The song Pickup Truck is taken from Pokey LaFarge's new album Travelin' with Pokey LaFarge. Vol 1 is out today!
Here's the scoop...
"Pickup Truck" by Pokey LaFarge. From the new album 'Travelin' with Pokey LaFarge: Voice and Guitar Vol. I' Limited Edition First Pressing Vinyl 10" EP out January 23, 2026 on Boxer Boy Records / Digital Release Out On February 13, 2026.
Pokey LaFarge makes a rare Toronto appearance at Lee's Palace on Friday. Tickets are $42.38. Get 'em below.
Pokey LaFarge – Rhumba Country
After crisscrossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, Pokey LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. Rhumba Country was initially shaped from material that emerged while LaFarge was deep in work on the farm.
“I’d be pushing a plow or scattering seeds, and the songs would just come to me,” he recalls. “It was tremendously inspirational and made me realize that apart from singing, farming is perhaps the oldest human art form.”
While farming, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicália, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. “The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they’re all very colourful,” says LaFarge.
“I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor.” Co-produced along with Chris Seefried and Elliot Bergman and recorded in L.A., the resulting Rhumba Country is an invitation to come together to celebrate life and love.
Get a copy of Pokey's Rhumba Country album via Bandcamp right here. Get tickets for his show at Lee's Palace on Friday (October 17) right here. Watch a few performance clips, videos along with an interview and a discussion of so-called "Americana" music you may have missed.
Watch the video for "Sister André" from Pokey LaFarge's forthcoming Jorge Ben-inspired recording Rhumba Country.
Here's the scoop on Rhumba Country...
Pokey LaFarge returns with Rhumba Country on May 10th via New West Records. The 10–song set was co-produced by Chris Seefried, Elliot Bergman, and LaFarge and was recorded in Los Angeles, CA & Chicago, IL. On Rhumba Country, he reveals his newly heightened devotion to making music that channels pure joy. He says, “There was a time when I glorified sadness because I lost sight of who I was, but now I understand that creating and expressing joy is my gift, and gifts are meant to be shared.” Reclaiming his voice, LaFarge has recorded his boldest album yet.
After criss-crossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist. As he immersed himself in the album’s creation, LaFarge began dreaming up a kaleidoscopic sound informed by his love of music from far-ranging eras and corners of the globe, including mambo, tropicalia, rocksteady, and mid-century American rock-and-roll. He pares his songs down to the essential throughout the album, ornamenting each track with subtle details and showcasing his distinct voice and ineffable charisma.
His boundless curiosity for music from other cultures was vital in shaping the album’s captivating sound. “Listening to a lot of music from around the world helped simplify my approach,” he notes, naming Brazilian singer/composer Jorge Ben among his key inspirations. “The more you listen to music from around the world, you realize everybody’s got their form of country music,” he says. “It goes back to why I named the album Rhumba Country in the first place: it’s poking fun at the futility of boxing everything into a few genres, ‘What is folk music? What is country or soul?’ I’ve always bucked at all those boundaries and found it much more exciting to create my own genre.”
Today, Pokey shared a video for the album’s first single, “Sister Andre.” LaFarge said, “Sister André is a love song for those who are lonely and looking and waiting to love and be loved. An encouragement to never give up the patient pursuit. It could come at any time! Encouragement, in this case, comes from Sister André, who inspired this song the day of her passing after 118 years of age.”
You can pre-order Rhumba Country via New West Records right here. Watch the video for "Sister André" followed by a list of Pokey's upcoming tour dates which, unfortunately, doesn't include a stop in Toronto. Oh well, maybe next album.
Pokey LaFarge on tour
3/20 & 3/21 – Boise, ID – Treefort Festival
5/3 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studio
5/4 – Washington, DC – Kennedy Center
5/5 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House
5/10 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi Fi Annex
5/11 – Bloomington, IL – Castle Theatre
5/12 – Nashville, TN – 3rd and Lindsey
5/14 – Davenport, IA – Redstone Room
5/15 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theater
5/16 – Duluth, MN – The West Theatre
5/18 – Viroqua, WI – Historic Temple Theater
5/30 – Frankfort, KY – The Grand Theatre
5/31 – Pittsburgh, PA – Three Rivers Festival
6/1 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall
6/2 – Columbia, MO – Rose Park
6/4 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
6/6 – Ft Collins, CO – Washington’s
6/7 – Denver, CO – Bluebird
6/8 – Salt Lake City, UT – Fort Desolation
6/10 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
6/11 – Vancouver, BC – The Pearl
6/12 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
6/14 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
6/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
6/21-6/23 – Mount Salon, VA – Red Wing Festival
8/9-8/11 – Lyons, CO – Rocky Mountain Folk Festival
Scheduled for release today, Pokey's latest, In The Blossom of Their Shade, will now be out October 15th. Photo: Eliot Lee Hazel
Here's the scoop...
Pokey LaFarge has delayed the release of his new album In The Blossom of Their Shade to October 15th. Originally scheduled for release Friday (September 10) via New West Records, the 10-song set has been moved due to manufacturing delays. In The Blossom of Their Shade was produced and arranged by Pokey LaFarge and Chris Seefried and recorded in Chicago, IL & Los Angeles, CA. The collection is the follow up to LaFarge’s critically acclaimed 2020 studio LP Rock Bottom Rhapsody.
Pokey just shared an audio clip for “Drink of You,” saying “Still in the sway of my Rock Bottom Rhapsody, I suppose, in both mind and spirit, having just recorded the album back in early 2019, here’s another self-indulgent heartbreak song. Deep in the bottle and the only way I wanted to get out was by drinking my way out and singing about it. I don’t drink anymore but it’s still an enjoyable song to sing because of the ¾ time. It sounds like a jazz club / barroom sea chanty.” Check out the studio version of "Drink of You" followed by a pre-pandemic performance clip shot at Boston's Brighton Music Hall show on November 10, 2019.
Following that solo tour, LaFarge packed up and left his Los Angeles abode behind in March 2020, putting his belongings in storage in anticipation of spending extensive time on the road in support of his then-forthcoming album, Rock Bottom Rhapsody. He couldn’t wait to head down to Austin a few weeks later to showcase those songs and launch the album with his band at SXSW. Then the pandemic hit and all of LaFarge’s well-laid plans went into thin air.
Speaking to NPR Music, LaFarge offered, “This album is a result of my 2020 experience. Before the pandemic, I was in a dark place but the pandemic actually created the much needed space for me to reflect. Turns out that being completely sedentary for once was a good thing. I found peace in the stillness. I was able to recalibrate what it is I do and why I’m doing it. Who I’m to do it with and most importantly, who I’m doing it for.”
Unlike its melancholy predecessor, In the Blossom of Their Shade showcases the positivity of coming out of the darkness and into the light and is one of his strongest and most mature lyrical efforts to date. The record was nearly titled Siesta Love since it captures the thematic notion of being the perfect summer afternoon soundtrack and is a far cry from the swing and blues-infused songs of his earlier work. Looking in, inspired by the deep soul not just from these shores, but from distant geographical places like Africa or South America, LaFarge set out to create a body of work that paired emotional lyrics with a killer groove and grabby melodies.
Pokey LaFarge will be going on tour in October in support of In the Blossom of Their Shade with a two-night stand planned for The Horseshoe in Toronto on November 19 and 20.
Pokey LaFarge’s In the Blossom of Their Shade will be available across digital platforms, on compact disc, and standard black vinyl. A limited to 2,000 Translucent Orange Vinyl Edition will be available at Independent Retail and packaged with a bonus Peach Colored 7-inch featuring an unreleased bonus track. A limited to 1,000 Green Vinyl Edition will also be packaged with the bonus Peach Colored 7-inch and is now available for pre-order right here.
"Get It Fore It's Gone" is off Pokey's new album In The Blossom of Their Shade due Sept 10. He's at the Horseshoe Nov 19 & 20.
Here's the scoop from New West Records...
Pokey LaFarge will return with In The Blossom of Their Shade on September 10th via New West Records. The 10-song album was produced and arranged by Pokey LaFarge and Chris Seefried and recorded in Chicago, IL & Los Angeles, CA.
Speaking to NPR Music, LaFarge offered, “This album is a result of my 2020 experience. Before the pandemic, I was in a dark place but the pandemic actually created the much needed space for me to reflect. Turns out that being completely sedentary for once was a good thing. I found peace in the stillness. I was able to recalibrate what it is I do and why I’m doing it. Who I’m to do it with and most importantly, who I’m doing it for.”
Check out the Brandon Bernath-directed video for “Get It ‘Fore It’s Gone” below.
In March 2020, LaFarge packed up and left his Los Angeles abode behind, putting his belongings in storage in anticipation of spending extensive time on the road in support of his then-forthcoming album, Rock Bottom Rhapsody. He couldn’t wait to head down to Austin a few weeks later to showcase those songs and launch the album with his band at SXSW. Then the pandemic hit and all of LaFarge’s well-laid plans went into thin air.
Stuck in East Austin with nowhere to go, LaFarge did what he does best: he got to work. He used the sudden change in plans to his advantage, having perhaps his greatest period of personal growth in the midst of the crippling pandemic.
Unlike its melancholy predecessor, In the Blossom of Their Shade showcases the positivity of coming out of the darkness and into the light and is one of his strongest and most mature lyrical efforts to date. The record was nearly titled Siesta Love since it captures the thematic notion of being the perfect summer afternoon soundtrack and is a far cry from the swing and blues-infused songs of his earlier work. Looking in, inspired by the deep soul not just from these shores, but from distant geographical places like Africa or South America, LaFarge set out to create a body of work that paired emotional lyrics with a killer groove and grabby melodies.
Pokey LaFarge has also announced his initial tour dates in support of In the Blossom of Their Shade. He'll begin the tour with a handful of solo appearances in Switzerland on August 7th. A full band tour featuring a brand new live lineup will follow on September 1st with Toronto dates slated for The Horseshoe Tavern on November 19 and 20.
Pokey LaFarge’s In the Blossom of Their Shade will be available across digital platforms, on compact disc, and standard black vinyl. A limited to 2,000 Translucent Orange Vinyl Edition will be available at Independent Retail and packaged with a bonus Peach Colored 7” featuring an unreleased bonus track. A limited to 1,000 Green Vinyl Edition will also be packaged with the bonus Peach Colored 7 inch and is now available for pre-order via New West Records right here.
Watch the video for "Get It For It's Gone" followed by the track listing and Pokey's upcoming tour dates.
Pokey LaFarge – In The Blossom of Their Shade
1. Get It ‘Fore It’s Gone
2. Mi Ideal
3. Fine to Me
4. Drink of You
5. Rotterdam
6. To Love or Be Alone
7. Long for the Heaven I Seek
8. Killing Time
9. Yo-Yo
10. Goodnight, Goodbye (Hope Not Forever)
Pokey LaFarge On Tour:
August 7 - Bagnes, Switzerland - Palp Festival Rocklette (Solo)
August 24 - Ridgefield, CT - CHIRP (Solo)
August 25 - North Truro, MA - Payomet Music Tent (Solo)
August 26 - New Haven, CT - Folk at the Edge Concert Series (Solo)
September 1 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Maassilo
September 2 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
September 3 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
September 4 - Schijndel, Netherlands - Paaspop
September 5 - Groningen, Netherlands - De Oosterpoort
September 6 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
October 2 - Paducah, KY - YAC-toberfest
October 6 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
October 7 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *
October 8 - Kalamazoo, MI - Bells Back Room *
October 9 - Milwaukee, WI - BackRoom @ Colectivo *
October 12 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre *
October 13 - Iowa City, IA - The Englert *
October 15 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note *
October 16 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads *
November 3 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line *
November 4 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall *
November 5 - Grand Rapids, MI - Wealthy Theatre *
November 6 - Indianapolis, IN - HiFi *
November 7 - Charleston WV - Mountain Stage
November 9 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird *
November 10 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
November 12 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live *
November 13 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *
November 14 - Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse *
November 15 - Holyoke, MA - Gateway City Arts *
November 17 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Showcase Lounge *
November 18 - Ottawa, ON - Club Saw * November 19 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern * November 20 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern *
* with Esther Rose (duo)
Listen to "End Of My Rope" off the new Pokey LaFarge album Rock Bottom Rhapsody out April 10. Pokey plays the Horseshoe June 26 & 27.
Pokey LaFarge On Tour
April 24th Rotterdam, Netherlands - Maasilo
April 25th Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
April 26th Berlin, Germany - Roadrunners Paradise
April 29th Paris, France - La Maroquinerie
April 30th Antwerp, Belgium - De Roma
May 1st Lessines, Belgium - Roots & Roses Festival
May 2nd London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
May 8th Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
May 9th Mt. Airy, NC - The Earle
May 10th - Charleston, WV NPR’s Mountain Stage
May 13th - Lexington, KY The Burl
May 15th St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
May 16th St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
May 17th Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley (Lightning 100)
June 2nd Maquoqueta, IA - Codfish Hollow
June 3rd Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
June 4th Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
June 5th Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
June 6th Indianapolis, IN - HiFi
June 9th Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
June 10th Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird
June 11th Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live
June 12th Annapolis, MD - Rams Head Live
June 13th Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
June 16th Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse
June 17th New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
June 18th Boston, MA - Sinclair
June 19th Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
June 20th Albany, NY - The Egg
June 23rd Rockport, MA - Shalin Liu
June 24th Portsmouth, NH - Prescott Park June 26th Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern June 27th Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
Pokey's new album Rock Bottom Rhapsody will be out April 10th on New West Records. Listen to "Fuck Me Up" below.
Here's the scoop... Pokey LaFarge is set to release Rock Bottom Rhapsody on April 10th via New West Records. The 13-song set was produced by Chris Seefried (Fitz and the Tantrums). The album was recorded at Reliable Recorders on Chicago’s Northwest Side during the polar vortex of 2019 and features the guitarist Joel Paterson, keyboardist Scott Ligon, upright/electric bassist Jimmy Sutton, and drummer Alex Hall. Rock Bottom Rhapsody is LaFarge’s first album in over three years and follows 2017’s acclaimed Manic Revelations.
“The man singing these songs isn’t exactly the same man that wrote them,” says LaFarge. “This album is about the story of who I used to be.” In early 2018 he relocated from his longtime home base of St. Louis to Los Angeles. New songs came quickly to LaFarge in his new environment, but new temptations soon found him, as well. He admits that he experienced a significant “fall from grace” during the last months of 2018. “Things started to unravel in my mind. I was letting evil spirits and demons rule me, and I came into certain agreements with them, and it took me down. I was giving too much power to darkness, and I got in too deep, and I made some bad decisions. The reality of the situation is that I hit the closet to rock bottom that I ever had, and I’ve definitely had some hardships in my life.”
While the songs on Rock Bottom Rhapsody were mostly written before LaFarge’s life went into a downward spiral, their lyrics definitely speak of a soul in crisis — even though their author himself wasn’t fully aware of it at the time. “It’s a case of me writing the story and writing the song, and then unfortunately living it,” he reflects. “I was going towards the darkness. Destruction definitely ensued; self-sabotage and self-destruction definitely happened.”
But shortly before the recording of Rock Bottom Rhapsody began, LaFarge experienced a spiritual awakening — and the faith he re-embraced in his hour of darkness helped to buoy him through the making of the album. “I wrote this record before the fall from grace, and then it was recorded after the fall from grace. So you see how that could be kind of odd,” he says. “What I was searching for was peace and humility in the aftermath of carnage, of things I had wrecked, and — seemingly at the time — completely destroyed. I was just trying to survive; I had to fight every time to get up to that microphone and just sing. It was kind of a last stand.”
During the recording of the album, LaFarge took a break to take a “dark, sad, villainous role” in the forthcoming Netflix film The Devil All The Time which was produced by the notable music supervisor Randall Poster and the actor Jake Gyllenhaal. “The irony wasn’t lost on me that, one month after finding God, the first feature film opportunity that comes across my table has that for a title,” he chuckles.
Pokey LaFarge has also announced his initial tour dates in support of Rock Bottom Rhapsody, launching April 24th in Rotterdam and beginning in the U.S. on May 8th in Asheville, NC with a two-night stand in Toronto at The Horseshoe Tavern on June 26 and 27! Check out all of his dates below.
Pokey LaFarge’s Rock Bottom Rhapsody will be available across digital platforms, on compact disc, and standard black vinyl. A limited to 500 Pink coloured vinyl edition will be available at Independent Retail and a limited to 300 Buttercream coloured vinyl edition is available for pre-order now exclusively via New West Records. Now watch Pokey's new video directed by Keene McRae & Brandon Bernath belowd.
Pokey LaFarge On Tour:
April 24th Rotterdam, Netherlands - Maasilo
April 25th Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
April 26th Berlin, Germany - Roadrunners Paradise
April 29th Paris, France - La Maroquinerie
April 30th Antwerp, Belgium - De Roma
May 1st Lessines, Belgium - Roots & Roses Festival
May 2nd London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
May 8th Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
May 9th Mt. Airy, NC - The Earle
May 10th - Charleston, WV NPR’s Mountain Stage
May 13th - Lexington, KY The Burl
May 15th St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
May 16th St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
May 17th Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley (Lightning 100)
June 2nd Maquoqueta, IA - Codfish Hollow
June 3rd Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
June 4th Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
June 5th Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
June 6th Indianapolis, IN - HiFi
June 9th Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
June 10th Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird
June 11th Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live
June 12th Annapolis, MD - Rams Head Live
June 13th Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
June 16th Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse
June 17th New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
June 18th Boston, MA - Sinclair
June 19th Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
June 20th Albany, NY - The Egg
June 23rd Rockport, MA - Shalin Liu
June 24th Portsmouth, NH - Prescott Park June 26th Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern June 27th Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
"Riot In The Streets" is off Pokey LaFarge's forthcoming album Manic Revelations album out May 19. Photo: Nate Burrell
The song "Riot In The Streets" was inspired by the 2014 uprising in Ferguson, Missouri that followed the shooting and killing of unarmed black 18 year-old Michael Brown by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The St. Louis County grand jury decided not to indict Wilson. The U.S. Department of Justice later concluded that Wilson shot Brown in self-defence. No charges were filed.
Says Pokey LaFarge about the composition: "It is a tough thing to write about, but as a citizen of St. Louis and as an artist, I had to say something. Hopefully this song does more good than bad and, ultimately, gets the dialogue started. Although it’s also important to not forget the peaceful protests and those that spread the message of love in the pursuit of justice and equality, this particular song is about people being marginalized and brought to the brink. It was only a matter of time before they fight back. I hope you feel that tension in the song — even from the first bass click."
Manic Revelations is out May 19 on Rounder Records. You can pre-order a copy directly from Pokey LaFarge's site right here.
