Davis: Coming up on "Studio 3 LIVE," it's Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes.

♪ ...sad song that I hope will make you smile ♪ The songs and the stories, they kind of are like my guiding light, kind of telling me, like, there is something for you out there.

♪ ...only here for a little while ♪ [ Vocalizing ] Davis: Funding for "Studio 3 LIVE" is provided by... Announcer: Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, where employees from over 20 countries speak over 20 languages, is committed to enriching the lives of all Iowans by funding strong communities and diverse cultural organizations.

Learn more at prairiemeadows.com.

Announcer: Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

[ Cheers and applause ] Good evening, and welcome to "Studio 3 LIVE."

I'm your host, Mickey Davis.

Tonight we are joined on the "Studio 3 LIVE" stage by Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes.

For over 20 years, Cody Diekhoff, also known as Chicago Farmer, has crisscrossed the United States, performing to audiences in small towns, big cities and everywhere in between.

Much like his stage name, Chicago Farmer's music is a study in contrasts.

Growing up in a town of 2,000 people, he then made his way to Chicago, where he formed a band with the Fieldnotes, and his early musical inspiration of punk rock and grunge combined with a later discovery of folk artists like Hank Williams and fellow Midwesterner John Prine.

The result is music that tells a story not of our differences, but, as Cody describes it, how everyone has a story and everyone puts in a long day and works hard the same way.

Please help me welcome to the stage Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪ Well, I've been crying and I don't know why ♪ ♪ Nobody's being born, nobody dies ♪ ♪ No one's helloing, and no one's goodbying ♪ ♪ I don't know why ♪ ♪ I just keep on crying ♪ ♪ Maybe it's this letter ♪ ♪ Or maybe it's this sound ♪ ♪ Or maybe it's this weather ♪ ♪ Or maybe it's this town ♪ ♪ Maybe it's this road that, well, it keeps on going ♪ ♪ Maybe it's this river ♪ ♪ It just keeps on flowing ♪ ♪ I've been crying and I don't know why ♪ ♪ Nobody's being born, and nobody dies ♪ ♪ No one's helloing, and no one's goodbying ♪ ♪ I don't know why ♪ ♪ I don't know why ♪ ♪ I just keep on crying ♪ ♪ Maybe it's what I got ♪ ♪ Or maybe it's what I had ♪ ♪ Or maybe it's my mama ♪ ♪ Or maybe it's my dad ♪ ♪ Maybe it's these words that, well, they went unspoken ♪ ♪ Maybe it's this circle ♪ ♪ Will it be unbroken?

♪ ♪ I've been crying, and I don't know why ♪ ♪ Nobody's being born, and nobody dies ♪ ♪ No one's helloing, no one's goodbying ♪ ♪ I don't know why ♪ ♪ I don't know why ♪ ♪ I just keep on crying ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I've been crying, and I don't know why ♪ ♪ Nobody's being born, nobody dies ♪ ♪ No one's helloing, no one's goodbying ♪ ♪ I don't know why ♪ ♪ I don't know why ♪ ♪ I just keep on crying ♪ ♪ I've been crying ♪ ♪ I've been crying ♪ ♪ And I don't know why ♪ ♪ And I don't know why ♪ ♪ Nobody's being born, and nobody dies ♪ ♪ No one's helloing, no one's goodbying ♪ ♪ I've been crying ♪ ♪ In the middle of the country ♪ ♪ In the middle of the state, in the middle of the town ♪ ♪ In the middle of the street, in the middle of the day ♪ ♪ Ha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a... ♪ ♪ ...a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a ♪ ♪ A-a-a-a ♪ Man: Yeah.

Woman: Whoo-hoo!

[ Applause ] I know perfectly well, Iowa PBS... ♪ Why ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Cody, thanks so much for joining us here at "Studio 3 LIVE."

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

How'd you kind of first get started in music?

Yeah, I grew up in a town called Delavan, Illinois.

Uh, the population's changed over the years.

It fluctuates from 1,700 to 2,000 people.

Um, very small town.

I started out in sports and things like that, and then I think when I was about a sophomore or junior in high school, I started writing a lot in high school study hall.

Um, there wasn't a whole lot to do.

I don't know if we ran out of books or teachers or funds or what, but by the time I was a senior, I had several study halls, and I used to sleep in them a lot.

But, uh, I started kind of daydreaming and going on little adventures in my head in study hall, and when I got back, I started writing them down.

So really, the writing came first, and then I started to rhyme them.

And then, uh, I took some money that I made from baling hay and walking beans and detasseling corn and bought a guitar and started putting the poetry in motion.

And I've just been traveling around mostly the Midwest, but the whole country, um, doing that ever since.

When did you start actually kind of performing as Chicago Farmer and actually, like, kind of hitting the road and performing?

I moved to Chicago in 2003, and the idea was to kind of start a band, and somebody was kind of making fun of me about how I'm from a small town.

I have, like, a small-town drawl.

I don't know what it is, a small-town Midwestern drawl.

And so somebody said I would be like the Urban Cowboy, which was already taken.

Yeah, yeah.

So I said, What about Chicago Farmer?"

And my plan was to kind of start a band, but when I got to Chicago, I started hanging out at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and I started really falling in love with Steve Goodman and John Prine and Arlo Guthrie, and I just kind of had this idea to just travel around by myself first before I put that band together.

And, um, my name's Cody Diekhoff, which gets spelled wrong quite a bit.

[ Chuckles ] Yeah.

So I was like, "I think I'm just going to keep that name Chicago Farmer, even if it's just me."

It's just got a ring to it, and now it's kind of like, you know, both parts of the state that I've lived in now.

I grew up in central Illinois.

We were surrounded by farms and factories, and you pretty much go work at one or the other.

And we'll sing you some farm songs later, but this is a song I wrote after I worked at Caterpillar Incorporated for four days.

[ Laughter ] Never got a paycheck, but I got this song.

But I was sitting at my hometown bar one night, and to the left of me there was a guy who had worked at Caterpillar for the last 30 years, and then a guy on this side of me, he was about to start working there for the next 30 years.

And I was like, "I didn't last very long.

I got this other thing I want to do in life, but this song's for you guys, so..." ♪♪ This is called "The Assembly Line Blues."

♪♪ Ready, boys?

Alright.

♪♪ ♪ I'm walking, I'm walking, I'm headed to the job ♪ ♪ I got a hangover headache from singing all night long ♪ ♪ I'm pleading, I'm pleading, please get me through, ooh ♪ ♪ You spend another morning with assembly line blues ♪ ♪ My 15-minute break, it goes by and away ♪ ♪ 15 minutes of work lasts for days, I do think ♪ ♪ Another day, another dollar, paying my dues ♪ ♪ You spend another night with assembly line blues ♪ Oh, piano man!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, you do one thing wrong and they take away your rights ♪ ♪ Assemble in the morning, reassembling at night ♪ ♪ They say, "By the way, you're gonna work Sunday too" ♪ ♪ You spend another week with assembly line blues ♪ ♪ I'm sighing and dying and panting for a rest ♪ ♪ That boss man is smiling with his feet on his desk ♪ ♪ I wish for one day he could walk in my boots ♪ ♪ He wouldn't last an hour with assembly line blues ♪ Oh, guitar!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Now the clock is striking 7:00 and I don't have a care ♪ ♪ My hand's on my time card and finger in the air ♪ ♪ Tonight we'll be singing on the TV for you ♪ ♪ Forget about our lives with assembly line blues ♪ ♪ The assembly line blues ♪ ♪ The assembly line blues ♪ Alright, here we go.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

Thank you.

So when I was about 17 years old, uh, I was listening to Nirvana at my friend's house up in their bedroom.

We were jamming out, and then I went downstairs and his dad was playing Hank Williams on an acoustic guitar.

And I thought, "Those are the two most beautiful sounds I've ever heard in my life.

Someday I'm going to combine the two."

And so we started a new genre of music.

We called it "grungetry."

It's grunge and country put together, and I hope you like it.

It's sweeping the nation.

All the kids are into it, I hear.

But, uh, this next song is called Peshtigo.

I had this theme of fire running through some of these new songs, and, uh, not many people know this, but the biggest forest fire in the history of our country happened in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in 1871.

And most people don't know that because it happened the same day as the Chicago Fire, and Chicago stole all the headlines from Peshtigo, Wisconsin.

And Peshtigo was kind of near Green Bay, Wisconsin, and I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Chicago and Green Bay, they don't really get along too well.

And I thought it would be cliché if a guy named Chicago Farmer wrote a song about the Chicago Fire.

But to ease the tensions of Illinois and Wisconsin, which we don't have to worry about here, this is a song I wrote called "Peshtigo."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ The devil's on the loose in Peshtigo ♪ ♪ Riding into town on a wind ♪ ♪ Got 'em shaking in their boots and their halos ♪ ♪ Burning the candle at both ends ♪ ♪ Cry all night when you see it ♪ ♪Shake it to the rhythm of your call ♪ ♪ Shake 'em all loose in a desperate time ♪ ♪ Shake 'em all loose in a desperate war ♪ ♪ I'm on fire, and I close my eyes ♪ ♪ Standing in the field in pain ♪ ♪ My baby's up on Peshtigo Hill ♪ ♪ Praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ Praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ I'm praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ The woods set afire by the embers ♪ ♪ A tree burns in the forest, there's a sound ♪ ♪ So loud you can't hear the timber ♪ ♪ Warn you 'fore it comes crashing down ♪ ♪ Cry all night when you hear it ♪ ♪ Shake it to the rhythm of your call ♪ ♪ Shake 'em all loose in a desperate time ♪ ♪ Shake 'em all loose in a desperate war ♪ ♪ I'm on fire, and I close my eyes ♪ ♪ Standing in the field in pain ♪ ♪ My baby's over at the Peshtigo mill ♪ ♪ Praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ Praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ I'm praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Next to nothing ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Next to nothing ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Saw a man walking down the railroad ♪ ♪ Hauling off the weight of the dead ♪ ♪ Never give the devil time to reload ♪ ♪ He'll take a soul and leave a hole up in your head ♪ ♪ Cry all night when you feel it ♪ ♪ Shake it to the rhythm of your call ♪ ♪ Shake 'em all loose in a desperate time ♪ ♪ Shake 'em all loose in Peshtigo ♪ ♪ I'm on fire, and I close my eyes ♪ ♪ Standing in the field in pain ♪ ♪ My baby's down at the Peshtigo well ♪ ♪ Praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ Praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ I'm praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ Praying like hell for the rain ♪ ♪ I'm praying like hell to the rain ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Next to nothing ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Next to nothing ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

You're performing tonight as Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes.

Yeah.

How did the Fieldnotes come together?

Uh, so, actually, when I first moved to Chicago, the only way I could afford it was I had six roommates in a loft in Chicago, and we split the rent seven ways, which was about the way that seven musicians could afford to live in Chicago.

[ Chuckles ] Yeah.

But I kind of had this -- this thing where I just -- I loved playing solo, but after doing it for like 15, 16 years, I was like, "It's kind of time to mix it up a little bit."

And when I'd play at festivals, there's usually a thing where people sit in with each other and, like, different musicians come and they'll sit in and play a few songs with you.

And there was this just kind of vibe happening when I started playing with other people, and I was always afraid that if I started playing with a band or something, it would take away from the stories or the songs and, um, I just -- I found the right guys who didn't, you know, who just kind of played with the song.

I'm assuming that with the band, you play stuff that you wrote or released prior to the band... Yeah.

...and things that you've written since.

Yeah.

What is that process like of kind of rediscovering your old music and bringing it to the full band versus just you?

Yeah, so we have just in the last six months, probably, I've brought the band like two songs they've never heard.

And, um, it just kind of grew from nothing, and it's so cool to get into rehearsal and just do that and see, like, where is this going to go?

And then I have old songs too that I have recorded with other people, but I'm kind of like, "Let's redo these songs so they're fresh because they're, you know, my audience has been singing these songs, some of them, for a long time."

Yeah.

So we kind of come up with new songs quite a bit, but we also enjoy revamping and redoing the old ones too, just kind of bring them back to life and have a different feel.

♪♪ We were playing poker one night with a bluegrass band from Iowa City, and we totally wiped them out, and they didn't have any money to pay us because they're a bluegrass band from Iowa City.

[ Laughter ] So we wound up with this thing called a mandolin.

And, uh, we're going to give it back to 'em when we head back east tomorrow, but for now, we're going to pick it.

♪♪ And I figured since we're here in the beautiful state of Iowa... why don't we sing a song about Indiana?

What do you say, everybody?

♪♪ I started driving, uh, when I was 11 years old, on the family farm.

My grandpa would give me his pickup truck and let me tear up the field, so I did, and, uh, so by the time I became 16 and went to driver's ed, I was already a professional.

And I remember I immediately started heading east on I-74, and I remember it was always under construction.

And, uh, now I'm 46 years old, and every time I head east on I-74, it's still under construction.

And I was heading to Indianapolis one day and I got to this town called Danville, Illinois, and, uh, it got down to one lane, and we just sat there in a standstill for like an hour.

So I started thumping on the floorboards... [ Drum beating ] ...and I started singing.

♪ I'm in a standstill over in Danville ♪ ♪ I'm a standstill over in Danville ♪ And when we finally started moving again, I had this song.

Let's go!

[ Sticks clacking ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, come on, boys, I can see the light ♪ ♪ Through the shadow of my doubt ♪ ♪ I'll make a run at the sun tonight ♪ ♪ And be home before it's out ♪ ♪ Pour some fuel on the fire and I'll make good time ♪ ♪ So meet me down at the Indiana line ♪ ♪ Oh, meet me down at the Indiana line ♪ ♪ Got a heavy thought, but my foot is soft ♪ And 30 through these towns ♪ ♪ Yeah, I won't stop till I make the drop ♪ ♪ Then I'll turn this thing around ♪ ♪ Well, I'll obey the signals, I'll obey them signs ♪ ♪ Just point me towards that Indiana line ♪ ♪ Yeah, point me towards that Indiana line ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ It's a make-or-break to the interstate ♪ ♪ No way I could get caught ♪ ♪ With a stack of bills and a hose to fill ♪ ♪ I'd do it in one shot ♪ ♪ I'd be the king of the road, kill two birds at one time ♪ ♪ I'm a stone's throw from the Indiana line ♪ ♪ I'm a stone's throw from the Indiana line ♪ ♪ There's an overhaul in the left lane stalled ♪ ♪ The sheriff on my tail ♪ ♪ I'll pray a pass or hit that gas ♪ ♪ And move on down the trail ♪ ♪ 'Cause I won't be forgiven ♪ ♪ They don't take too kind ♪ ♪ Now I'm holding up that Indiana line ♪ ♪ Well, I'm holding up that Indiana line ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ There's a standstill over in Danville ♪ ♪ I'm falling way behind ♪ ♪ There's a standstill over in Danville ♪ ♪ I'll be losing more than my mind ♪ ♪ Come on, boys, there are flashing lights ♪ ♪ In the shadow of my doubt ♪ ♪ I made a run at the sun tonight ♪ ♪ And all my options are out ♪ ♪ Hope I make it back home to Illinois ♪ [ Indistinct ] ♪ Yeah, this could be the Indiana line ♪ ♪ Oh, this could be the Indiana line ♪ ♪ Yeah, this must be the Indiana line ♪ Hey!

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you very much.

That was fun.

I think we should hear him really pick it, though, on this one.

What do you say, folks?

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ We did the factory song.

Here's the farm song for you.

Being surrounded by farms and factories, we're grateful, but it's our humble opinion the two should not mix.

And that's what this song is about.

No better time than the present to support local TV, local radio, local music.

[ Applause ] All local establishments.

♪♪ Let's pick one.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ They said we were born in a barn ♪ ♪ The barn my grandpa built ♪ ♪ And every night we come inside and lie under Grandma's quilt ♪ ♪ Been working these hands, working this land ♪ ♪ It seems ever since birth ♪ ♪ Hammering away in the factory or outside tilling the earth ♪ ♪ My family works in the factory ♪ ♪ My family works on the farm ♪ ♪ We work in the farms and the factories ♪ ♪ Never work on a factory farm ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ My dad in first ♪ ♪ My papa healed the soles of the working folks' shoes ♪ ♪ To work day and night, to march, to fight ♪ ♪ To stand up and stomp out the blues ♪ ♪ Well, I take their spirit so people can hear it ♪ ♪ And I put it into a song ♪ ♪ And every part, it comes from the heart ♪ ♪ And has our name put on ♪ ♪ My family works in the factory ♪ ♪ My family works on the farm ♪ ♪ Take pride in the farms and the factories ♪ ♪ Bad pride on a factory farm ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I'm six strings of plucking, 18 wheels of trucking ♪ ♪ My cousin is making good time ♪ ♪ Through blood, sweat and tears, coffee and beers ♪ ♪ I'm just trying to remember the lines ♪ ♪ From cities and caverns ♪ ♪ A small-town tavern, a sister or a mom-and-pop store ♪ ♪ Blow a fuse or a wire, a shoulder, tire ♪ ♪ Patch it up and haul back for more ♪ ♪ My family works in a factory ♪ ♪ My family works on the farm ♪ ♪ We bleed in the farms and the factories ♪ ♪ Bad blood on a factory farm ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ My wife and my mom are both teachers ♪ ♪ Hard work and research ♪ ♪ My Uncle Dan was the preacher ♪ ♪ Aunt Judy played the organ in church ♪ ♪ My grandfather served overseas ♪ ♪ Then farming became his life ♪ ♪ Gives thanks on his two replacement knees ♪ ♪ He retired at 85 ♪ ♪ My family works in a factory ♪ ♪ My family works on the farm ♪ ♪ Thank God for the farms and the factories ♪ ♪ Thank the devil for the factory farm ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ My family works in a factory ♪ ♪ My family works on the farm ♪ ♪ Thank God for the farms and the factories ♪ ♪ Thank the devil for the factory farms ♪ ♪ This land is your land, this land is my land ♪ ♪ From California to the New York Island ♪ ♪ The Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Waters ♪ ♪ This land was made for you and me ♪ ♪ This land is your land, this land is my land ♪ ♪ From California to the New York Island ♪ ♪ The Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Waters ♪ ♪ This land was made for you and me ♪ ♪ Oh, this land was made for you and me ♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

John Prine, I know, is one of your big musical influences.

Yeah.

Um, I think as his story, you know, growing up in a small town in Illinois, moving to Chicago, getting involved in the Old Town School of Folk Music, I see so much similarities in kind of the musical path that you took.

Yeah.

What about his music and his career is so kind of inspirational for you?

Well, one thing I didn't know until much later after I became a fan was that he was a mailman in Illinois, in Maywood, Illinois.

So I was like a fill-in paper boy, and then I've delivered everything from flowers to pizzas to phone books.

So there's something about delivering things and coming up with songs in your daily life that you see and notice.

Yeah.

And, um, you know, it's easier to get distracted these days, but I think I just -- One thing that he did that I like to do is just really pay attention to things that maybe you would typically see through or not notice.

And that's what I love so much about him.

He can take a commonality situation and just make it so powerful and something you never even thought about.

And then it hits you and you're like, "Oh, yeah, oh, yeah."

But he's probably definitely my biggest writing influence.

And for him to be from Illinois and kind of have a similar path of, you know, the odd jobs that he had and what he did, it's pretty cool.

What are the themes in your music that you feel allow you to play in all sorts of different towns, kind of across the Midwest... Sure.

...where you feel like, "No matter who's walking into this club, like, they're going to relate to something in my music, some theme," right?

Yeah.

It's funny, like, I lived in Chicago for just a couple weeks and I felt very lost, you know, being a small-town Midwest kid.

And I was like, "What am I doing?"

And I didn't have any experience living in the city yet, but I kind of, like, acted like I did, but I didn't.

And I'm like, "Am I really going to play this small-town song in this bar in Chicago?"

And I decided I'm just going to do it.

So I played this small-town in this little bar in Chicago, and everybody cheered, and I was just shocked.

And then during my set break, I went around the bar and started talking to people, and they were all from small towns around the Midwest... Sure, yeah.

Yeah.

...you know, and I thought that was so cool.

And so I'm never afraid to sing about where I'm from or my small-town Midwest roots anymore, because if it can connect in larger cities, you know, around the Midwest, then I think it can connect anywhere too.

♪♪ I don't know about y'all, but in this life of ours, do you ever ask yourself, like, "What am I even doing here?"

Maybe some of you are right now.

[ Laughter ] "What is my purpose?

Why do I exist?"

Show of hands.

How many people here have ever seen a mattress on the side of the road?

To your knowledge, how many people have ever written a song about it?

That's why I exist, ladies and gentlemen.

That's why I'm here!

[ Applause ] ♪♪ Somebody's got to do it.

♪ We've been told by 600, 700 -- 600... 6,000... How many are we up to now?

6,748 people have told us that this is their favorite song about a mattress on the side of the road... [ Laughter ] ...and we're hoping with this -- we're hoping to get up there even more tonight.

Alright.

♪♪ It's called "Mattress."

Cowbell, please.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ There's a mattress by the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Papa was a painter, he used to paint the town ♪ ♪ Now he's sitting in the waiting room debating ♪ ♪ How the baby boomers laid him in the ground ♪ ♪ Yeah, it's malpractice ♪ ♪ It needs another coat ♪ ♪ It's malpractice by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Mama was a singer, used to sing the sound ♪ ♪ Now she's sitting auditions for positions with conditions ♪ ♪ Keep her spinning around ♪ ♪ Yeah, like an actress in a misleading role ♪ ♪ There's an actress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ There's a mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ How y'all feeling out there?

[ Cheers and applause ] I think after this program, we're going to hit 7,000 likes on the mattress song.

♪♪ Y'all are a beautiful audience.

We'd love to hear you sing one with us.

It's real easy.

If you grew up with PBS, you should be able to do this too, just like me.

I wrote it.

All you have to do is sing a chorus.

With feeling, that is.

♪♪ One, two, three, four!

♪ There's a mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ You can do better, Iowa.

♪ There's a mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ Better.

Better.

I think it's feeling a little too folky yet.

I think we need to make it a little funkier.

Jake Willis, will you help 'em out with that, please?

[ Beatboxing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Are you feeling it now, Iowa?!

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ Let's go again.

♪ There's a mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ That's what I'm talking about.

♪♪ ♪ I used to have dreams ♪ ♪ But now they're gone ♪ ♪ I wish I had something to fall back on ♪ ♪ Hey, there's a mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ There's a mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ There is a mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪ Somebody was holding on ♪ ♪ Somebody let go ♪ ♪ To the mattress by the side of the road ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] There you go.

Tell me about the song "Umbrella."

"Umbrella" is, uh, kind of a... kind of a downer.

I don't have too many downers, but that's one.

Um, it's pretty much just the impact that music has had on me.

Um, like I said, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life in high school, sitting in those study halls, and the songs and the stories, they kind of are like my guiding light, kind of tell me, like, there is something for you out there, and if you follow it, you know, you'll figure it out.

And so, um, my dad died in 2009, and it's just kind of like every time I've had a struggle, music has been there.

Um, even in the pandemic, you know, music was there for me.

Um, lots of struggles and a lot of -- a lot of musicians struggle with a lot of the same things and mental health and things like that, so the umbrella's just kind of the -- the thing that -- a song that kind of covers that up, I guess, for a little while when we play it.

This thing called writing songs and telling stories and playing music has always been here for me.

I'm so grateful for it.

I'm grateful to make it with these guys right here.

And, uh... [ Applause ] Started writing songs in high school study hall, and one day I got a guitar with some money that I made from baling hay and walking beans and detasseling, and I started putting the stories and the poetry in motion.

Here's a song.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I arrived here ♪ ♪ Kicking and screaming the day that I took the stage ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I went searching for some kind of meaning ♪ ♪ Like words looking for a page ♪ ♪ Came up empty and full of worry ♪ ♪ That nothing could cover the pain ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And these songs and stories began unfolding ♪ ♪ Like an umbrella in the rain ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I want to write you a sad, sad song ♪ ♪ That I hope will make you smile ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And if we could pass it along ♪ ♪ We're only here for a little while ♪ [ Vocalizing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Strike up a coal ♪ ♪ Strike up the band and we'll play out the lessons learned ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Strike up a match, then it's three strikes, you're out ♪ ♪ And depression can take its turn ♪ ♪♪ ♪ We've been trying to find our way ♪ ♪ Through the darkness of our minds ♪ ♪♪ ♪ We all get our names in the paper someday ♪ ♪ I pray not before our time ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I want to sing you a sad, sad song ♪ ♪ That I wrote to make you smile ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And we could pass it along ♪ ♪ We're only here for a little while ♪ [ Vocalizing ] ♪♪ ♪ When I was young, all I did was take ♪ ♪ I've been trying harder to give ♪ ♪♪ ♪ For so long I was living to die ♪ ♪ Now I'm dying just to live ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Now we'll leave here kicking and screaming ♪ ♪ The day that I take my rest ♪ ♪ But I've got a whole lot more in me ♪ ♪ Till the end of my set list ♪ ♪ Still time to play you a sad, sad song ♪ ♪ Full of hope to make you smile ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And if we could pass it along ♪ ♪ We're only here for a little while ♪ ♪♪ ♪ We want to play you a sad, sad song ♪ ♪ Full of hope to make you smile ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And if we could pass it along ♪ ♪ We're only here for a little while ♪ [ Vocalizing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] You recently celebrated 20 years of Chicago Farmer... Yeah, yeah.

...which is a big milestone, I think, for any touring musician.

It was.

What are some of the things you've learned about yourself in the 20 years of performing music?

I'm very stubborn.

I think they call it "Midwest stubborn."

Yeah, yeah.

I'm definitely that.

I have no idea what else I would be doing if I wasn't doing this, so I kind of was forced to keep at it.

I ask myself a lot if I chose this life or if it chose me, and I think it just chose me.

And I embraced it and chose it back.

But I've learned that I can push on when I think I don't have anything left in the tank.

When the tank says empty, I can still go for another 30, 40 miles.

Yeah.

And I've realized that wherever I go, I'm very fortunate that I'm able to take my roots with me.

When I moved from my small town to Chicago, the first songs I wrote were about my grandparents.

And whenever I'm in the big city, I long for the small town.

When I'm in a small town, I long for the excitement of the big city.

So I really -- It's kind of a silly name, but in the last 20 years, now I feel like I really am Chicago Farmer.

Yeah.

Like, it is a silly name still [laughs] but it suits me.

It's who I am.

It's who I am.

Yeah.

It's what I've become.

So... Well, Cody, thank you so much for being here.

Yeah.

Thank you so much.

Thanks for being part of "Studio 3 LIVE."

Appreciate it.

We're Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes.

Thanks again, everybody.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ You better go tell the village, Etta ♪ ♪ They're coming strong ♪ ♪ We gonna pilgrimage tonight at dawn ♪ ♪ Go tell the others, Etta ♪ ♪ They're taking over again ♪ ♪ You better go grab your baskets and your water jugs ♪ ♪ Load up on supplies, and load up on drugs ♪ ♪ Sisters and brothers, tell them ♪ ♪ They're taking over again ♪ ♪ You better go grab your blankets ♪ ♪ And your clothes are worn ♪ ♪ We gonna wrap up all of the newborns ♪ ♪ Fathers and mothers, tell them ♪ ♪ They're taking over again ♪ ♪ You better save up your voices, people, by and by ♪ ♪ They're all we got to keep this village alive ♪ ♪ Go tell the others, Etta ♪ ♪ They're taking over again ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ You better go tell the village, Etta ♪ ♪ They're coming strong ♪ ♪ We gonna pilgrimage tonight at dawn ♪ ♪ Go tell the others, Etta ♪ ♪ They're taking over again ♪ ♪ You better save up your voices, people, by and by ♪ ♪ They're all we got to keep this village alive ♪ ♪ Go tell the others, Etta ♪ ♪ They're taking over again ♪ ♪ You better save up ♪ ♪ Your voices, people ♪ ♪ By and by ♪ ♪ Save up your voices, people ♪ ♪ By and by ♪ ♪ Save up your voices, people ♪ ♪ For I was in the Delta ♪ ♪ Oh, I was in the Delta ♪ ♪ And, people, I felt just ♪ ♪ And the way you feel ♪ ♪ When I heard the bells a-ringing ♪ ♪ I heard the bells a-ringing ♪ ♪ Iowa was a-singin' ♪ ♪ About the way that feels ♪ ♪ I couldn't make out the language ♪ ♪ I couldn't make out the language ♪ ♪ But it sounded like anguish ♪ ♪ Was the way they feel ♪ ♪ Oh, I was in the Delta ♪ ♪ The Mississippi Delta ♪ ♪ Oh, Louisiana ♪ ♪ And the way you feel ♪ ♪ Oh, I was in the Delta ♪ ♪ The Mississippi Delta ♪ ♪ Oh, Louisiana ♪ ♪ And the way you feel ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Well, I was at Studio 3 ♪ [ Applause ] ♪ Yes, I was at Studio 3 ♪ ♪ Oh, I was at Studio 3 ♪ ♪ And the way you... ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Oh, I was on Studio 3 ♪ ♪ Playing music at the Studio 3 ♪ ♪ Thank you so much, Studio 3 ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And the way you feel ♪ ♪♪ Thanks for listening tonight.

We appreciate y'all so much.

Have a great one.

Davis: "Studio 3 LIVE" is also available as a podcast.

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♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Funding for "Studio 3 LIVE" is provided by... Announcer: Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, where employees from over 20 countries speak over 20 languages, is committed to enriching the lives of all Iowans by funding strong communities and diverse cultural organizations.

Learn more at prairiemeadows.com.

Announcer: Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

Davis: Next time on "Studio 3 LIVE," it's Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes.

♪ Sad song that I hope will make you smile ♪ The songs and the stories -- they kind of are like my guiding light, kind of telling me, like, there is something for you out there.

♪ Only here for a little while ♪