Bunchland

Beth Blenz-Clucas blogs about music for kids that grownups will love too

Folks were out in droves here in the Northwest over Mother’s Day weekend. Blinking like moles, sun-starved kids and parents heeded the call of unusually sunny and warm weather . With so many kids plugged in for most of their waking, indoor hours, it’s always encouraging to see the under-10 set re-discovering life in the great outdoors.

And that’s the point of a new release from The Okee Dokee Brothers. This Twin Cities-based musical duo spent 30 days canoeing the Mississippi River last June, paddling downstream from St. Paul to St. Louis. Along the way, they camped and wrote the songs that make up “Can You Canoe?”  (out on May 15^th). The 15 songs and music videos on this beautifully packaged release all add up to inspiration. The folks who’ve been lucky enough to hear the songs already, testify that the message – encouraging kids to explore nature, and their own creativity – really affected their families.  Read more...

Bluegrass has a way of creeping up on you. One minute, you’re sitting there all cool and collected in your fedora and sunglasses, and the next minute your toes are tapping and your head is nodding to those insistent banjo and mandolin thrums.

Even city kids can’t help but respond to this happy-rootsy music, and that may explain why a new band on the independent family music scene, the Okee Dokee Brothers, is getting so much attention. They take a traditional bluegrass sound and update it with a big band sound, trippy musical references, clever wordplay and tons of humour. There are probably hundreds of children’s songs promoting good hygiene, but few as fun-loving and catchy as their song “Wash Your Face,” performed live with some of their Twin Cities musical pals, featuring a little riff on the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun.”

 Read more...