The Okee Dokee Brothers
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Okee Dokee Brothers are an independent American bluegrass and American roots children's music duo from
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. Their 2012 CD/DVD release ''Can You Canoe?'', with music and videos created during a 2011 paddle down the Mississippi River, won a Grammy for Best Children's Album in the 55th Grammy Awards. They released their second CD/DVD called ''Through the Woods'' in May 2014, with music and videos created during a 2013 trek up the
Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
. The album garnered a Grammy nomination in 2014. They traveled through the Southwest for another album and DVD, ''Saddle Up'', which was also nominated for a Grammy in the best children's album category. Joe and Justin also published two picture books under
Sterling Publishing Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. is a publisher of a broad range of subject areas, with multiple imprints and more than 5,000 titles in print. Founded in 1949 by David A. Boehm, Sterling also publishes books for a number of brands, including AAR ...
(Sterling Children's) titled ''Can You Canoe? And Other Adventure Songs'' and ''Thousand Star Hotel''. Their primary branding artist, Brandon Reese, illustrated the books. In October 2018, The Okee Dokee Brothers released ''Winterland'', an exuberant yet introspective collection of 16 original songs exploring the wonders and beauty of winter. A voyage from autumn to spring, ''Winterland'' presents secular winter music the entire family can enjoy while cozying up around the fire. This album also received a Grammy nomination in November 2019. Most recently, in May 2020, they released, ''Songs for Singin'', a 2-disc 27-song album full of inclusive songs so fans can join in and belt out. In the spirit of American folk legends, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, ''Songs for Singin'' presents timeless messages of hope and unity. The album includes an illustrated 32-page book with the lyrics and chords to every song to inspire living room sing-alongs.


History

Bandmates and childhood best friends, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, grew up in
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
and toured the midwest with their bluegrass band before settling in Minneapolis and starting their family music band, The Okee Dokee Brothers. In 2011, Joe and Justin began a canoe trip at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and ended at the St. Louis Gateway Arch. During their month-long journey on the Mississippi, they camped, canoed, filmed and composed the songs that make up their album ''Can You Canoe?'' This CD-DVD is the first release in their Adventure Album Series. Produced by Dean Jones in his Rosendale, NY, straw-bale studio, the record highlights guest appearances from
Garth Hudson Eric "Garth" Hudson (born August 2, 1937) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for rock group the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He was a ...
of The Band,
Elizabeth Mitchell Elizabeth Mitchell (born Elizabeth Joanna Robertson) is an American actress known for her lead role as Juliet Burke on the ABC drama mystery series ''Lost'' (2006–2010). Mitchell also had lead roles on the television series '' V'' (2009–201 ...
of You Are My Flower as well as
Morgan Taylor Frederick Morgan Taylor (April 17, 1903 – February 16, 1975) was an American hurdler and the first athlete to win three Olympic medals in the 400 m hurdles. He was the flag bearer for the United States at his last Olympics in 1932. In 19 ...
and Rachel Loshak of Gustafer Yellowgold. The album received praise from NPR, won a
Parents' Choice Award The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...
, and USA Today called it their "...favorite album of 2012". ''Can You Canoe?'' also won the Grammy Award for Best Children's Album of the Year in early 2013. In 2013, The Okee Dokee Brothers embarked on their second adventure, a month-long trek on the Appalachian Trail. They hiked, camped, met mountain musicians, and wrote the songs that make up their second CD/DVD in their Adventure Album Series, entitled ''Through the Woods''. Also produced by Dean Jones, this album emulates the instruments and styles heard in traditional old-time Appalachian music. The record features Hubby Jenkins of the
Carolina Chocolate Drops The Carolina Chocolate Drops were an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina. Their 2010 album, ''Genuine Negro Jig,'' won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number 9 in ''fRoots'' ...
, 4-time Grammy winner David Holt, and 2-time Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. ''Through the Woods'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album of the Year in early 2015. In June 2015, The Okee Dokee Brothers went out West for a month-long horsepacking trip along the Continental Divide. They rode horses, camped out, told stories, and wrote songs. Featuring a diverse collective of musicians --
John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...
), Carlos Medina ( Norteño accordion),
Cindy Cashdollar Cindy Cashdollar is an American musician specializing in steel guitar and Dobro. She grew up in Woodstock, New York, where she perfected her skills by playing with bluegrass musician John Herald, blues musicians Paul Butterfield, and Levon He ...
(
Asleep At The Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...
),
Jim Campilongo Jim Campilongo (born July 8, 1958) is a New York roots rock guitarist, known for recording a series of mostly instrumental albums. He is also known for being a member of The Little Willies with Norah Jones. Campilongo primarily plays Fender Tele ...
(
The Little Willies The Little Willies is an American alternative country supergroup formed in 2003. It features Norah Jones on piano keyboards and vocals, Richard Julian on guitar keyboards and vocals, Jim Campilongo on guitar, Lee Alexander on bass, and Dan Rie ...
), and The Benally Family (Navajo style singing/ Blackfire) -- ''Saddle Up'' covers tales of western wildlife, Navajo stories, Southwest-style Spanglish, the issue of guns in western lore, friendship, and more. In 2016, "Saddle Up" was nominated for a Grammy in the best children's album category. They celebrate the spirit of the winter season on their full-length studio album, Winterland (October 2018). It's an exuberant yet introspective collection of 16 original songs exploring the wonders and beauty of winter. A voyage from autumn to spring, Winterland presents secular winter music the entire family can enjoy while cozying up around the fire. The Okee Dokee Brothers released five winter music videos to accompany the music. ''Songs for Singin'': Stepping away from their outdoor adventure-themed albums (Can You Canoe?, Through the Woods, Saddle Up, and Winterland), The Okee Dokee Brothers engage their fans through meaningful social conversations in the form of call and response tunes, sea shanties, church hymns, campfire songs, all-ages social songs, and protest songs. ''Songs for Singin invites family members to strengthen their bonds by experiencing music together amidst the backdrop of an increasingly divided world. To capture the free-spirit and imperfections of sing-alongs, the recordings feature an array of tunes tracked live with choruses sung by kids and parents alike. The band tours nationally, performing at such venues as
Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show t ...
,
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
,
The Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and fea ...
, National Geographic Live, Orchestra Hall with the
Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Em ...
,
Winnipeg Folk Festival The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a nonprofit charitable organization with an annual summer folk music festival held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The festival features a variety of artists and music from around the ...
, and
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (originally known as the Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts and simply known as Wolf Trap) is a performing arts center located on of national park land in unincorporated Fairfax Count ...
, among many other performing art centers and theaters. On August 20, 2013,
Minnesota Governor The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...
Mark Dayton Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1 ...
proclaimed "Okee Dokee Brothers Day" in the State of
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
."Grammy Award-Winning Okee Dokee Brothers Honored by Governor Dayton"
Mn.gov. Retrieved August 27, 2013


Discography


Video productions

Each Okee Dokee Brother Adventure Album has an accompanying film that documents Joe and Justin's songwriting trip. These movies tell the story of The Okee Dokee Brothers' travels while including educational segments, camping shenanigans, music videos, interviews with locals, pristine nature scenes, and comprehensive tomfoolery. All the horseback riding, hiking, canoeing, camping, and songwriting footage is filmed on location in the setting of each adventure's theme (The Mississippi River, The Appalachian Trail, and the Great American West). The footage is filmed by Alex Johnson, and Jed Anderson (percussionist for the band) directs and edits the films (JedEditedIt Productions and InTents Studios). The films can be purchased on iTunes and Amazon, seen on the DVDs that come with their CDs, and can be found on YouTube. The Okee Dokee Brothers released five winter music videos to accompany their album, Winterland, and continue to release music videos for songs on each of their following albums.


Picture books

Joe and Justin are working with
Sterling Publishing Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. is a publisher of a broad range of subject areas, with multiple imprints and more than 5,000 titles in print. Founded in 1949 by David A. Boehm, Sterling also publishes books for a number of brands, including AAR ...
(Sterling Children's) to publish two picture books that come with CDs of their songs. In March 2017, they released a new picture book, ''Thousand Star Hotel'', with Sterling Publishing. Inspired by the folktale "The Fisherman and His Wife," The Okee Dokee Brothers have "created a fanciful story about the things we wish for... and the things we really need." The accompanying CD features 11 nighttime songs and a fully dramatized audiobook of the story, read by The Okee Dokee Brothers. Their first book, titled ''Can You Canoe? And Other Adventure Songs'', was illustrated by Brandon Reese. The book "invites you to journey cross-country with The Okee Dokee Brothers through twelve of their irresistible, boot-stompin' tunes. You'll encounter hungry black bears and tall-tale spinners; quiet canoes and cozy camping tents; a jumpin' jamboree and a bullfrog opera. As you listen to the songs and follow along with the illustrated lyrics in this collection, you might even be inspired to head out on some outdoor adventures of your own!"


Band members

* Justin Lansing – banjo and lead vocals * Joe Mailander – acoustic guitar and lead vocals


Additional and touring band members

* Jed Anderson – percussion and backup vocals * Liz Draper – stand-up bass * Jillian Rae – fiddle and backup vocals * Andy Lambert – clogger * Carlos Medina – accordion


Notes


References


External links


Official website

Youtube.com

NPR Music Review: 'Can You Canoe'


{{DEFAULTSORT:Okee Dokee Brothers, The American children's musical groups American bluegrass music groups American folk musical groups American musical duos Folk music duos Musical groups from Minnesota Mississippi River