Guitar and harmonica playing singer-songwriter, Josh Okeefe, will being his genuine folk music to the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee on Saturday, April 9th at 7:30 p.m.
According to Americana UK, “At some point during a review of Josh Okeefe’s music there’s going to be a reference to Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan… There’s a rawness to his storytelling that is hugely compelling, all aided by a voice that reaches out and grabs you by the throat and insists that you listen and listen carefully and, as with… Dylan and Guthrie, young Mr. Okeefe has a lot to say.”
Born in Derby, England, the relatively new artist delivers potent lyrics with the gravitas of a seasoned veteran. After dropping out of school at age 16, Okeefe led a nomadic life in music that spans generations and encompasses myriad genres, traditions and disciplines. He often slept on the floors of recording studios and coffee houses before traveling to the United States in search of the places his music idols Hank Williams and Johnny Cash once roamed. After settling in Nashville, he began writing songs at an astonishing pace and selling out shows from New York to California.
Okeefe has performed at major music events on both sides of the Atlantic including the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, where he sang “This Land is Your Land” with Woody’s son Arlo. He was also invited by English singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg to play at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival in 2019. Okeefe has shared the stage with Alison Krauss, Rufus Wainwright and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot among others and performed for a crowd of 10,000 for Kris Kristofferson’s birthday. His songs have been recorded by major label artists.
About Okeefe’s debut album Bloomin’, Folk Radio UK called it “… full of enduring songs ranging from the comic to the tragic… played in the old style with just picked or strummed guitar and some harmonica.”
“A rebel artist, a protest singer, the heir to Bob Dylan, or - when he’s doing one of his lighter satirical numbers - a harmonica-tootin’ Mr. Bean… with raw, topical storytelling and a voice that crackles with authentic folk tradition, Okeefe is all of those and more.” - Rolling Stone
According to Americana UK, “At some point during a review of Josh Okeefe’s music there’s going to be a reference to Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan… There’s a rawness to his storytelling that is hugely compelling, all aided by a voice that reaches out and grabs you by the throat and insists that you listen and listen carefully and, as with… Dylan and Guthrie, young Mr. Okeefe has a lot to say.”
Born in Derby, England, the relatively new artist delivers potent lyrics with the gravitas of a seasoned veteran. After dropping out of school at age 16, Okeefe led a nomadic life in music that spans generations and encompasses myriad genres, traditions and disciplines. He often slept on the floors of recording studios and coffee houses before traveling to the United States in search of the places his music idols Hank Williams and Johnny Cash once roamed. After settling in Nashville, he began writing songs at an astonishing pace and selling out shows from New York to California.
Okeefe has performed at major music events on both sides of the Atlantic including the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, where he sang “This Land is Your Land” with Woody’s son Arlo. He was also invited by English singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg to play at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival in 2019. Okeefe has shared the stage with Alison Krauss, Rufus Wainwright and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot among others and performed for a crowd of 10,000 for Kris Kristofferson’s birthday. His songs have been recorded by major label artists.
About Okeefe’s debut album Bloomin’, Folk Radio UK called it “… full of enduring songs ranging from the comic to the tragic… played in the old style with just picked or strummed guitar and some harmonica.”
“A rebel artist, a protest singer, the heir to Bob Dylan, or - when he’s doing one of his lighter satirical numbers - a harmonica-tootin’ Mr. Bean… with raw, topical storytelling and a voice that crackles with authentic folk tradition, Okeefe is all of those and more.” - Rolling Stone