Donavon Frankenreiter
Once upon a time, mentioning surfing and music in the same sentence conjured up sepia-toned images of the early '60s. But thanks to artists like Donavon Frankenreiter - who, unlike most of the old-school ‘surf-rockers' knows his way around a wave as well as he does a fret-board - those images have been updated radically to focus as much on musical adventure as on the spreading of good vibes.
Over the course of the past half-decade, the California-bred Frankenreiter established himself as one of the more original voices on the acoustic-rock scene, through tireless touring and the innate catchiness of songs like Free (which became a Triple-A radio staple upon its release two years ago). But, unsatisfied with simply heading further down that path, he opted to shift gears for Move By Yourself, his sophomore outing - and first for Lost Highway.
The brisk 11-track disc is something of a sonic sea change for Frankenreiter. While the sun-kissed openness of his songs is still in full effect, he's now couching those feelings in a whole new set of sounds, from the keyboard-drenched Let It Go (which blends Allmans-styled soulfulness with an undeniable pop sensibility) to the low-slung funk grooves of the smouldering title track.
In order to more fully explore different aspects of that personality, the Laguna Beach-based singer-songwriter decided a change of scenery would do him good. After releasing his self-titled debut on Brushfire Recordings - the label run by long-time friend and collaborator Jack Johnson - Frankenreiter chose to link with Lost Highway for the release of Move By Yourself.
Frankenreiter has been moving towards being part of that roster for ages. After establishing himself as one of the most acclaimed free surfers in the world - a talent that took him halfway around the world before his 16th birthday - he picked up a guitar in order to master riding a different sort of wave. By his senior year of high school, he was part of a popular live act called Peanut Butter And Jam, in which he learned that taking the stage provided an entirely different sort of pleasure - for him and his audience.
Exploring that communal feel was one of Frankenreiter's primary goals when recording Move By Yourself. He's adamant about crediting his bandmates Matt Grundy (bass), Eric Brigmond (Keyboards) and Craig Barnette (Drums) with helping shape its alternately funky and blissed-out grooves, and equally eager to spread the gospel of the sort of old-fashioned recording process they used in making the disc.
Move By Yourself has no shortage of such sonic mood swings, but there's a definite evenness of spirit. Sure, the disc has its share of assertive moments, but it's hard to miss the delight with which Frankenreiter approaches life, whether he's relating his feelings about his child (as on These Arms) or simply waking up to greet the new dawn addressed on Beautiful Day. He's a happy guy, and he's the first to admit it.