Katy vs. Vernon — Me & My Bike Bags

By Katy Vernon

A few months ago I got a Google alert for a social media post that read “Katy versus Vernon, which do you choose?”

It intrigued me as ‘Katy’ with a y is a less common spelling and pairing it with Vernon is my entire name so I had to click and find out more.

It led me to a very cool bike accessories company called Po Campo. They have a bike bag called the Vernon that is one of their most popular styles and recently launched another bag called the Katy. It turns out these are both popular bike trail names in New York - who knew?!

So I shared Po Campo’s post, and made a joke that since we shared a name they should give me a bag. :)

A friend then recommended I reach out and introduce myself. So I did, not thinking anyone would reply or even think it was notable that their products had the same name as me. I was wrong. The company DID reply and they thought it was cute, too.

I love riding a bike. As a kid, I would spend hours racing around my neighborhood—creating obstacle courses, setting myself challenges and speeding over the bumps in the road pretending I was on horseback.

In my 20s, I commuted to work on my bike, and when my kids were babies I had a trailer that I’d scoot around on with them bundled up in the back.

As life got busier, though, I stopped riding just for myself, and the bike started to gather dust.

So when Po Campo asked if I’d be interested in being one of their sponsored riders, it felt like the right time to say yes. 

Yes to exercising more. 

Yes to making time for myself. 

Yes to planning adventures. 

Yes to community rides.

I found a used e-bike online and I’m really enjoying it. 

This funny online coincidence has reignited something in me that I lost track of. I’m not a very serious rider, I’m not planning a triathlon, but I’m excited to ride and hope you will join me and Dissonance as we revive BikeWell—Ride for Recovery, a casual community ride with our friends at Twin Cities Recovery Project. First ride is Saturday, June 28, at 10 a.m. All invited and welcome!

Hi my name is Katy Vernon.

I’m a singer-songwriter. I was born in London, UK and made my home in Minnesota.

A lot of people spell my name wrong.

So it’s Katy like the Po Campo bag.

And Vernon, like the Po Campo bag.

A fun fact about me.. I didn’t learn to drive till I was 30!

I drove my kids around in a bike trailer when they were babies and now that I’ve recently become an empty nester I want to reconnect to things I enjoy.

So I got a new bike and I’m so excited to be a Po Campo sponsored rider.

Let’s ride!! 

Katy Vernon is a Minneapolis/St. Paul-based singer-songwriter. and a Dissonance board member. She grew up in London, England, and has been writing and singing as long as she can remember.

My new bike!

Katy (left) vs. Vernon (right)

Counter the Cold Funk: Join Dissonance at "Morningside After Dark"

Winter sports notwithstanding, January and February can be cold and bleak in Minnesota, and our moods can follow the temperatures down. One wonderful antidote to the seasonal doldrums is the annual Morningside After Dark live music and storytelling series, which Dissonance is happy to sponsor again in 2025.

With two shows in Edina, Minn.—the first on Jan. 27 and the finale on Feb. 24—Morningside After Dark gives us something to look forward to—togetherness and hope—just when we need it most.

Launched in 2012, the series has managed to maintain a sort of secret-handshake vibe—consistently attracting “OMG-what-are-you-doing-here” talent with just limited grassroots promo. Brilliant authors, screenwriters, musicians—creatives of all sorts, with both local and national audiences—have filled the bill for 13 years, sharing humorous, inspiring and beautiful insights on the human condition.

Held in a neighborhood church basement, each show is packed—standing room-only—so show up early to get a seat, meet others and experience community. Dissonance provides financial support to the musicians who share their art for these events, and we will be on site at the sponosr tables, so come say hi.

Dissonance board member Katy Vernon co-hosting Morningside After Dark in 2020.

Our board member, celebrated songwriter and performer Katy Vernon, is also a co-host and co-producer of Morningside After Dark, alongside Rebecca Bell-Sorensen and James Mahoney. Rebecca and James founded the series with Minnesota music legend Laurie Lindeen, who passed away in July 2024 and to whom this year’s series is dedicated.

An amazing showcase of diverse talent and art, Morningside After Dark is one of the great Twin Cities winter traditions. It’s also alcohol-free and free-to-attend (donate if you can, though), making it an ideal collaboration for Dissonance.

If you’ve never before taken in this intimate evening of entertainment, we invite you to make 2025 the year. See below for event details, and learn more/RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningsideAfterDark. See you there!