Single Premiere: Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes, “April 7th, 2020”
The Midwest folk outfit’s rousing new song is a moving tribute to John Prine and a timeless anthem of our times.
Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes. Photo credit: Melody Yvonne.
Cody Diekhoff, aka Chicago Farmer, describes himself as “profoundly influenced” by beloved Americana icon John Prine, who like Diekhoff was born in Illinois. Both artists’ music have a way of alternately touching your heart and hitting your gut with emotion and a keen sense of humanity. Both display a knack for writing empathetic stories that feel profound and universal even as they speak with specificity of everyday moments and lives. Humor and self-deprecation keep their catalogs lively and engaging; you may get a lump in your throat listening to their songs, but a moment of silliness or surprising turn of phrase will soon have you smiling again.
On April 7, 2020, COVID-19 claimed the life of Diekhoff’s musical hero. It was a blow that sent shockwaves through the whole music world, but perhaps even more so in the Midwest, where we proudly consider him one of our own. When Adventures in Americana attended the 2021 Great River Folk Festival in Wisconsin, we could feel John Prine’s spirit throughout; there was even a multi-artist song swap dedicated entirely to covers of his music.
But one of the most memorable festival highlights was hearing Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes perform the song Diekhoff had written after Prine’s death, simply titled “April 7th, 2020.” So we’re honored and delighted to share that song with you for the first time here.
Each verse captures one of the challenges most of us faced in the early days of the pandemic: “lack of sleep, too much drinking, falling out of touch, taking too long to write a song, restlessness and discontent with our country and the world,” as Diekhoff puts it.
Far from depressing, the song is a rousing anthem that makes you feel like you weren’t alone in going through these struggles. Chicago Farmer is joined in studio for the first time by The Fieldnotes (bassist Charlie Harris, drummer Cody Jensen and guitarist Jaik Willis), whose obvious musical chemistry creates an irresistible groove.
Chicago Farmer. Photo credit: June Jameson.
Aided by Diekhoff’s vocals, which bring to mind the most tuneful aspect of a young Bob Dylan’s voice, the melody and delivery have the power and passion of a 1960s protest song, like “All Along the Watchtower” or “Fortunate Son.” Although they were about a very specific time period, listening to those songs today feels like they’re talking about the current state of the world. Like them, “April 7th, 2020” has the potential to become a timeless classic that speaks of our times but resonates with future listeners going through similar struggles.
At its heart, though, this song’s a tribute to John Prine: his music, his ethos and his heart. “I’ve always thought of Prine as a friend I never met,” Diekhoff says. “I think a lot of people think of him that way. He connected so much with people.” That feeling is perfectly encapsulated in the last lines of the song:
Tonight I lost an old friend
Of a friend of a friend
Listen to “April 7th, 2020,” which comes out March 4 on the new Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes EP, FORE!!!! And read our review of the full EP!
Song Credits
Chicago Farmer - Acoustic guitar, vocals
Charlie Harris - Bass, vocals
Cody Jensen - Percussion, keys, vocals
Jaik Willis - Electric guitars, harmonica, vocals, vocal arrangements
Recorded and engineered by Chris Harden and Steven Shirk at SHIRK studios Chicago, and Anthony Gravino at High Cross Studios Urbana, Illinois. Mixed by Chris Harden.
Produced by Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes.
Album artwork by Half Hazard Press
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the main music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley!
