This Spring, Grammy Award-winning Americana adventurers, The Okee Dokee Brothers, invite families on a woodland musical escapade as they wander deep inside the forest of imagination to Brambletown. The album is a 17-song collection that celebrates a fantastical place where “critters can talk, trees can walk and nothing’s as it seems.”
Listeners will be introduced to the forest’s wild residents: Junkyard Raccoon, Doctor Mole, Fox and Hare, Possum, and Old Badger who lead a journey full of mysterious dreams, rowdy celebrations, tempting distractions, and ancient wisdom. The inviting and mystical setting encourages listeners to take a look around to see how we are truly all connected. Brambletown provides an honest look at life’s challenges through lightheartedness and optimism.
Through their welcoming and joyous music, The Okee Dokee Brothers hope the approachable collection will encourage families to have meaningful conversations about the important topics and universal messages raised in their songs. Themes include environmental concerns, interconnection, plant and animal wisdom, and how taking care of ourselves and our relationships is part of taking care of the world. The Brothers aim to inspire a sense of gratefulness, humility, wonder, and respect for the life forces that connect all things.
The Brothers’ trusted melodies and unfussy lyrics act as a guide through the woods of Brambletown. Like on previous albums, the Brothers draw heavily from the sounds and instrumentation of traditional folk songs that have been passed down for generations. Blends of banjo, trombone, harmonica, cello, pedal steel, accordion, and more echo throughout the forest.
The eclectic mix of music includes upbeat songs like the call and response “In The Bramble”, the raucous “Night on the Town”, female empowerment in the fiddle driven “Run, Little Rabbit, Run” and campfire sing-alongs like “Child of Nature”. Humorous songs like “Weasel & Weasel’s Convenience Store”, the Fur Metal jam “The Varmints” and “Critter Jitter Brew” bring out the giggles, while softer soothing tunes like “Little Bird”, “Trouble In Paradise” and “The Mycelium Underground News” all touch on the state of our planet. Certain songs address challenging topics that act as conversation starters for families. “The Fox and the Hare” touches on domestic separation, and “Old Badger” confronts dependency and recovery - all with heart and compassion. More mellow tracks include “The Life That’s In You” an anthem about interconnection, and “Little Dipper and Big Dipper” a lullaby which contemplates our place in the cosmos.
The band recorded the album at No Parking Studios nestled in the woods of New York’s Hudson Valley where Grammy winner Dean Jones produced, mixed and engineered. Huntley Miller at HM Mastering mastered the tracks, and the enchanting album art and design is by well-known board game artist, Andrew Bosley.
Brambletown releases March 31 on CD, vinyl, and digital everywhere your adventures may take you. The Okee Dokee Brothers are currently working with paper stop-motion animator Eric Power to create a Brambletown short musical film/visual album that will be released within the next year. To learn more, visit okeedokee.org and stay tuned for news on the upcoming film.
ABOUT THE OKEE DOKEE BROTHERS
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 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 hoping to inspire children and their parents to step outside and get creative. They believe this can motivate kids to gain a greater respect for the natural world, their communities, and themselves. The five-time Parents’ Choice Award winners have garnered praise from the likes of NPR’s All Things Considered and USA Today, and have been called “two of family music’s best songwriters.”
BRAMBLETOWN TRACKLISTING
1. In the Bramble
2. Child of Nature
3. Junkyard Raccoon
4. Doctor Mole’s Apothecary
5. Night on the Town
6. Weasel & Weasel’s Convenience Store
7. Little Bird
8. The Varmints
9. Run, Little Rabbit, Run
10. Critter Jitter Brew
11. Old Badger
12. The Fox and the Hare
13. The Mycelium Underground News
14. Trouble in Paradise
15. Possum’s Point of View
16. The Life That’s in You
17. Little Dipper and Big Dipper
