Welcome to Doe Bay

Doe Bay is an inlet in Orcas Island, one of Washington State's idyllic San Juan islands. This USA entry made its world premier at the 2012 Seattle International Film Festival.

In 2008, some music devotees were bemoaning the evolution of estab- lished music festivals, in which big sponsors have overtaken the integrity of the music. As one of the promoters says, "Size matters! In this case, smaller is better!" Seattle musicians accepted an invitation to come to Orcas and see what happens. This documentary records it for posterity.

Four years later they are so quickly sold out they realize that they will be forced to disappoint a LOT of fans, but they aren't willing to yield to the Catch 22 of Success and create venues that would destroy the intimacy and passion that the musicians and their fans have come to cherish.

It's fun to watch city slickers struggle to set up their tents, throngs of folks sway and clap to their favorite bands, and people picnic on the beach.

We hear ballads, rock, rap, hip hop, indie folk rock and some music that defies a category. We see dozens of musicians in flannel and hoodies; tattooed, bespectacled, bearded, long-haired, short-haired, clean-shaven, or female. We saw white, black, Hispanic and Native American. They played guitars (both acoustic and electric), fiddles, violas, cellos, bass viols, mandolins, banjos, drums, flutes, keyboards, kazoos and a shovel!

The fans mostly stood, although there was a time or two where they actually sat (on the ground, not in chairs). This festival is not for the faint of heart!

Only time will tell how this particular music festival survives the acid test of success.