Songs for Singin’: A Long Winded Okee Dokee Brothers Review & Tribute

Turns out, when I search my own past blog posts for the Okee Dokee Brothers, that these fellas we don’t actually know are woven quite heavily in and out of the fabric of our lives over the past several years.

Pretty certain it was my friend Jo who first told us about two guys who sang fun songs and had made a video and it was available on Netflix (maybe that’s right?) and we should watch it.

That first introduction was when Justin and Joe spent a couple months on the Mississippi River filming a documentary and making an album entitled Can You Canoe?

We were hooked immediately. The kids were younger, of course, and their songs were immensely appealing to them. But also – to me. Some of the lyrics were silly, of course, but mostly it was beautiful. Loads of fun. Catchy and smart lyrics mixed in with heartfelt words and goofy bits too. And really great melodies.

We quickly became super fans and loved their Appalachian journey too – Through the Woods.

About four years ago, as we were beginning our obsession with this band, I surprised the kids with tickets to see the Okee Dokee Brothers perform in Charlotte. (There’s a funny story about almost being an hour late to the show – there’s ALWAYS a funny story, right??)

This was the show where Piper won a free CD for her dancing skills and was called up to the stage to grab her prize. It’s also the show where we met them afterwards and Piper basically invited them to dinner. It’s also the show where we saw the guys walking down the road post show and I told my kids I was going to offer them a ride. (Spoiler: I did not.)

We all felt it was divine when the Okee Dokee Brothers came out with their third album around the exact same time we were heading to the west for our first ever experience at Lost Valley Ranch. Guess what that album was called? Saddle Up. Perfect, right? We thought it was made for us!

We purposely didn’t listen to the album at all until our drive west and we couldn’t have been more satisfied with the way the songs fit our travels. In fact, one of the songs is now part of our tradition as we pull into the ranch’s long beautiful nine mile dirt road. “Good Old Days”.

(Another full circle Okee Dokee Brothers moment – we first heard about the Great Sand Dunes from their Saddle Up video. Because of that magical looking place, we included it in our next year’s adventure and Otto even wore his Okee Dokee Brothers shirt to the Sand Dunes because it only felt right.)

Yeah, you could say this band has been an important soundtrack in our lives in a hundred little ways.

Last fall we gathered with a bunch of our friends and watched them perform again in nearby Clemson.

Piper did not ask them out to dinner this time but I would have if the kids didn’t beg me not to.

There are a couple of bands and songs that just ache of our family’s childhood memories and experiences to me. And Okee Dokee Brothers is one of them. (That Curious George soundtrack with Jack Johnson is the other.)

The band has just produced another album called Songs for Singing’ and it does not disappoint. This one even comes with a songbook with chords and lyrics – which is a fun bonus.

And – there are a TON of songs on this album. Actually, it’s two CDs worth – a day side and a night side.

The songs are both classic Okee Dokee brothers and new and lovely material. They make you laugh with songs like “Campin'” and then they lift your spirits with “Hope Machine”.

Plan what you can
Dance when you can can
Laugh at yourself and make up your own jokes
Little bit of fun, little bit of growth
Hopefully a little bit of both
Love your ma, love your pa, and love all kinds of folks

Talk quiet and listen loud
Teach humble and learn proud
Scuffle with the struggle, and wrestle with the pain
Open homes, open blinds
Open hearts, open minds
Let in the sunshine, let in the rain

They make music that encourages us, that makes us laugh, that reminds us of simple and beautiful truths, of beauty and of fun. It’s still a top request from Bergen and Otto in particular. Their song about the jackaloupe never fails to make even my teenagers laugh.

They’re wholesome without being annoying. They’re fun without being irritating. I can listen to their albums many many times and never want to pull my hair out. I don’t push skip on their songs even when I am alone without kids in the car.

Basically, the Keigley family gives a whole hearted thumbs up to the Okee Dokee Brothers and their brand of music and the sweet role its played in our lives.

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