Appearances count for a lot at Doe Bay Music Festival

The setting was the principal allure of last Saturday's inaugural Doe Bay Music Festival. Orcas in the summertime is Eden, a fantasy island blanketed in wildflowers and blackberries, patrolled by eagles and killer whales, warmed by the sun and a soft sea breeze. As in the Caribbean, Orcas operates on "island time," that languid, laissez-faire state in which things happen when they happen (if they happen at all). Google Maps says 120 miles one-way from Seattle; it feels like a million.

The best way to get to the festival was by strapping on a backpack and sticking out your thumb. This was true for three reasons: 1) An hours-long wait for cars at the ferry terminal in Anacortes, plus accompanying fees, made walking onto the ferry much more attractive than driving. 2) Orcas Island is one of the last places in America where hitchhiking is not only allowed but encouraged. And 3) You might get picked up by an Orcas local like James, a tree trimmer with an eye patch who drove a shiny black Jeep Grand Cherokee and was listening to Three Days Grace.

"This place is a gold mine," he said, undoubtedly true for a guy in his line of work. There are a lot of trees on Orcas.

The Doe Bay Resort & Retreat sits on a particularly gorgeous vista, on a bluff overlooking its namesake bay and out toward the azure expanse of Rosario Strait. Tent camping was available for festivalgoers, as well as accommodations in cabins and yurts spread across the property. An on-site café offered organic meals and bottled beers to go. The only required equipment was a sleeping bag and maybe a tent — another reason for traveling light.

Tucked back on a meadow a short, tree-lined stroll from the resort's clothing-optional hot tubs was a wooden bandstand. Here eight bands from Seattle, Portland and San Francisco played from noon till past 10 p.m. Organizers Chad Clibborn (who plays drums for Seattle indie-rockers Friday Mile) and Joe Brotherton (who owns the resort) intentionally limited ticket sales to a couple hundred. This was an intimate event, essentially a field test to gauge interest and see how the grounds held up. The festival was not without snags, but overall it was a terrific success, especially for its first year.

Not surprisingly, a sun-dazed, hippie-ish vibe mellowed the proceedings; Frisbees flew, beer flowed (from kegs inside the sanctioned beer garden and from brown-bagged cans and bottles on the lawn), toddlers toddled and picnickers enjoyed their fare on blankets set out in front of the stage. The sound quality was purely professional, though the bands played to a half-filled field.

Early in the day, Friday Mile, 17th Chapter and Tim Seely all turned in passionate sets. But the music ultimately took a back seat to overall ambience. The hands-down musical highlight was the pre-headliner band, The Maldives, whose bruising country rock increases in potency with every performance.

As darkness fell, headliners Left Hand Smoke fomented a raging dance party in front of the stage, reaching back to freshman year, 1997, with their die-cut jam-band nostalgia.

Clibborn and Brotherton are planning a sequel for around the same time next summer. Impossible to improve upon the setting, but a few changes might have drastically positive effects: Book some Orcas/Bellingham bands to attract more locals and diversify the lineup. Decrease the ticket price ($40 at the door, which was dropped on the fly to $10 after 5 p.m.). Organize after-hours entertainment.

Sunday morning, under an endlessly blue sky, members of The Maldives gathered at the grassy edge of the bluff to play a relaxed, impromptu acoustic set. It was a gorgeous moment, the kind of magic that happens only when you remove yourself from the familiar and land somewhere extraordinary.

Must-see shows in Seattle this week:

Tonight

No more will be said about the Lonely H's age (they're really young), hometown (podunky Port Angeles) or bell-bottoms (their dads'). From here on we will discuss only their authentically vintage classic rock. (10 p.m., the Sunset Tavern, $7).

Tuesday

I've never seen them paired, but separately, guitarist Bill Frisell and violinist Eyvind Kang are open-minded innovators on their instruments. (Rendezvous, 7:30 p.m., $20).

Thursday

Yes, we are hyping the debut performance of indie rockers Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. The off-kilter songwriting, two-left-feet danceability and familial harmonies of their "Weepy" EP warrant it. (Neumo's, 8 p.m., $8, all-ages).

Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com