Tag Archives: youth rescue mission

I Saw “Welcome to Doe Bay”

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Filmakers, Daniel Thornton, Sarah Crowe, and CB Shammah having been working tirelessly over the past year on a documentary film about Doe Bay Fest, a music festival that we hold close to our hearts and have had the honor of organizing each summer since 2008. While I was excited that film makers of their caliber would be making a movie about Doe Bay, I was equally nervous as I have found that the uniqueness of Doe Bay Fest and its influence on the music community nearly impossible to describe. I didn’t know if these folks, who were experiencing the festival for the first time (or anyone really), would be up to the task.

This past Saturday Daniel invited me to his home so that I could watch a private screening of the 1st cut of the film along with the other producers and some crew.  Aside from my concerns about them being able to capture the essence of Doe Bay Fest, I was also a bit scared about seeing myself on film and potentially sounding like a jack ass.

Nonetheless I shortly found myself with an ear to ear grin about 20 minutes into the movie as I realized that they had nailed it.  I was able to relive so many goose bump inducing moments and see many performances and happenings that I wasn’t there for.   Beyond those many magical moments, this film ultimately did an amazing job at simply telling the Doe Bay story. From its inception in 2008, to the planning process of last year’s festival, and on to reflections and thoughts of many Doe Bay veterans and first timers alike. Welcome to Doe Bay explores how this “little festival that could” has effected the Seattle music industry and the NW musicians who have taken part in it. In the end it raises the question as to whether or not Doe Bay Fest can serve as inspiration for greater change in the profit driven and often unethical world of festival promotion.

The nice folks making this documentary film have started a kickstarter campaign to raise some much needed funds to help finish its production in time to send it to various film festivals.  I’m writing this blog post to ask that if you have the means, to please contribute to help make this film exist.   Not because it’s about Doe Bay, not because of the bands that are in it like Head and the Heart, Fly Moon Royalty, Pickwick, and many others, but rather because it is simply A GREAT FILM and it needs to be seen.

You’ll see a donor benefit for those donating $35 or more that invites you to a private show featuring some great artists in an intimate setting.  Know that we here at Artist Home are the ones that will be booking this show as this is a project we believe in and we want to show them our support.  We hope that you can contribute and that we’ll be seeing you in the early Spring at this great event.

 

Kevin

Artist Home Joins Forces with Sound on the Sound and the Warehouse

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We are so happy and excited to announce that we will be joining forces with two of our favorite entities in the NW music scene, Sound on the Sound, and the Tacoma Warehouse. Since beginning in 2008, we’ve naturally gravitated towards other companies who are not only positive forces in the music community, but ones that do things with a big heart and a spirit of giving. We decided some time ago that we should join forces to combine our mutual love of music and eagerness to support artists we believe in by creating what we’re calling The Collective.

As the Collective  we hope that we can use the modest amount of success we’ve created for ourselves collectively to give back to the music community by giving new artists that we believe in, much needed exposure to help kick start their careers and make people begin to see their potential.   We’re proud to announce that the first showcase that we’re putting on as the Collective will take place on October 1st at the Columbia City Theater for FREE.   Featured on this bill will be Lemolo, Kimo Muraki, Luke Stevens, Byran John Appleby, Kirsten & Travis, and Youth Rescue Mission.

The Sound on the Sound blog have been huge advocates of many of our en devours as well as our bands. I believe they were the first Seattle blog to ever cover both Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives as well as Goldfinch. Beyond that, the crew at Sound on the Sound have always had their finger on the pulse of the Seattle music scene more than most. They were also the first group to ever cover and promote the likes of the Lonely Forest and most recently The Head and the Heart. Sound on the Sound has no prejudice in choosing bands based on a “scene” or by their popularity. They follow their hearts and are as willing to cover a band that no one has heard of, as they are willing to cover one that can sell out the Showbox.

The Tacoma Warehouse developed a relationship with us as promoters who would put on some of the most amazing shows for nearly all the bands on our roster in Tacoma. Being subjects of a recent article in City Arts magazine, this crew of incredibly generous folks are known as much for their hospitality (cooking for bands and giving them beds) as they are for their incredibly creative visions and ability to always create a new and interesting atmosphere for music somewhere in Tacoma.

Youth Rescue Mission Work on Debut Record

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Brother Luke Williams

When Friday Mile called it quits last month and played their final show at the Columbia City Theater we had fully expected for it to be a somewhat somber affair.  But to the contrary many close to the band (including us here at Artist Home) did not feel a sense of sorrow but rather one of excitement. Excitement over the many creative en devours that we knew to be on the individuals back burners for some time that now were going to be given the full attention those projects deserved.

Hannah Williams with producer Gary Mula

For Friday Mile front woman and keyboard player, Hannah Williams, the one project that all in the know have been eagerly waiting for, Youth Rescue Mission, has begun work on their new record at the newly opened Bonny Love recording studios in the Columbia City Theater with Friday Mile producer Gary Mula at the helm. Youth Rescue Mission made their debut on the cafe stage at last year’s Doe Bay Fest (read our account of it here) , and played again at this year’s festival on Sunday’s impromptu and highly memorable outdoor performances.  For the last year and a half, the band has intrigued listeners with a handful of homemade recordings they did during a Thanksgiving Holiday in 2008 that have been up on their myspace page.  Although very raw, you get a sense that there is something incredibly unique and personal to this family affair.  The fact that Youth Rescue Mission is comprised solely of family, these early lo fi recordings almost feel like an audio version of vacation slides or old camcorder videos.

But now, with Hannah and her brothers able to dedicate a full amount of time and energy to the band, they’ve become incredibly more polished and are poised to take the band beyond their very humble, yet charming beginnings.  We’re excited.

Doe Bay 2010 announcements – March 1st

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Just want to give everyone a heads up that we’ll be announcing our first batch of artists for Doe Bay Fest 2010 on March 1st! In the meantime, enjoy these lovely videos of impromptu performances that occurred in places other than that the Doe Bay stages.

[youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlP8JW9tFe4]

Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives were among the many artists who took advantage of the amazing setting that is the Doe Bay Resort by performing an impromptu acoustic set overlooking the Rosario Straight on Sunday Morning.  Lucky for us, Joe Bay was there with his video camera.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/6189285]

One of the unique aspects of Doe Bay Fest is just how the music seems to come any time and from everywhere.  Impromptu sets around the resort, and even on the ferry boats going to and from Anacortes are now things that people come to expect to include in their experience at Doe Bay Fest. Above is a video of Friday Mile performing “Lives of Strangers” on the ferry ride home from the fest.  Doe Bay attendees rushed to the front of the boat at the sound of music, hands clapping, and cheers.  It was as if no one wanted the festival to end.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/6602950]

Above is the conclusion of the ferry boat set.  By the time the set was finished, members of Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives, Youth Rescue Mission, Indian Valley Line, and the Maldives joined Friday Mile at the stern of the ship for an impromptu blues session (I hate the word jam).   Music was played literally up until the boat pulled up to the terminal and everyone had to run to make it to their cars in time.

Youth Rescue Mission

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At Doe Bay Fest we hosted a 2nd stage that featured music throughout the day on Saturday near the resort’s Cafe overlooking the Rosario Straight and Otter Cove.  It was a remarkable setting (see pic below) and there we hoped to offer artists already playing the festival an additional outlet to make music via their respective side projects or solo work.  So when Hannah Williams, the beautiful and soulful singer of local favorites, Friday Mile, mentioned to us that she started a project with her three brothers, Luke, Daniel, and Jesse, we jumped all over it and made sure they’d have a place at Doe Bay Fest.  Little did we know, it would be their first ever show!

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Youth Rescue Mission (photo by Kevin Sur)

Being able to experience the side project of a musician that you already love is one of the many things that make concert going, record collecting, and music loving exciting.  But to call Youth Rescue Mission a side project is a bit deceiving.  How could you really call a group of musicians who come together out of love of family a “side project”? When watching these 4 (5 when momma Williams plays the cello) play together, you soon realize that it is something much greater as you not only to hear 4 beautiful voices in perfect harmony but also witness the absolute sense of pride that each member has in being the others’ sibling.  It truly comes across and makes all of us wish our families could be this cool.l_acce052675d44768a95e14d2cef04525

Here is a synopsis of how the band was created, written by Hannah Williams herself and taken from their myspace page:

These first four songs are the result of a night when our little brother Jesse was in town for Thanksgiving and I said: ‘You guys, we are locking ourselves in Luke’s apartment with guitars and pressing record.’ We decided on 4 songs. Each one of us bringing one song to the table that the rest of us could sing and play on. So that is what you hear. One from each of us. I won’t tell you who is who. It will be fun to guess. (The little Jackson came in and kicked his older siblings asses, of course, putting us all in our place and on our toes.)

Of course, it took us longer than we thought to accomplish this.  As Williams’, we all thought that throwing together four songs with perfect four-part harmony would be a piece of cake and told dad we’d be done in an hour. Ha. I think it was three or four…

We sat on the floor in the hallway, surrounded by an assortment of random musical toys and a delicious pumpkin pie and made this music.

-Hannah

You can hear Youth Rescue Mission on myspace at – http://www.myspace.com/youthrescuemissionmusic