Thursday 20 Jun
 
 

Kanye West — Yeezus

Try as you might, but there’s no escaping Kanye West. Turn on the TV, radio, computer — hell, take a stroll downtown and you might see his mug projected on the side of a building. It’s an undeniable fact of life in 2013: Kanye West is bigger than Buddha, Krishna and The Beatles (today, anyway) and he’ll be the first to let you know about it.
06/18/2013 | Comments 0

John Moreland — In the Throes

With the soul of a poet and the look of a Sons of Anarchy extra, Tulsa’s John Moreland has been gifted the sort of gravely, booming voice that does Bruce Springsteen proud and a similar understanding of the universal human experience. It’s made for some fantastic records — both as a solo artist and with his dissolved Black Gold Band — and In the Throes is his best yet.
06/19/2013 | Comments 0

Jumpship Astronaut — Lights Burn Out

Oklahoma has never been the haven for electronic rock music that it is for country, folk and, as of late, psychedelic pop, but from the sound of Lights Burn Out, Oklahoma City upstart Jumpship Astronaut seems intent on changing that.
06/12/2013 | Comments 0

Various artists — Reaching Out

Like so many Oklahomans, the local music scene has responded with generosity and grace in the wake of last month’s tragedy in Moore. In the weeks since, droves of local musicians have banded together for benefit concerts and radio marathons to raise funds for the relief effort, and with extraordinary results.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0

Progress in Color — Get Well

It’s been a long, bumpy ride for Glenpool’s Progress in Color, which saw a record deal with Epic evaporate before even one record could come of it, but it’s led the outfit to where it was supposed to be.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0
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Music

Soundcheck: The Okee Dokee Brothers


Award-winning 'kindie' singers to play eight metro library shows

Matt Carney July 27th, 2011  

Whether it’s playing bluegrass in homeless shelters or kids’ music in public libraries, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing are going to do their darndest to get their audiences’ hands clapping and feet stomping.

“There’s a participatory culture in all of our performances,” Mailander said. “We like to break down the barriers between the performer and audience. It turns what’s normally a passive experience for the listener — like watching TV — into a more active one.”

He and Lansing, better known as kid-friendly folk duo The Okee Dokee Brothers, are serious about inspiring active experiences. They recently ventured down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to St. Louis, paddling along in a canoe and camping on the riverbank — all just to write their next album. “It was beautiful,” Mailander said. “We’d write songs in the evenings and mornings, and paddle during the day. There were all kinds of beautiful birds — egrets and herons all along the way.”

The natural scenery will provide a backdrop to their Americana and bluegrass-inspired folk tunes for children on the next album, which Mailander said they hope to release by spring. For now, they’re playing songs like “The Naked Truth” and “Extraterrestrials” from their acclaimed 2010 album, “Take It Outside,” at libraries across the country. They play eight Metropolitan Library System locations between today and Friday.

“We believe kids deserve to listen to good music too,” Mailander said. For more information, visit metrolibrary.org. —Matt Carney

Photo by Alex Johnson

 
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