Tag Archive Doe Bay Fest

ByGD

Ok Village

My family has been incredibly fortunate during the pandemic. Unlike so many other people, we haven’t suffered any significant material losses. All we can complain about is missed traditions, like my daughter’s final Village Day at her elementary school. But complaining about those seems wrong in the midst of everything that’s going on.

This photo shows my youngest daughter’s ear protection and wristband from Doe Bay Fest 9. We’ve gone to almost every Doe Bay Festival since we discovered it in year 6. This year would have been lucky 13. How ironic.

The wristband says

Ok village, raise me

It’s a reflection of the DBF spirit of community that makes parents feel safe letting their kids run around the festival unsupervised. They can’t get lost because on that weekend the whole resort is packed with hundreds of people. And at Doe Bay, you know that those people are all keeping an eye on whatever kids are within visual range. If a kids falls off a rock or out of a tree or gets a bee sting – someone will notice and they won’t hesitate to help.

I’m not a particularly social person, so for the most part the whole quarantine experience has relieved more stress than it has caused me. But I’m sad there is no DBF this year and really hope it’s back on next summer. Because at least once a year, almost as much as the music, I miss the village.

ByGD

Music I LIke On The 2019 Doe Bay Lineup

Last weekend I was at TimberFest, but I’m writing about that experience elsewhere. In the meantime, let me talk about Doe Bay Fest, which is coming up in a couple weeks. Doe Bay Fest is a very special music festival. Just like Eistnaflug, it feels like a family reunion. I try to go as often as I can. Last year I missed it for Pickathon, and while I don’t regret that experience one bit, I also missed the Doe Bay experience. This year I got Doe Bay tickets for Christmas, and the 21-band lineup includes a lot of music I like.

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Annie Ford

Doe Bay always involves a lot of music discovery, and the first time I heard of Annie Ford was when I read this year’s lineup announcement. I notice the Bandcamp page is listed as Annie Ford Band, while Doe Bay says Annie Ford – that might mean a solo set. But I hope not because I really love the swinging full band sound on At Night.

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Beverly Crusher

Okay, their last two releases, including Scared, were only singles and they haven’t released a full album since 2016. But they’re totally new to me, and even if it’s a set of mostly older music, this riffy rock’n’roll is perfect for a summer afternoon on Orcas Island.

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The Burned

I never heard of the Kurt Baumann solo project The Burned before they released the Doe Bay lineup. But they’ve been on near-constant rotation. He’s got a voice that could give early The National a run for their money; tells stories like Nick Cave; plays guitar like nobody’s business. Even my country-averse husband can’t get enough of The Burned. This is our top musical prospect for Doe Bay this year.

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Treepeople

When I was younger, I side-eyed all the middle aged baby boomers forking out big bucks to see the reunion tours of the bands that were cool in their youth. But now that I’m in my forties, I’m looking forward to seeing Treepeople at Doe Bay. This Built to Spill precursor wasn’t much on my radar back in the day, but it turns out the nineties still sound good.

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Versing

I always have a hard time describing bands like Versing. It’s like the scene in Spinal Tap where the band try to describe themselves and basically come up with “generic rock band.” But even if I can’t find interesting words about good old rock and roll, listening to it is never boring. And just like human voices, no two rock bands are every actually the same. I look forward to hearing this one live.

ByGD

Bluegrass Boys

These little boys performed at Doe Bay Fest a few years back under the name Brother for Sale. They play with their parents as the Crow Valley String Band. They played Doe Bay again last summer as Brograss.

Bluegrass is the heavy metal of folk music, if you follow me.  Whatever name they play under, these boys shred.

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Apollo Past

I discovered the band You Me and Apollo at the first Doe Bay Fest I ever attended. They played one of the best sets I’ve ever seen. I went on to see them three times before they broke up.

So many mind-blowingly good bands split up before they get big, and the older you get, the harder it gets to keep track of all the good music out there. Sometimes I’m surprised to discover that a band I loved three years ago has put out two more albums. Sometimes I’m surprised to learn that they’re gone.

I still listen to the album Sweet Honey. In lieu of a moment of silence, here’s a track to honor all the bands that gave us feels and then went away.

 

ByGD

Tiger Rag Today

A few years ago, I read the book Tiger Rag and I wondered how anyone could make the cornet a starring instrument. Then I saw Industrial Revelation play at Doe Bay Fest. Ahamefule Oluo’s trumpet solo cleared it up for me.