News these days can tend to come in small, digestible-yet-throwaway chunks: Despite a 24-7 news cycle, endlessly scrolling headlines and ever-present links on social media, some may feel a bit short-changed on the substance of the news they’re fed.

That’s certainly local musician Andrew Francis’ take on this fast-paced news feed world we live in. But why fight the fleeting, ephemeral headlines when you can capitalize on it?  Artistically, anyway.

Francis – who is one half of the Chicago folk act Poor Elvis – took to turning his apathetic feelings toward the hapless headlines in a satirical direction. The result is The Singing Blues Headlines.

He joins Eight Forty-Eight to add a musical note to the “news you can use,” and talk a bit more about his inspiration and process.

While Francis doesn’t actually perform his Blues Headlines out in public, you can catch his duet Poor Elvis performing at several events throughout the month of May, including a show on May 24^th at Quenchers in Chicago.

They also have a Kickstarter campaign for a new 7-inch record they will press later this spring for an upcoming Rustbelt tour.