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and this
one has absolutey nothing to do with poplegend Donovan, just to get it
right. Apart from that, if you look closely, the first name of this artist
here is spelt a bit differently.
Okay, who is this Donavon Frankenreiter, who we haven't heard of in
this country here, what's up to the generell public.
Just to make it short, before Mr. Frankenreiter, 36 year of age, made
music, he was and still is a professionall surfer. He debuted as a
musician aged 18. And in 2002 he signed his first record contract with
Brushfire Records the label of his longterm friend Jack Johnson. On his
debut record you find also bassist Matt Grundy, percussionist David Leach,
drummer and singer Dean Butterworth, Keyboarder Kool G.Murder, guitarist
and ukuleleplayer Jack Johnson and haprplayer and guitarist G.Love and
Guitarist Rob Machado. This CD ist stylistically leaned on the popmusic of
the early seventies. But just before the recording sessions of his second
album 'Move By Yourself' Frankenreiter left Brushfire Records and signed
with Lost Highway. Since 2004, his 3 albums, 2 EPs and a Best of...
records came along. And he visited Europe twice so far. in 2005 and 2006.
I'm ordered to take pictures at two concerts tonight - same time. This one
here with Donavon Frankenreiter at the Backstage Werk, and the other in
the venue just next door - the Backstage Halle at the show of Enslaved - a
3 bands package from Norway.
So first of all I take pics of the 2 supportbands of Enslaved, and then
change over to Frankenreiter. And what a surprise, while there are only 30
to 40 visitors at the black Metal gig, there are 4 - 500 fans at the Blues
Rock gig here. And I'm exspecially surprised that the fans of Donavon
Frankenreiter are a rather young audiance,some not older than 20 something.
First I couldn't explain this phenomen myself. But when I searched a bit,
I discovered, that Frankenreiter is already a superstar in the surfer
scene. And when anybody knows this sports and everything around, then he
or she knows also Donavon Frankenreiter.
And he got promoted via this way.
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His music
is very smooth, including a mixture of blues, Jazz and Surfersound and
some light Rock'n'Roll tunes. In each case it is somehow advanced music,
which is normally not so suited for 20 year olds.Well I guess,
Frankenreiter could play a xmas song, and the kids would get enthusiastic...
But up there this is the surfer superstar, accompanied by some firstclass
multiinstrumentalists. Everything is just right, every tune every harmony,
every riff. Only the soundengineer gets a bit mixed up with some ugly
feedbacks. Thanks god he gets things quickly under controll again.
Frankenreiter,
who looks like a old fashioned hippie who undertook a journey in time from
the Flower Power ages to the present, has found his very own individual
line. It's rather calm music and not so much danceable melodies. And when
you once got into it, you discover, that this is a brillant mixture of Bar
Blues-Jazz - laid back surfer sound, which you can inhale like good old
vince, getting drunk and not feeling a single seconds boring. The new Cd
is entitled 'Pass It Around' which was released past august. And that's
the strategy - handing himself around to a wider audiance here in Europe -
as a musician of course.
I'm only able to enjoy this concert for some 1 hour, before I have to rush
back to the norwegian Black Metal Kings next door, to shoot pics of the
headliner. And whatever I experienced there, you can view
here.
However one
thing is for sure...
1 Point more for Donavon Frankenreiter and his great gig. I would have
luved to stay till the very end.....
http://www.donavonf.com/home/
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