For as uncertain and precariously positioned things in our fair nation seem to have become over the past month or so, there are still a handful of things that will remain steadfast – Bob Dylan will forever be a Nobel Laureate, The Boss will always be The Boss, and Nashville will continue to be ground zero for the most eclectic hodge podge of music in America.
Week in and week out, we see kick-ass new band after kick-ass new band ascend to the top of the Nashville zeitgeist with whatever interpretation of the Nashville spirit they’ve chosen to purvey.
All that to be said, there’s one such band that launched on the scene as yet another seemingly “flavor-of-the-week” act, only to pull a clever coup and retain the title as one of Nashville’s buzziest bands in the scene – Okey Dokey.
Nashville’s preeminent cool-cooing psych soul group, Okey Dokey features long time stalwarts of the local scene Jonny Fisher and Aaron Martin, as well as a well worn rolodex of revered Nashville players from the likes of Ron Gallo,Wild Child, Sol Cat, Rayland Baxter, The Weeks, Diane Coffee, Desert Noises, and Warren Givens.
The band brings heavy live vibes to juxtapose their otherwise lackadaisical (but far from spiritless) production tones heard on singles like “Wavy Gravy” and “Congenial Man” (late candidate for song of the year). Seemingly stunted in their demeanor (but altogether delightful overall), Okey Dokey is a fine embodiment of congeniality and psychedelic pleasantries minus the arrogance (or occasional insufferability) of an MGMT or Empire of the Sun, sans tableaus or theatrical plumage, they serve as the ideal stalwart of the city’s budding psychedelic scene.
Jonny and Aaron shared five places in and around town that make you feel like you’re not actually in town to precede their upcoming Lightning 100 Thunderground show at Basement East this Thursday (12/1).
Okey Dokey’s Nashville Five:
For this Nashville Five we are covering 5 places that help you get away and make you feel like you’re not in Nashville (in no order):
- The Greenhouse- A bar inside of an actual greenhouse. They grow all their own herbs for their cocktails and the whole place smells like fresh flowers. Absolutely where you want to be on a Sunday afternoon.
Feels Like: Portland,OR with a splash of Bangor, ME
- The Piney River- We’ve floated down this river multiple times, once even for one of our music videos. Every time we are on this river it feels like a total escape from everything Nashville.
Feels Like: Backwoods Montana
- Blue Moon Lagoon- best floating bar/restaurant secret in Nashville. Located over in The Nations in west side, this joint has great food, booze and a floating outdoor stage on the bad porch.
Feels Like: New Braunfels, TX mixed with Charleston, SC
- Wilburn St. Tavern- this little hideaway in Cleveland Park neighborhood feels like you’ve escaped to the 1960’s. You have to ring a doorbell to get in, which is a sweet little quirk. They offer shows, open mic DJ nights and even grills if you bring your own meat.
Feels Like: Chicago, IL and Cleveland, OH
- American Legion Post 82- we live next door to this spot.On Tuesday nights they open their doors to the public and offer live bluegrass music and cheap drinks. It’s nice to get away and see lots of old people in cowboy hats and relaxin’. Low stress and high levels of good times.
Feels Like: Austin, Tx and a hint of Oklahoma City, OK
Lockeland Springsteen 