One of the more unique singer-songwriters out there is coming to Wooly’s this September, just a couple of days after the release of his new album, and we’ll be hearing the single soon on Studio One. If you’re into some seriously “old-timey” Americana sounds, then you’ll be in heaven with this track.
Pokey LaFarge now lives in Maine with his family, but he was born in Bloomington, Illinois as Andrew Heissler. His mother started calling him “Pokey” because he had a bad habit as a child of never being in a hurry. In retrospect, it’s almost too perfect a moniker for him, and if he’s ever the subject of a biopic, that’s going to be a key scene. While we couldn’t find anything about where “LaFarge” comes from, as with so many band or artist names, we suspect he thought it sounded cool.
LaFarge developed an interest in older blues, western swing, ragtime and other early styles of music in his late teens and early 20s. He also became interested in the Civil War and World War II, which feels appropriate. LaFarge has also toured extensively, and was in Iowa for the second-ever Hinterland festival in 2016.
Fast forward to 2026, and he's now released 12 full length albums and founded his own record label, Boxer Boy. His upcoming new record, Rent Money, is due to be released Sept. 11, and the first single, “The Thing,” is out now.
Right away, you’ll notice the sound, which is evocative of all the old-time musical influences LaFarge is known for. His vocal delivery is also really interesting. The way he sings “The thing that I got ain’t the thing that I thought I wanted” really pricks my ears up for reasons I can’t fully explain. You’ll just have to listen to it!
The lyrical themes of “The Thing” aren’t hard to pick up: LaFarge opens with “It’s a long way to the top of the world / But I found out it’s only a short fall back down” and goes from there. Although he’s not explicit about it in his music, LaFarge talks very openly about his faith in interviews and on social media. “When you find out that not all that glitters is gold, when are you going to turn in another direction?” said LaFarge in a statement. “Where are you gonna go? For me, it was toward Jesus, who satisfies here and in the forever after.”
Rent Money is available for pre-order now, and “The Thing” is streaming at all the usual places. Tickets are still available for LaFarge’s show at Wooly’s, which is one of many tour dates he’s got scheduled in the coming months. In-the-know fans will know that he’s also be playing at Codfish Hollow in Maquoketa on July 23 (with Iowa’s own Cedar County Cobras opening), but that show is already sold out.
