Music to Carry You Up to the Mountains

Singer songwriter Justin Lansing has already garnered a Grammy, as part of the Okee Dokee Brothers, now he is venturing out on his own.

Sometimes a song appears in your life exactly at the right moment. If you’re like me, you find yourself playing it over and over again, filling yourself with the sweet sound and spirit of the music.

That song for me right now is “Going Back to Colorado,” a single on singer/song writer Justin Lansing’s

brand new CD, “Rocky Mountain Time.” I’m privileged to say I have met Lansing, as he is a wonderful Dad to a very sweet little boy named Woody, who happens to be my grandson Monte’s best friend in Denver. When these busy two-year old boys aren’t doing gymnastics, or going to the zoo, or running around together like the delightfully crazy kids they are, the pair can be found hanging out with Justin, banging on guitars and singing at the top of their lungs. On their gorgeous little faces are looks of music-induced bliss.

Lansing began his professional music career as part of a duo, writing and singing with the very talented Joe Mailander; the pair is known to fans as the beloved Okee Dokee Brothers.

Their CD, “Can You Canoe,” — filled with extraordinary music created during the musicians’ paddle down the Mississippi in 2011 — won them a Grammy award in 2012 for Best Children’s Album. Their second CD, “Through the Woods,” grew out of music and videos that they made while hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2013; it too was a Grammy nominee.

The song, “Through the Woods,” captures for me the thrill I feel when I’m hiking. The song inevitably brings a smile and actually makes my skin tingle — no matter how many times I hear it, while Monte and I are dancing.

The Okee Dokee musicians have a very special chemistry, which is no doubt because they grew up in Denver as childhood friends, rafting, hiking, and just clowning around having fun.

Altogether, the Okee Dokee Brothers have released six CDs, and have earned six Grammy nominations. In 2020, they declined their sixth nomination, writing an open letter to the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, objecting to the fact that deserving artists of color continue to be overlooked. Lansing and Mailander said they decided to write the letter when they learned that all five nominees for Best Children’s Album were white, and only one nominee was female.

The Okee Dokee Brothers have long had a full touring schedule around the US.

Lansing and his wife Alexis have two children, and very busy lives. Still, Justin manages to find time to write his own music. The new CD, “Rocky Mountain Time,” is a gem. It appeared almost exactly at the same time I left Colorado in early May; it was with a heavy heart that I said good bye, as I had spent months and months caring for my grandson, Monte.

So when I turned on the song, “Going Back to Colorado” as I was driving around back East doing errands, I had to pull over to listen.

The lyrics begin:

“I’m going back to Colorado, going back to see my Mama…”

The song brought tears — I changed the lyrics slightly when I sang along:

“I’m going back to Colorado, going back to see my Monte…”

For a moment I actually thought, “oh, hell, I’ll just drive back to Denver,” and I’ll listen to Lansing’s music as I go. I felt a little bit like I was a teenager again, crooning along with a love song at the top of my lungs.

As it turns out, I am going back to Colorado next week for a short stay, and I can’t wait.

If you love contemporary folk music of the highest quality, I highly recommend you give “Rocky Mountain Time,” a good listen. When you do, you might find yourself, like me, longing for the mountains.