okee_dokee_brothers

★ Featured Act ★

The Okee Dokee BrothersFacebook iconYouTube icon

Family music

Venues: Arts & Educational Programming, Children’s Programs, Fairs & Festivals, Parks & Recreation Events, Theaters & Concerts

The Okee Dokee Brothers remind children (and adults) of their intrinsic ability to discover, imagine, and create through music. By appealing to the musical needs of the entire family and recognizing that kids deserve quality music, they are working full-time to advance the children’s music genre. They believe that music should be an energetic, interactive, and fun experience where kids can enjoy dancing, singing, and playing instruments with their families.  This is the type of high-energy show The Okee Dokee Brothers will bring to your venue!

Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing were childhood best friends who grew up in Denver, Colorado. They are now Grammy Award winning musicians whose original music is inspired by their shared childhoods and their adventures canoeing down the Mississippi River and hiking the Appalachian Trail.  As you hear their witty lyrics, off-the-wall humor, and unique folk style, the image that may come to mind is of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer whitewater rafting down the Mississippi with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger!

The music of The Okee Dokee Brothers is rooted in their childhood imaginations. Their songs will give you and your audience opportunities to be both silly and serious, and their show will serve as a wonderful connecting point for families. Every song makes room for kids to dance and parents to feel like kids again. The Okee Dokee Brothers also play with a back-up band that includes upright bass (Liz), fiddle (Becky), and percussion (Jed).

Artist’s website

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About

As childhood friends growing up in Denver Colorado, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing were always exploring the outdoors. Whether it was rafting down their neighborhood creek, taking long bike rides into the country or discovering hiking trails through the Rocky Mountains, Joe and Justin were born adventurers.

Now, as The Grammy Award Winning Okee Dokee Brothers, they have put this passion for the outdoors at the heart of their Americana Folk music. Joe and Justin record and perform family music with a goal to inspire children and their parents to get outside and experience nature. They believe this can motivate kids to gain a greater respect for the natural world, their communities and themselves.

The young duo has gained a national following that is drawn to their witty lyrics, strong musicianship and unique folk style. By appealing to the musical needs of the entire family and recognizing that kids deserve quality music, The Okee Dokee Brothers are working full-time to advance the family music genre.

Featured Shows

  • Austin City Limits – Austin, TX
  • Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, MN
  • Every Family Rocks Festival – Des Moines, IA
  • Jiggle Jam Family Music Festival – Kansas City, MO
  • Kids in the Rotunda, The Overture Center – Madison, WI
  • Minnesota State Fair – St Paul, MN
  • National Book Festival – Washington, DC
  • Sirius XM’s Kids Place Live – Washington, DC
  • Symphony Space – New York City, NY
  • Target Books Festival – Minneapolis, MN and Los Angeles, CA
  • Town Hall – Seattle, WA
  • Wolf Trap Theater in the Woods – Washington, DC
  • World Cafe Live – Philadelphia, PA

Reviews

Can you Canoe? won a Grammy for Best Children’s Music Album in the 55th Grammy Awards!

Voted #1 Kids and Family Music Album in 2012 by kids music reviewers, bloggers, radio programmers, and industry professionals by the Fids and Kamily Poll.

Can You Canoe? Winner of:

  • The Parents’ Choice Gold Award
  • The American Library Assn’s Notable Childrens’ Recordings
  • The NAPPA Silver Award
  • The Kids First All Star Award

Additional Reviews:

“[The Okee Dokee Brothers] remind us of the American belief that we’re bound for better weather. Their album [Can You Canoe?] celebrates everyday explorers, young and old, who rediscover that notion daily”

–NPR’s All Things Considered

“My favorite album of 2012”

–USA Today

“[Can You Canoe?] is one of my favorite albums, period.”

–Mindy Thomas, Sirius-XM Kids Place Live
(Can You Canoe? and Along for the Ride both hit #1 on Kids Place Live)

“Can You Canoe? is as important in your home as your well-thumbed editions of Goodnight Moon and Where The Wild Things Are… It is absolutely the best album for kids & families ever made.”

–Jeff Bogle, Out With The Kids

“Seamlessly threading bluegrass and rock, this sassy musical hybrid album reminds us that fantasy and fun are right in our own backyard.”

–Parent Choice Award (2010 winners)

“A noble ode to kids turning off the TV and video games and heading outdoors.”

–Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Their combination of wordplay and musical chops put them in a sweet spot in family music. The fact that their live shows are infectious and engaging just adds to their appeal.”

–Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child

“The Okee Dokee Brothers were nothing short of perfect for Kids in the Rotunda! Thanks for coming all the way from Minneapolis to play for us, guys!”

–Kids in the Rotunda, Overture Center – Madison, WI

“The Okee Dokee Brothers’ solid bluegrass and folk chops form the backbone of their music. Joe and Justin explore the world around them, sometimes with humor and sometimes with heart, always with wonder.”

–Zooglobble.com

“The Okee Dokee Brothers blow the dust off traditional bluegrass and highlight its playful spirit, offering kids a knee-high gateway into the world of American roots music.”

–Dadnabbit

Intro

The following is a sample introduction to use when introducing The Okee Dokee Brothers to your audience:

“As childhood best friends, Joe and Justin were always exploring the outdoors. Now, as The Okee Dokee Brothers, they have put this passion for nature at the heart of their Americana-Folk music. The two-time Parents’ Choice Award winners have garnered praise from the likes of NPR’s All Things Considered, USA Today, have been called “Two of family music’s best songwriters,” and recently won a Grammy for Best Children’s Music Album. They appeal to the musical needs of the entire family and recognize that kids deserve quality music. So without further ado, here they are, The Okee Dokee Brothers!”

Rider

Artist requests:

    For those venues with in-house sound systems, the duo requests the following:
    - (2) Microphones with stands
    - (2) Direct Inputs
    - (2) Tables

If performing with their back-up band that includes bass, fiddle, and percussion, the band has a stage plot that can be forwarded to the client.

    The Full 5-piece Band’s basic requirements are the following:
    - (5) Microphones with stands
    - (4) Direct Inputs
    - (1) Kick drum mic
    - (2) Tables

If needed, The Okee Dokee Brothers can provide their own sound.