farm community of Delevan, IL (pop. 2000) before calling the “Windy City” home for several years — and wanted to honor his past through his uplifting, introspective melodies.
“My hometown kind of goes with me wherever I go,” he says. “All the things I learned from my grandparents, I take that with me wherever I go. They’re always in my heart and in my mind.” His grandparents lived in the house they grew up in and were a big part of Diekhoff’s upbringing.
“It’s about the simple, little things, you know? We’d go to the American Legion. He’d have a coffee and I would have a Coke,” Diekhoff recalls of his grandfather. “And we’d interact with other farmers. Those interactions are definitely a community thing that still happens in small towns. It might get lost over the years, but it’s still there.”
Diekhoff points to his biggest influence as a songwriter — the late, great John Prine — as a fundamental template for his craft, more so a sense of solidarity of where, why, and how melodies come together.
“You hear stories about how [John] used to write a lot of songs while delivering the mail — it doesn’t get more Americana or Midwest or cool than that,” he says. “I used to deliver flowers. I’ve delivered pizzas. I’ve delivered phone books. And so, I know what it’s like being behind the wheel and gathering experiences while you’re letting your imagination fly.”
A visual, gifted storyteller, Diekhoff pens odes to teenage transgressions in the name of irresponsible enlightenment (“Tina Hart’s Mustang”), odes to the splendor and tragedy of growing older (“Sorry You’re Sick”), and odes to nothing and everything (“Mattress”) — the cultivation of which being Diekhoff and his curious life, one remaining in perpetual motion, onstage and on the road.
A blend of Americana, indie-folk and roots-rock, Homeaid swirls effortlessly into the ether of a modern world facing uncertain times, while never losing sight of the past.
Stream or purchase Homeaid:
https://orcd.co/homeaid
LPs and CDs available here:
https://lohirecords.com/shop/chicago-farmer-homeaid/
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