Article Contributed by Propeller Publicity
Published on January 7, 2026
PHOTO CREDIT CLINT MCLAIN PHOTOGRAPHER
To kick off 2026, Chicago Farmer, aka Illinois musician Cody Diekhoff, releases a new single, “Mattress,” available today on all streaming services.
Chicago Farmer explains, “Have you ever asked yourself, ‘What am I even doing here? Why do I exist? What’s my purpose?’ If you’re reading this right now, let me ask you this—have you ever seen a mattress by the side of the road? And to your knowledge, has anyone ever written a song about it? That’s why I exist. That’s why I’m here. This is my purpose: to write songs about such things!”
According to Diekhoff, “Mattress” was inspired by years of seeing abandoned mattresses in yards and along roadsides, tucked beneath viaducts outside rental homes where occupants had to leave quickly. “Musically, this isn’t a brand-new mattress,” he says. “It’s worn in and funky—by far the funkiest song ever recorded in the Chicago Farmer catalog, which is just what it called for. It’s become the most requested song at the moment, and I don’t think hearing the crowd sing the chorus at the top of their lungs will tire anytime soon.”
“On a serious note,” he continues, “the song is really about the struggles of someone taking the road less traveled. It might have fewer travelers, but the debris it can leave behind is insurmountable. I’m at the age where fewer people are still holding on to their dreams while witnessing that most others have let go. There really isn’t a backup plan for us, so we keep traveling and telling the less-traveled road tales.”
Listen to “Mattress”:
Stream “Mattress” here
Pre-save / Pre-order:
Pre-save Homeaid
Pre-order LPs and CDs
Chicago Farmer follows a lineage of folk singers and storytellers stretching from Woody Guthrie to a decade spent touring extensively alongside the late Todd Snider, who was an early champion of Diekhoff’s work.
“I love Chicago Farmer’s singing and playing and songs,” Snider once said, “but it’s the intention behind the whole of his work that moves me to consider him the genuine heir to Arlo Guthrie or Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. He knows the shell game that goes on under folk music…which is sacred to me. Chicago Farmer is my brother; if you like me, you’ll love him.”
Like Snider, Chicago Farmer assembled a cast of characters to bring his current batch of stories to life on Homeaid. Produced by Chad Staehly (Todd Snider’s Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3), the album marks the first full release featuring Diekhoff’s touring band, The Fieldnotes: Charlie Harris (bass), Cody Jensen (keys/mandolin), Frank Kurtz (drums), and Jaik Willis (guitar).
Homeaid shines a light on the old-soul nature and deep compassion at the core of Chicago Farmer’s songwriting, blending Americana, indie-folk, and roots-rock into songs written for a modern world facing uncertain times.
TOUR DATES
* indicates solo dates
1/10 Bishop Hill, IL – Creative Commons *
1/30 Fort Walton Beach, FL – Docie’s Dock *
1/31 Fort Walton Beach, FL – Docie’s Dock *
2/4 Bonita Springs, FL – Sugarshack *
2/5 St. Petersburg, FL – Jack Kerouac House *
2/6 JAX Beach, FL – Blue Jay Listening Room *
2/7 JAX Beach, FL – Blue Jay Listening Room *
2/9 Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic *
3/6 Davenport, IA – Common Chord
3/7 Des Moines, IA – xBk Live
3/8 Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
3/12 Appleton, WI – Appleton Beer Co
3/13 Bangor, WI – Leo & Leona’s
3/14 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
3/19 Newport, KY – Southgate House Revival
3/20 Indianapolis, IN – HiFi Indy
3/21 Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
3/27 St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
3/28 Bloomington, IL – Castle Theatre
4/3 Chicago, IL – Martyrs’
4/4 Chicago, IL – Martyrs’
4/11 Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s
4/17 Effingham, IL – Effingham VFW
4/18 Carbondale, IL – Hangar 9
4/24 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
4/25 Columbus, OH – Natalie’s
5/8 West Bend, WI – The Bend Theatre
5/9 Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
