It’s really hard to describe what kind of music Pokey LaFarge makes. He definitely defies genre, or perhaps more accurately, he mixes musical styles so seamlessly and expertly that they synergize into something else that’s entirely original, and completely refreshing. One song may remind you of the East St. Louis Toodle-Oo made famous by Duke Ellington, while another might make you think Pokey was an original member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

More simply, his songs are at once nothing like anything else you’ve ever heard, yet they are oddly familiar all the same. And, they’re quite good. They grow on you before you’ve finished hearing them for the first time, and they’re pleasant to listen to on Friday night or Sunday mornings.

He and his band played at the exquisite Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, a place that is extremely original and unique in its own rite, and honestly, perhaps one of the best kept secrets as a concert venue that I’ve ever been to. It’s completely relaxed and chill at Bok Tower, and the crowd is as laid back and friendly as any you’ll ever come across.