article provided by Angie at Propeller Publicity

March 6, 2026; Chicago, IL: 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 — he 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”), 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/ PURCHASE HOMEAID HERE
LPS AND CDS AVAILABLE HERE

​RECENT PRAISE:

“His work is a rare and perfect meeting of words, heart, and imagination placed in vessel that would be a formidable force in poetry, journalism, or fiction but is instead—thankfully—dedicated to the art of song.” — NPR / KUOW ‘Into Music”

“The late great Todd Snider once said of Chicago Farmer, ‘I love [his] singing and playing and songs, 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.’” —Saving Country Music

“A clear highlight is “The Great River Road,” showing how generations are connected through that ‘old guitar,’ a feeling not unlike ‘Will the Circle be Unbroken.’”

—Country Standard Time

“Rooted in small-town Midwest life and shaped by big-city grit, folk artist Cody Diekhoff—known as Chicago Farmer —blends heartfelt storytelling, sharp wit and a working-class voice.”
—PBS “Studio 3 LIVE”

“a bright and soaring work of folk-rock…vivid with literary sensibility and observation and featuring plenty of poignant moments and visuals.”

—Glide Magazine

“ He hears the song in the everyday events of small-town life, and we help shoulder those memories into the future in a land where populations often diminish—and the stories can vanish with them.”

— Grateful Web

CHICAGO FARMER ONLINE:

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TOUR DATES

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 Factory

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 – HI-FI INDY

3/21 Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark

3/27 Saint 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 Eccentric Cafe’

4/14 Shoals, IN – Sustain Festival (solo)

4/17 Effingham, IL – Effingham VFW

4/18 Carbondale, IL – Hangar 9

4/24 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern

4/25 Columbus, OH – Natalie’s Music Hall

5/8 West Bend, WI – The Bend Theatre

5/9 Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
5/19 Peoria, IL – CAC (solo) w/Carsie Blanton SOLD OUT
6/19 Effingham, IL – Moccasin Creek Festival