GOOD TIMES
Things are going great for Okee Dokee Brothers
The Okee Dokee Brothers are not brothers.
What they are is a Twin Cities musical duo made up of Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, who have been friends since they were three years old. They toured their college summers away in a rock band. And not too long after transitioning to performing children’s music, they won a Grammy in 2013 for their kid’s adventure album “Can You Canoe?”
They’re currentlhy nominated for a Grammy for their newest album, “Through the Woods.”
“Grammys feel a little different the second time around,” chuckles Mailander, who will perform alongside his duo partner on Jan. 4 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.
“The first time we were nominated and won, it was a huge surprise. The second time, it was more expected. It’s funny how you win one of those things and all of a sudden it becomes an expectation. It’s really too bad. There is just too much significance put on awards. But they do hold a lot of weight, especially when there are so many options out there. It definitely helps you stand out a bit more.”
Completely self-managed and putting out their music via their own record label, the Okee Dokee Brothers represents one of the few kids’ acts these days enjoying widespread success.
“It’s a tough music industry right now, with so many people competing in the same space,” explains Mailander, who grew up alongside Lansing as kids living in Colorado. “We have always been a grassroots, word- of-mouth kind of band. When one mom talks to another mom, it holds some weight, and in turn, we get to reach more families. I mean, we are not getting rich off of this, but the recognition we have within this genre allows us to do this full-time and stay grounded and connected with our fans. We are not stressing about having to write a song because we have bills to pay.”
The duo routinely takes 30 day camping and hiking trips with a backpack, a notebook and a guitar in tow to gain inspiration for their music.
“We like to call them songwriting adventures,” explains Mailander, who is currently planning a trip out west with Lansing. “We can take ideas and real life experiences and turn them into songs about friendship and adventures and hardships and what you experience when you go out of your comfort zone. That’s what inspires us.”
It’s these sorts of trips that usually result in Okee Dokee Brothers music that can ultimately teach big city kids some small town ideals.
“A lot of times we think we have to go into the country and get a canoe and go down the river to go camping for a week to have that real outdoorsy experience,” Mailander says. “We sing this song called ‘The Bullfrog Opera’ that is all about the finding the little natural elements right in a huge city like New York or Chicago.”
And while playing a big city like Chicago does change up the stage banter between songs, Mailander says that their Chicago fans can simply expect a rip-roaring, high-energy, yet thought-provoking show that the Okee Dokee Brothers are increasingly becoming known for.
“My favorite part of the show is when we ask the kids, who have been dancing the whole time, to go convince their parents to stand up and dance with them,” he says. “We have one big hoe down. It’s amazing to see the energy in the room when the kids can convince their parents to finally let go of their own inhibitions. There is a real power there when a performer can connect with an audience and break down those barriers between them.”