From Peyton to Politics

Tuesday, January 26, 2016
After finding YouTube success with the 2014 video "She Loves Peyton Manning More Than Me," John Stevens is making a foray into politics with his most recent song and video, "Who Wants to Be My President." Stevens will play the Swizzle Stick at 9 p.m. on Friday. (Courtesy of John Stevens)

Crawfordsville singer-songwriter debuts video, will appear at Swizzle Stick Friday

She loves Donald Trump more than me?

Well, not exactly, but John Stevens Jr., the Crawfordville singer-songwriter who garnered national attention with his 2014 song and video "She Loves Peyton Manning More Than Me," is trying his hand at politics with the new song and video "Who Wants to Be My President."

Stevens will be on hand for a Friday show at the Swizzle Stick in Greencastle, playing both songs as well as a variety of others.

Written with a touch of humor, the new song nonetheless goes to a more serious place than its sports-driven predecessor.

Saying pleas such as "hope with common sense" and a candidate "who talks straight out their mouth and not both sides," Stevens seems to capture the plainspoken observations of the average American as this election season continues to heat up.

"The stars just could be lining up," Stevens told the Banner Graphic. "The first Iowa Caucus is a week away and Peyton Manning is one win away from a Super Bowl ring. Peyton Manning Fever is building. From Peyton to politics ... we are hoping for another viral video."

With a little more than 5,000 views as of Tuesday morning, the video has a long way to go in catching the runaway success of "She Loves Peyton" and its nearly 120,000 views between three different version of the video. Stevens hopes the video can build up some steam over the next nine months or so.

"The presidential election is not until November so this video is going to be more of a marathon instead of a sprint to find its audience," Stevens said.

Still, Stevens went back to the well with the latest video, enlisting director Taylor Blythe, as he did for the "Peyton" video.

The video was shot on location at a number of spots around central Indiana, including a candidate's debate at the City of Lebanon Municipal Building, which features Roachdale resident (and Almost Home/Swizzle Stick employee) Joe Buser as the introductory speaker.

Stevens described a group effort in completing the video, one that involved fans, family and friends to yield a product of which he is proud.

"I am so grateful to my fanbase and family and friends who volunteered to be a part of this video," Stevens said. "I could not have done it without their help."

A regular at the Swizzle Stick, Stevens' Friday show begins at 9 p.m. The bar is located at 21 W. Franklin St., on the north side of the Greencastle Courthouse Square.

To learn more about Stevens and his music, visit www.johnstevensjrmusic.com.

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