Last week we shared two new Maldives songs with you as part of the inaugural Doe Bay Session and today we’re happy to share another with you courtesy of KEXP at No Depression Fest.

We were treated to a similar acoustic solo rendition of the brand new song after filming The Maldives Doe Bay Session, but Jason asked us not to film it. We are so glad he changed his mind and let KEXP capture it. Around our picnic table at Doe Bay, a small audience sat silently stunned after he finished the delicate tune, before erupting in hoots, hollers and whistles. For a moment, we were dumbfounded by what we’d just heard … was it possible that The Maldives and Jason Dodson’s best songs are yet to come? All signs point to yes and “Muscle for the Wing” is a strong contender for the best thus far.

Take a listen for yourself and then see the band perform this Saturday at 3:00 on the Starbucks Stage (see: Mural Amphitheater) during Bumbershoot.

Doe Bay Love for Drew Grow ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Where do I even begin talking about what may have been the greatest weekend of my life?

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The Doe Bay Resort is situated on the far end of nowhere, about as far from the ferry dock on Orcas Island as one can hope to get. It is on the way to nowhere, and that is kind of the point. Among the yurts, cabins, campsites and forest, there’s no 3G to sap your attention. Only an idyllic setting to focus on relaxation and nature and the people you are with. A place to soak in the mineral spring and bathe in the expansive starlight, things normally obscured by the lights and pace of the big city.

Doe Bay faces southeast toward Cypress Island, and then the Cascades further on. An organic cafe overlooks the bay and getting up to watch the sun rise above the Cascades while cradling a hot cup of coffee is a favorite activity. We certainly spent our share of time waking up under a rising sun while sitting out on the Cafe patio, sipping coffee and attacking a truly delicious selection of breakfasts made with ingredients grown in an organic on-site garden.

Courtesy of resort den-mother and wonder woman Jami, our specially set reserved campsite ended up being a geodesic dome hidden among the trees on the opposite side of the inlet from the Cafe, a space age feeling structure with a bed. More importantly, it came with a pair of picnic tables spectacularly overlooking the resort. Prime property. These picnic tables would play host to series of mostly unplanned magical moments over the four days we spent at Doe Bay: A Hey Marseilles Doe Bay Session. Meeting new friends. A magnificent effort to fix our brand new generator that would ultimately be unsuccessful but a bonding experience just the same. A late night rap battle that went on and on. Getting a listen to a new Maldives song that is just exceptional. Having the privilege of hearing Kelli Schaefer and friends singing “Over the Rainbow,” with all of the festival bigwigs in attendance. And sharing countless Doe Bay hugs. It all added up the one of the most memorable and life affirming weekends of my life.

The Mainstage ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth


I think we might need to come up with a new word for what Doe Bay Fest is. Sure, it has a few stages, great bands are present, and it is nominally about seeing music. But calling it simply ‘a music festival’ doesn’t communicate the quality of interaction that a gathering in this setting encourages and makes possible. For four solid days I had no want to leave. In actively forgetting our worries and forgetting about clocks, Doe Bay became a real-life Utopia for those present, if only for an instant. And that’s not something that happens at just a ‘music festival.’

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Neko Case ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Oh, the cruel games we play.

Do you enjoy mind-stimulating activities such as Soduku, New York Times Crossword Puzzles and/or Apples to Apples? If so, then you deserve a pat on the back and possibly an invitation to tutor me in a few of those areas. Especially in regard to crossword puzzles, I’m so terrible I don’t ever see myself leaving the “word find” circuit.  Luckily for people like me, there is alternative mind-stimulating game that accurately judges the content of someone’s character in three simple words. Marry. Fuck. Kill. If you want to call into question a friend’s lack of taste in other human beings, flawed thought process or how well they react under pressure, you play this game.

If you’re not familiar, let me clue you in.  You are given three options and you select “marry, fuck, kill” depending on what fictional scenario you may or may not want to happen in reality. However, I’m going to change some of the terminology. America is founded on Puritan belief (and the decimation of native populations) and I feel like we all need to get back to our Puritan roots. In keeping with the Puritan tradition, I’m changing “fuck” to “copulate with genuine feelings of desire” and I’m changing “kill” to “feverishly ignore.” Puritans had no problems with the idea of marriage, so I’m going to leave that be. I know I should have created more of an accurate “Marry.Fuck.Kill.” scenario using spreadsheets with color coded cells to signify scheduling conflicts, but those plans didn’t fit in my budget. Below the musical acts are broken down into the following categories. Some acts will just be listed while others will have brief descriptions. Enjoy.

Bands you want to “Marry” - These are bands you’ve already loved (or should have loved) for a long time,  now you’re ready to make that everlasting commitment.  You have long ignored all the flaws and blemishes related to these acts due to your blinding love for them.  They might have disappointed you with a few bad songs, a bad album or a lackluster live performance, but you stand by them because you’re suffering from the most fortunate chemical imbalance there is, love.

Bands you want to “Copulate with Genuine Feelings of Desire” – These are the bands that you’re just killing time with. Maybe you’re waiting for a more desirable band to start their set or maybe you’ve had one too many PBR’s and suddenly that bassist with the nose ring is looking hot! Easy tiger, keep your cool. You don’t want to wake up in the morning with schwag from a band that you’re not sure you like.  I’m not saying these bands aren’t worth your undivided attention, I’m just not sure you’ll have a long-term relationship with them.  Make no mistake if you find love here, I’ll be happy for you.

Bands you want to “Feverishly Ignore” – I’m not saying these bands suck, but now might be the perfect time to pretend to be having a meaningful text message conversation far away from the stage.

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The Maldives Doe Bay Session ::: Photo by Dylan Priest

There was only one way to properly begin The Doe Bay Sessions, with a band who helped Doe Bay Festival get its start: The Maldives. Seattle’s own wrangler headbangers are the only band to have played all three Doe Bay Festivals and they hold the only life-long invitation to play.

The Maldives are more than Doe Bay veterans, they also embody the spirit of community and fun that permeate the festival. Many of the most memorable moments of Doe Bay, be it the Donald Duck rap battles, slip’n’sides, or drinking tequila out of sippy cups, were organized or led by a Maldive. Thanks to their sunny afternoon session, perched atop a mossy knoll off the trail, the Maldives were certainly responsible for some of our favorite Doe Bay memories. And we are so happy we get to share them with you today.

Be sure to check back every Tuesday from now through October to see whose Doe Bay Session we share next.

The Doe Bay Sessions - The Maldives “I’m Gonna Try” from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

Doe Bay Sessions - The Maldives “Go Back to Virginia” from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

The Head and The Heart Sunset Session ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

As you will soon read here on Sound on the Sound, Doe Bay 2010 was one of the most magical experiences of our lives. (Narrowly edging out last years’ Doe Bay Fest for “best weekend ever.”) Not only were we surrounded by friends, family and incredible local music in one of the most idyllic and jaw-droppingly beautiful places you’ll ever see, we also spent the weekend working on an exciting project we’ve spent much of 2010 organizing: The Doe Bay Sessions.

The initial idea was to rent a yurt during the Doe Bay Festival and record acoustic sets with a couple of our favorite bands who were playing. We pitched the idea to the fine folks who organize and who own Doe Bay and from day one to the last day of shooting, they all bent over backwards to make sure the project could happen. What started as a typical DIY Sound on the Sound project turned into a professional video shoot inspired by the work of Vincent Moon and Yours Truly, complete with videographer Tyler Kalberg on the camera and sound guy extraordinaire Chris Proff manning our “mobile” sound set up. What we thought would be a couple yurt bound sessions, turned into 10 different video shoots all over Doe Bay with some of the best bands in Seattle.

For those of us who were a part of it and those of you who stumbled on to our sessions while hiking the trails or following the sound of the songs, The Doe Bay Sessions felt like a festival within the festival. Over the next 10 weeks we will be releasing videos featuring a candlelit session from Fences, The Head and the Heart (and the Doe Bay All-Stars) singing down the sun, Ravenna Woods using trees for percussion, a mid-trail serenade from Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives, The Maldives on a mossy knoll, picnic table perching with Hey Marseilles and many more.

We are so excited to share these videos with you and to usher in a new chapter of Sound on the Sound content. For now, we wanted to share a few stills from the sessions, as well as offer our sincerest thanks to Tyler, Chris, the bands, Doe Bay staff and maintenance crew, Artist Home, Bob from The Ballard Mine and the Doe Bay magic that made these sessions not just possible, but also so much more than we would have ever dared imagine.

Check back here on August 24th to see whose session we’ll share first!

Fences Candle Lit Session ::: by Tyler Kalberg

The Maldives on “Hobbit Hill” ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Chris Proff ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Ravenna Woods Session ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

See more photos from The Doe Bay Sessions on our Flickr

Mad Rad ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

You wake up on an air mattress in the living room of a stranger’s house wearing nothing but an Incubus t-shirt. This can only mean one thing, you ended up partying with one of the many obnoxious Atmosphere fans last night after Block Party ended. You’re not sure which is worse, the fact that so many people have made it hard for you to listen to Atmosphere or that you are wearing an Incubus t-shirt. You find your clothes in the recycling bin (always thinking green, way to go) and make your way to the final day of Block Party…

You arrive just in time to see the Maldives take the Main Stage. This makes you happy because your adoration for the “Kings of Ballard” has grown more and more with every live performance you’ve witnessed. You liken them to Holy Fuck in the fact that they always sound so good. The Maldives could perform in an empty giant tuna can and they would still sound immaculate. As your busy basking in the glory of the Maldives, you notice that a handful of people have unexpectedly fainted. There is one commonality between the ill, they are all wearing flannel and trucker hats.  Being fashionable in the summer in the number one killer of Pacific Northwest inhabitants. “Sometimes it’s better to die in uniform,” you think to yourself as you leave the stage, but where are you going?

Don’t you want to stick around for Mad Rad at the Main Stage? I mean if anyone if going to throw down at Block Party, it’s going to be them. Watching Mad Rad at Block Party is like watching the Bronx Bombers win the World Series at the old Yankee Stadium, you’re going to want to witness history. Sure, you’ll miss MK Speed Dial at Cha Cha and that’s a total bummer. They have that song “Hey Keri” that you really like a lot, it’s one of the best pop songs you’ve heard all year. You’re single and somewhat neurotic, but if you’re ever lucky enough to make someone unhappy for the rest of his or her lives one day, you’ll be playing “Hey Keri” during the reception at your wedding…

You stick around the Main Stage for Mad Rad.  Watching them perform is like watching Godzilla vs. Mothra vs. King Kong in a Texas Tornado match. It’s beautiful chaos. Buildings are falling down, people’s clothes are flying off, and extra-terrestrials are landing flying saucers so they can party with human beings. It’s crazy. At one point you lick P Smoov’s face only to find that he tastes just like your grandmother’s homemade oatmeal cookies. This wouldn’t be so weird if your grandma weren’t deceased. While continuing nodding your head in rhythm to the beat, you wonder if P Smoov has dug up your grandma’s grave. You conclude that if he did commit such a heinous act, he probably did it in the name of hip-hop. You quickly forgive him…

You leave the chaos of Mad Rad a few songs early so you can go see Ravenna Woods at the Vera Stage. On the way to the stage you realize how far Ravenna Woods have come in a relatively short period of time. It will be quite surreal seeing them at a festival instead of a smaller venue like you’re accustomed to. You look forward to snotty underage hipster kids saying “Man, I’ve liked Ravenna Woods since 2008, when it was the Quiet Life…” Oh juvenile elitists, you remember when you were one of those?

Because you almost cried last night during Grand Hallway and a few weeks ago at Carissa’s Wierd, you decide to forgo S at the Vera Stage. Now is not the time for tears, it is a time of righteous metal and the enjoyment of whiplash. You decide that Book of Black Earth is just what the doctor ordered…

You enter Neumo’s but cannot see a thing; everyone is wearing all black and wristbands. Suddenly your Block Party experience has turned into some European metal festival and it feels good. While Book of Black Earth is playing “Occult Machinery,” you curse yourself for not having two hearts to mimic the double bass mayhem that you are hearing in your skull. You wish to be metal right down to the core of your being, literally…

You leave the temporary black hole that is Neumo’s and make your way to the Cha Cha to see Nazca Lines. It seems like it’s been forever since you’ve seen Nazca Lines at Neumo’s, but they left such a good first impression, you have to see if they are as good as you remember. They have that not-so-straight forward rock n’ roll thing down. It’ll be a refreshing change of pace after the blast beat fest of Book of Black Earth…

You leave Cha Cha in your wake; thankful that it is the last time you’ll be hanging out there all weekend. You’re tired of looking at ironic moustaches and hearing tourists ask emerald city dwellers where the “stage” might be. Nazca Lines were as good as you remember; it feels good to be right. You head to the Main Stage to see the Dead Weather because you’re willing to support any Jack White project that doesn’t involve Meg White…

As you’re enjoying the caffeinated bluesy riffs of the Dead Weather you can’t help but wonder two things:
1)    Does Jack White get paid royalties every single time a marching band covers “Seven Nation Army”?
2)    Where does Meg White’s sex tape rank in the pantheon of “Most Boring Celebrity Sex Tapes of All-Time?”

You wish you had the capability of asking the entire Block Party audience the aforementioned questions via mass text message. Just as you’re in the process of figuring out how to get these important questions answered by a shitload of people, you drop your phone on the unforgiving concrete. Your phone breaks along with your dreams of getting life’s most perplexing questions answered. Your impending Monday evening visit to the cell phone store leaves you contemplating what would be a very public suicide…

Feeling down and unable to produce an emoticon of any nature, you seek refuge at Neumo’s. You would consider going elsewhere but have nobody to call or text. Besides, Neumo’s is the only venue at Block Party that still has performances going on the rest of the evening. Phoneless and feeling alone in a room full of crowded people, you spend the rest of your night with Truckasaurus, Victor Shade and Fresh Espresso. The music manages to lift your spirits quite a bit, but in the back of your mind, all you can think about is that inevitable trip to the cell phone store…

How Did You Get Here?

Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party - Day One
Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party - Day Two

Seattle in the summertime is full of festivals … Capitol Hill Block Party, Bumbershoot, and this weekend, a triple header of smaller festivals that are just as worthy of your time and attention. Best of all, none of these festivals are going to set you back a day’s worth of work and they are purely local, highlighting hometown bands and neighborhoods.

Ameliafest featuring Hobosexual, What What Now and Greenriver Thrillers
Friday July 9th at The Blue Moon - $6

The festivities get started tonight at the Blue Moon for the so-called “Ameliafest.” While local photographer and super-fan, Amelia Gyde would probably rather we not refer to the evening as such, it’s a night that she’s organized to celebrate and promote a few of her favorite hard rocking locals. If you like your music loud and local … this is the only place in town you should be tonight.

West Seattle Summer Fest featuring Whalebones, Curtains for You, the Dusty 45s, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter & more
Friday, Saturday & Sunday in West Seattle (corner of Alaska and California) - Free

On the other side of town, across the industrial expanse of Harbor Island, West Seattle Summer Fest is happening all weekend long. The annual festival celebrates the bounty of (West) Seattle, by highlighting local businesses, artisans and bands. Over 25 local bands will be gracing the streets of West Seattle and Easy Street will be having a sidewalk sale during the festival, so if you’re a music junkie, West Seattle is where you should be heading to score this weekend.

Ballard Seafood Fest featuring The Maldives
Saturday and Sunday in Ballard (2208 NW Market St)

Last but not least, is the Ballard Seafood Festival. It’s not a music festival per se, though one of the biggest bands in Seattle, The Maldives, will be playing a set during the festivities. Seafood Fest celebrates the Seattle and Ballard of yore, when the Market Street was filled with Scandinavian Gift Shops and bakeries, not condos and boutiques. When Ballard was populated by fisherman, middle class families and old Swedes; it celebrates the Ballard and Seattle I grew up in and the bountiful harvest the docks around Ballard haul in their nets. If you’re a fan of salmon, fresh seafood and festivals with a real block party feel, take a stroll through Seafood Fest and make sure you do so on an empty stomach.

The Columbia City Theater ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

If you build it, will they come? This was the question that no one was quite sure of going into the grand opening weekends at the Columbia City Theater. Our last (and only other) Sound on the Sound Presents show to happen at the Theater, over a year ago with the yet to be discovered Local Natives, was a flop. Though it’s a straight shot from downtown and Capitol Hill to Columbia City down Rainier Avenue, it had become the neighborhood that live music fans forgot, and hardly a place that might enter into any nightlife plans.

From the beginning though, Friday night was different. At 9:15 as I arrived at the door, just as my ID is being checked, the owner walks up to say the place is already basically at capacity. What?! At 9:15? I’ve got friends who are behind me leaving a rainy BBQ session who are now going to be shut out. Yikes! Thankfully they took my sheepish text messages like champs, because they realized this meant success beyond our expectations. How times have changed! Before the show had even started, this showing had provided the most emphatic answer to our question yet. If you build it, they will most definitely come. In a line down the block and around the corner.

For those who showed up early and did make it in, both of the night’s bands took the opportunity to showcase long sets of mostly new songs. Zoe Muth & Her Lost High Rollers had an album’s worth of vintage sounding country I hadn’t heard yet, with Muth mid-show revealing they were trying to head to the studio in October. The Maldives have practically a full record worth of new material themselves, which with the benefit of CCT’s top notch audio sounded very ready to lay to tape. Snuck amongst the unrecorded material was a rare move that could’ve been engineered entirely just to make my day: the band played both of their epic crowd-pleasers “Blood Relations” and “Walk Away.”

Sound on the Sound Presents shows at the Columbia City Theater on the first Friday of every month, and we can only hope each one is as packed and successful as last Friday. On August 6th we present Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground with the Head and the Heart opening (tickets are $12). Once that time rolls around and summer has truly arrived, the promise of a high-ceilinged, air-conditioned room with a Mint Julep cooling my hand will sound just about perfect.

Zoe Muth & Her Lost High Rollers ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Zoe Muth & Her Lost High Rollers ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Maldives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Maldives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Maldives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Flickr: Sound on the Sound Presents: The Maldives, Zoe Muth & Her Lost High Rollers at the Columbia City Theater

It’s here! It’s finally here! Since February, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the day we could fling the door open and invite you to join us in celebrating the Seattle’s newest old venue, Columbia City Theater and our partnership with them.

Tomorrow you can see for yourself just why we think Columbia City Theater is on its way to becoming one of Seattle’s most beloved venues and get your first glimpse at where we’ll be hosting monthly Sound on the Sound sponsored showcases. And of course, then there’s the real attraction: a FREE show featuring two of Seattle’s best bands and one of our very favorite pairings, The Maldives and Zoe Muth and Her Lost High Rollers. We’ve seen these guys share the stage a few times and each time has been better than the last, so we’re eager to see just what kind of honky tonk heaven they’ll deliver us to tomorrow.

So put on your party flannel and groom your summer beard, because we’re bringing a little bit of Old Ballard Avenue to Rainier Avenue for the night and we’re hoping you’ll all join us. It’s going to be a night of drinking, dancing, singing and celebrating … and if you have yet to see the Theater, a night of jaw-dropped discovery. We can’t wait to cheers a can of Vitamin R with you all to the success of Columbia City Theater, the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Sound on the Sound and what’s sure to be a great night of local music.

Just had to share this beauty of a poster courtesy of Bradley James Lockhart for out first showcase at Columbia City Theater on July 2nd.

Hopefully you’ve already saved the date for us, The Maldives, Zoe Muth and Her Lost High Rollers and your new favorite local venue. It’s a free show, with some of our very favorite bands, so show up early to celebrate with us!