Doe Bay Diaries: Friday Video Edition

Dear Diary,

The entire night my toes were frozen to the core, but at least I was in a soft bed inside the dome. The rest of my dome-mates arrived early so out of bed I came and greeted with a heavy fog laid over most of the bay. It was still beautiful and as soon as I got my morning latte, I was good to go. Last year Friday wasn't such a big day for the festival, but they've jam packed it with goodness this time. From our perch on the opposite side of the inlet, we could hear Sean Flinn and Tony Kevin Jr. playing their sets as if we were right beside them. Talk about lucky, what a great place to start the day. We made our way over to the cafe and Otter Cove stage to see Tony Kevin Jr and Damien Jurado play as the sun rose into the sky.

As soon as Damien was done, we jetted for the main stage giddy with anticipation for Bryan John Appleby's set. It was everything we thought it would be and more with the "imagination station" creating those nuanced sounds we love so well on the recordings and Appleby's voice ringing through a crowd silent in awe. Mychal of Campfire OK joined BJA's band on stage to add a few unique sounds and ended up breaking a huge glass jar during the first song. Talk about dedication.

Shelby Earl literally graced the stage with her presence and that twangy country folk she sings so well floated out into the crowd like bird. We had a couple surprises throughout the weekend musically and one of them was the Denton/NYC-based band OK Sweetheart. The female lead, Erin Austin, is absolutely adorable and has an interesting warbling voice that is simply enchanting. There were a few friends that didn't care for the music, but I certainly enjoyed their set and her goofy, sweet nature. The main stage was booming for the rest of the evening with Doe Bay regulars The Maldives, Ravenna Woods and a new edition this year with Champagne Champagne. The latter absolutely killed it and were the talk of the festival for the rest of the weekend. I was even able to grab a video during Ravenna Woods' set to keep the memory of that night alive.

Meanwhile Lemolo and the Tea Cozies played to an absolutely packed yoga studio (meant to hold about 20 people but they packed just a few more in. They gave us all a break from the typical folk rock that we have come to know and love and instead started a dance party. The windows steamed, the wine and beer were flowing and everyone was singing and dancing into the night. What an incredible finale to the day. That's not where it ended though. Ravenna Woods played a set down on the beach, Youth Rescue Mission had an impromptu set outside the artists' cabin and countless other musicians found a cozy spot to play for friends, new and old, late into the night. It was magical and the weekend had only just begun.