Joe Mailander & the Big Questions for Little Ears
A Fresh Story, season 3, episode 7
We were honored to talk to one half of the Grammy-award winning duo The Okee Dokee Brothers, Joe Mailander, about his fresh starts in life, including sobriety, their journey in music, and how they compose songs to address real life issues for little ears. We chatted about why music is so important for families, their goal to get families outside, and how we can have big conversations with our children starting from an early age.
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 with a goal 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.”
Check out more from The Okee Dokee Brothers at their website, Instagram, Facebook, and Spotify.