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October 25, 2011

The Doe Bay Sessions: Frank Fairfield

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Frank Fairfield Doe Bay Resort Doe Bay Fest The Doe Bay Sessions
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Frank Fairfield and band with Kyle Zantos ::: Polaroid courtesy of Dylan Priest

Amongst a field of indie kids and folk bands Doe Bay’s ground’s, Frank Fairfield was an old schoolhouse, full of knowledge and looking and sounding every bit the part of a by-gone era. Though Fairfield’s not a local, his on-stage educational talks on the fiddle to 2am busking station jam sessions made him just as much a vibrant contributor to the collaborative and musical mood of the festival as the veterans and locals.

Still not fully awake Friday morning as we wandered in search of a coffee cart we stumbled into Fairfield and band warming up next to the mainstage field where fellow banjo wiz Kyle Zantos had gravitated to the situation and managed to sneak in a lead here and there. This is how I always imagined a more free form folk festival might flow, people plopping down where-ever they may be or meet to jam and live the music. Little did we expect that moment would be reprised for our camera the next day on our sun-kissed forest location playfully named “the Hobbit Hill.”

 

 

Sound on the Sound wasn’t the only set of folks filming at the fourth edition of Doe Bay Fest. A group of documentarians wandered about catching the spirit of the festival for a presentation they are calling “Welcome to Doe Bay.” November 11th Frank Fairfield will headline Columbia City Theater for a party to help fund a Kickstarter goal set by the crew to finish this documentary with quality.

August 29, 2011

The Doe Bay Sessions 2011

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Bryan John Appleby Champagne Champagne Damien Jurado Frank Fairfield John Vanderslice Kelli Schaefer Pickwick Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside Sera Cahoone The Head and the Heart The Builders & The Butchers Doe Bay Resort Doe Bay Fest The Doe Bay Sessions

 

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside Doe Bay Session ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

It was 5pm on Saturday when we made our way down the trail to the point, the sunlight darting through tree branches, with Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside and a handful of their friends from Portland in tow to film their Doe Bay Session. We stopped at an uninhabited camp site, where the sounds of Campfire OK pouring their hearts out on the mainstage were muffled. As we began the rather painstaking process of setting up mics and getting the band situated for the best shot, a young family of three walked down the trail to their campsite, right next door to where we were shooting.

The little boy, Donovan, at all of five or six years old, got that wide-eyed look and smile that recalls Christmases past. When the present you wished for all year has suddenly appeared under the tree and you simply can’t believe your luck. Donovan, and his parents Adam & Eve, had returned to their campsite to break down their tent and head home. They’d come to see Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Donovan’s favorite band. and that was it. With Sallie’s mainstage set done, it was time for them to head on their way … but there we all were. Just a few feet away from their campsite, Donovan’s favorite band, playing a private show just for him on the trails of Doe Bay. He sat enrapt, elbows on his knee in the middle of the trail, watching intently, drinking in every moment quietly but with a huge smile.

It is our hope that these Sessions extend the magic of Doe Bay for all of you, the way the filming of the Sallie Ford Session did for Donovan and his family. Starting Tuesday September 6th, we’ll be sharing a Doe Bay Session every week for the next three months. We hope that they make the Festival last just a little longer, that you hear your favorite song once again or you’re introduced to a new one.

Huge thanks to the 12 bands who took time out of the relaxing and partying of Doe Bay to shoot with us: Bryan John Appleby, The Builders and The Butchers, Campfire OK, Champagne Champagne, Damien Jurado, Frank Fairfield, The Head and The Heart, John Vanderslice, Kelli Schaefer, Pickwick, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside and Sera Cahoone. And thanks, of course, to our awesome crew: Tyler Kalberg, Chris Proff and Claire Yuckert, to the staff at Doe Bay Resort and Retreat and to the Festival organizers, Artist Home, for making this project possible.

We can’t wait to share 2011′s The Doe Bay Sessions with you very soon.

 

Pickwick Doe Bay Session ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

 

Bryan John Appleby + Band Doe Bay Session ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

 

Campfire OK Doe Bay Session ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

 

Champagne Champagne Doe Bay Session::: photo by Josh Lovseth

 

John Vanderslice Doe Bay Session ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

 

Damien Jurado Doe Bay Session ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

August 9, 2011

So, Most of You Are Not Going to Doe Bay Fest …

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Gold Leaves ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

… and you’ve still got an awesome weekend of music waiting for you.

Here’s what I’d be seeing if I was gonna be in town this weekend. Including two shows it physically pains me to miss Friday: Gold Leaves at the Mural Amphitheater in the shadow of the Space Needle for FREE, and our show of the week See Me River, Blood Red Dancers and Le Sang Song at the Rendezvous, which promises to be a lecherous night of sweaty rock’n'roll and a line-up with nothing but excellent bands. Please get trashed there for me, but not so drunk that you can’t report back and tell me how awesome it was.

Thursday August 11th:

Moya, Blyss, Tavana – Skylark Frank Fairfield, Water Tower Bucket Boys, Red Dog – Columbia City Theater Seattle Tattoo Expo After Party feat. The Fucking Eagles, Steel Tigers of Death – Neumo’s

Moya by nimbus510

Friday August 12th:

Seapony, Gold Leaves, Math & Physics Club – KEXP’s Concerts at the Mural (FREE, 6pm) See Me River, Blood Red Dancers, Le Sang Song – The Rendezvous The American Girls, Andrew Vait, John Craig & the Weekend – Comet Tavern Jon Pontrello – Conor Byrne Blvd Park, Ashia Grzesik, Eliza Rickman, Bat Country – Columbia City Theater Seattle Tattoo Expo After Party feat. The Sword, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Curse Of The North – Neumos

Saturday August 13th:

The Pharmacy, Heavy Hawaii, Plateaus – The Comet Seattle Tattoo Expo After Party feat. High On Fire, Lesbian, Deadkill – Neumos

Monday August 15th:

Land of Pines, Pollens – Chop Suey

June 2, 2011

Doe Bay Fest Line-Up Brings The Head & The Heart, John Vanderslice, Damien Jurado, Champagne Champagne and More to Orcas Island

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Pickwick Bryan John Appleby Damien Jurado Frank Fairfield John Vanderslice Lemolo Youth Rescue Mission The Builders & The Butchers The Head and the Heart Sera Cahoone Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside Ravenna Woods

 

Doe Bay Fest ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

 

 

In a week full of festival line-ups, there’s no denying Doe Bay Fest’s was the one we were most looking forward to learning.

Alongside many of the expected cast of characters, like four-year festival veterans The Maldives, this year’s Doe Bay line-up has expanded beyond its usual radius of Seattle and Portland to include San Francisco’s John Vanderslice, LA’s Frank Fairfield and Oklahoma’s OK Sweetheart. As in past years, Doe Bay Fest has tapped some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest established performers and buzzed about up-and-comers like Damien Jurado, The Head and The Heart, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Sera Cahoone, the Builders & the Butchers, Pickwick, Kelli Schaefer, Lemolo and Bryan John Appleby. I’m especially excited to see more local hip hop on this year’s line-up: Champagne Champagne, Mash Hall/Don’t Talk to the Cops and Fly Moon Royalty are sure to bring the party to Orcas Island.

Here’s who will be playing the fourth annual Doe Bay Fest:

The Head and The Heart, Damien Jurado, John Vanderslice, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, The Builders and the Butchers, Sera Cahoone, Pickwick, The Maldives, Champagne Champagne, Kelli Schaefer, Ravenna Woods, Lemolo, Cobirds Unite, Campfire OK, Frank Fairfield, Bryan John Appleby, Tea Cozies, Shelby Earl, Mash Hall / Don’t Talk to the Cops, Fly Moon Royalty, OK Sweetheart, Goldfinch, Matt & Mike Gervais (Curtains for You), Matt Bishop (Hey Marseilles), Youth Rescue Mission, Elk & Boar, Melodie Knight, Hannalee, Sean Flinn

May 19, 2011

SIFF is Making Beautiful Music

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frankfairfield

Local music fans are lucky to have numerous festivals big and small to choose from every year. Local film fans eagerly anticipate spring and the arrival of SIFF: the Seattle International Film Festival. Starting tonight and lasting through mid-June, SIFF will feature over 400 films from local and international filmmakers.

This being Seattle, music and music makers are a favorite subject of SIFF selections and we wanted to highlight a few of the notable intersections of local music and movies happening this fest.

FRANK FAIRFIELD – Official Trailer from More Dust Than Digital on Vimeo.

Frank Fairfield

This short created by the Roadhouse’s Greg Vandy and the talented guys behind More Dust From Digital is a 13 minute mini-documentary follows 25-year old Frank Fairfield. Fairfield, a celebrated banjo player with lightning quick fingers, is more Dust Bowl than Laurel Canyon living and singing in the internet age.

The short with be shown with Surrogate Valentine May 29 at the Harvard Exit at 9:30pm or May 30 at the Admiral Theater at 3:30pm.

Surrogate Valentine

Paired with the Frank Fairfield mini-documentary, Surrogate Valentine is a comedy starring San Francisco musician Goh Nakamura (as himself) who is hired to teach an over-the-top actor to play guitar for an upcoming role. You can see the film’s star Goh Nakamura perform May 31st at The Sunset alongside Sound on the Sound favorite Widower, who’ll be playing a rare set with a full band.

Surrogate Valentine: May 29 at the Harvard Exit at 9:30pm or May 30 at the Admiral Theater at 3:30pm.

Damien Jurado and the Russian Avant-Garde

Like last year’s Maldives’ scoring of New Riders of the Purple Sage, this year SIFF will be showcasing one of our favorite local musicians in a brand new way. This year SIFF has tapped Damien Jurado to score the short films of Russian avant-garde filmmaker Dimitri Kirsanoff. With a shared fondness for stories about the darker side of rural life and the characters who haunt the under-belly of society, it’s a brooding match that should captivate on screen and on stage.

Damien Jurado and the Russian Avant-Garde: June 8th at The Triple Door. Two shows: 7:00 and 9:00pm.

The Off Hours

Speaking of soundtrack scores, local singer-songwriter Joshua Morrison is responsible for the music in The Off Hours, a local film that was met with rave reviews at Sundance this year.

The Off Hours: At the Neptune Theater June 6th at 7:00pm and June 7th at 4:30pm.

Hit So Hard

Last but certainly not least is Hit So Hard, a documentary about Patty Schemele, the celebrated drummer of Hole. Featuring exclusive interviews and never before seen home-videos of life with Hole, Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain — Hit So Hard offers an intimate unvarnished glimpse into Seattle rock royalty and one of the most fascinating women in rock’n'roll. And we’re not talking about Courtney.

Hit So Hard plays at The Egyptian Theater May 27 at 9pm and at The Nepturne Theater May 29 at 4pm.

You can see all the music-related SIFF offerings on their “Face The Music” page.

If you’re interested in reading in-depth reviews and previews for the Fest we recommend swinging by our pals Three Imaginary Girls who seriously heart SIFF.