It felt good to swing

John Craigie drops New Album ‘Greatest Hits…Just Kidding…No Hits – Live’

“I think with music, it’s nice, people are in an open mood emotionally. I think you can talk about the experience a lot. I think it tends to work in your favor and humor is important to me. Especially to balance out the seriousness of just songwriting and that kind of vulnerability,” says John Craigie on the phone this morning as his latest album dropped, Greatest Hits…Just Kidding…No Hits–Live.

John Craigie is a singer-songwriter known for his witty storytelling, humor, and deep connection with audiences through his live performances. His music blends folk, Americana, and insightful lyricism, creating songs that are as emotionally resonant as they are entertaining. Craigie has toured extensively, sharing stages with artists like Jack Johnson and Langhorne Slim while headlining his own sold-out shows.

Greatest Hits…Just Kidding…No Hits–Live dives into Criagie on the road, his connection to travel, and his nights roaming to find his reason, his family, and the relationships that made him. The way they all weave together in his music which is his medicine, to share, with space to feel it all.

Craigie has released nine studio albums, three live albums, two cover albums, and one live cover album. How does he choose what goes into a live album? He said Family Reunion he had been doing for a while, it would have been silly on a studio album. Something like Mallory even, there’s a nice vulnerability when you’re playing live solo.

This live album is through a slight allegorical lens, framing his situations in a relatable yet challenging way. It challenges one to accept the great sadness of the world and the great beauty at the same time. Also, John speaks of heroes and times past and what he would say to them now, giving them new life and futuristic perspectives. Maybe no hits, but it has wins and losses, triumphs and struggles, pure mysteries of artists and musicians from the past.

One can find oneself in the plot of the story, in the songs, and in the words, with belly laughs and even tears, this album takes you through a myriad of emotions.

How does John write his songs? “I’ve always been for the most part spontaneous. I’ve never been good at planning songwriting and it just comes when it comes,” he says. “And I find that the road is a little more inspiring for me than not, I like to lay low when home but on the road, After soundcheck, just so much more is happening, like life is really coming at you. And so everything about why we do this is on full blast. So it’s special.”

Now on tour for New Album Greatest Hits…Just Kidding…No Hits – Live.