Recent Stories with tag Grand Archives

The Capitol Hill Block Party kicks off today and stretches through Sunday evening. A few festival updates via their twitter news feed to note: will call opens at 11 a.m. in case you want to beat the rush, the music starts at 3:30 p.m., and single tickets to today's festivities are gone baby gone. While this is sad for procrastinators, it's somewhat good news to those who purchased tickets early: according to LineOut, they restricted themselves to selling fewer tickets than the last year's crowd-crushing Frizzelle-lifting peak attendance (Sonic Youth). Finally, to make more room for meandering, food carts will be sparse within the fences (appropriate, given their sparseness in the city); so plan on patronizing one of the restaurants within the grounds or stepping out of the festival to stimulate the local economy via your hunger and thirst.

Sure, some of the biggest draws may be from out of town, but the festival is also a great place to sample a bunch of local (and locally-connected) bands. The lineup promises a overflowing smorgasbord of Seattle bands on all of the stages, but to catch up with your friendly neighborhood musicians, be sure keep an eye on the Kerry Zettel-curated stage at the Cha Cha. You can also check out the eclectic interests the kids at the Vera Project by visiting their stage, situated away from the lure of the beer gardens. There's also a not-quite-secret stage at Vita's bean room, for those who secured the right credentials (hint: visit the AT&T store).

Below, a few day-by-day reminders of sets to consider, complete with a few videos to help you pass the time until the gates open. As usual, take advantage of the vast comments section to let us know who you're dying to see....

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doe bay festival image courtesy of doebayfest.com

What's that? You don't know what the Doe Bay Music Festival is? Why, it's a magical place where local bands converge to spread musical joy to a crowd of a little under one thousand fans basking in the mid-August sun. 

Okay, enough of that. Here's the lowdown: it's a two-day festival on Orcas Island comprised solely of Northwest bands that will blow your mind. It's at the Doe Bay Resort and Retreat, which opens their doors (and part of their 33-acre expanse) to campers and music-lovers alike for a two-day intimate music experience. It's a low-key alternative to the huge crowd-laden festivals that we know so well. The whole fest is limited to about 750 tickets, which go on sale this Monday at 9 a.m.

This year it's on August 13th and 14th, just in time for Seattle's weather sweetspot, that time of year when almost every day is heaven on earth: hipsters are puttering on their scooters, beach volleyball is an afternoon staple, and ice cream is an important part of every meal.  

Doe Bay Resort image courtesy doebayfest.com

You might be thinking to yourself, It starts on a Friday and ends Saturday night? Yes, it starts on Friday, but if it follows a similar schedule as last year's event, then the acts don't really get going till around 6 or 7 p.m. That leaves you just enough time to trek over to Orcas after work and catch the first act.

As for the logistics, there is really only one way to get over there, by ferry from Anacortes. Unfortunately it's pretty expensive: $44 for car and driver plus $13.45 per passenger, but at least it's free on the ride back! When it comes to sleeping accommodations, the cheapest option is camping out on the grounds, then there's a bed in the local hostel, a yurt that sleeps 5 to 25, or a cabin. If you'd rather have cushier arrangements, there are some beautiful B&Bs in the Doe Bay community....

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