Donavon Frankenreiter

Surfer, rocker, husband, father: just call him the Gen-X Renaissance Man

Courtesy of Smash

WIt’s hard not to feel a bit envious when your interview subject—the topic is his music, mind you—tells you he’s relaxing at his beachside home in Southern California between trips to Brazil with his band and to film a surf documentary in the Caribbean.

But after almost two decades as a pro surfer and approaching a decade in music, that’s the enviable life Donavon Frankenreiter has built for himself. So perhaps it’s no surprise to find his mellow, fireside blend of folk, rock, blues and funk to be upbeat in feeling. “When I pick up the guitar it’s a form of escapism,” he admits. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I just really enjoy music. It makes me smile, and I have a tendency to sing about love and coming together.”

Before coming to Japan, Frankenreiter will be touring Brazil with firebrand (and fellow surfer) Ben Harper, whose explosive guitar work and combustive political views make for a marked contrast with his own mellow style. Frankenreiter is humble—but not humbled—by his supporting role on the tour. “Being able to open up every show is such an honor. I’m there to learn from Harper. But I never get nervous listening to him; I get inspired.

“As a songwriter he’s found more things to write about, and more frustrations to vent, but I don’t think it’s the right time now for me to sing political songs. That may change in the long term, but as a songwriter I’ve only written two records. I played guitar for many years but never had in mind writing lyrics—it’s something recent.”

Frankenreiter picked up the guitar at 16, about the same time he dropped out of high school to become a pro surfer. Sponsored by Billabong, he traveled the world looking for the perfect wave, his rides documented for use in ads. Along the way he worked on his chops and began to write songs, and in 2004, his friend Jack Johnson, the leader of the new wave of easygoing surf rock, released Frankenreiter’s self-titled debut album. Based on its moderate success, the surfer was able to cultivate a second career as a rock musician.

As enviable as Frankenreiter’s life is now, getting to this point wasn’t entirely a smooth ride. Underneath his kicked back, surfer dude demeanor you get a sense of core strength, something that emerges in his latest album, last year’s Move By Yourself, the title of which also provides the name for the opening song.

“That song was about when I was in tenth grade and decided to become a pro surfer,” he explains. “I went to the principal and told him I was going to be going on these trips every three weeks for three weeks, and I asked him if I could get my homework for these trips. The guy sat me down and said he would never give me the time to do that. He said if you want to pursue a surfing career you’re going to be a loser, which really broke me down and tore me apart.”

Frankenreiter, now 34, of course got the last laugh. “I ended up dropping out and going into independent study. Nineteen years later I’m still surfing professionally, and I’ve been able to buy a home and have a kid with another on the way. I’ve been able to make a living surfing my whole life.”

Move By Yourself also saw Frankenreiter parting ways with mentor Jack Johnson. “That song provided the whole vibe of that record. I left one label and went out on my own and made my own record. I really did what I felt I wanted to do in that moment, and it was a lot of fun.” Compared with much of the current folksy surf rock, the album has a richer sound, with Frankenreiter’s smoky voice set off by chunky electric organs, gospel backing singers, and even the occasional Motown-flavored string textures.

What does Frankenreiter make of the new wave of surf rock that he’s part of? “The only explanation I have is that the surf movies that people have been watching since Jack’s become popular have had a different sort of soundtrack, and it’s been his kind of laidback music. Surf movies in the early ’70s had Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix, and then when I was growing up music from Pennywise and Blink 182. In surf movies the music is just as important as the images, and the music right now has this laidback vibe. It’s amazing how many musicians surf but haven’t had their music called surf rock.”

For the moment, anyway, Frankenreiter’s biggest worry is his inability to surf for months at a time when on tour with his band. But even the fine art of juggling two careers, it seems, has its upside. “What I’ve learned is that I’m able to put down my guitar and walk away from it for a while, and when I go back to it feels completely fresh. It’s nice to do that, and it’s the same with the surfing: when I get back to it I can’t wait to get into the water. Sometimes you get so emerged in one or the other that it feels good to get away from it for a moment and then come back to it—to do a tour for a while and then surf for a couple of weeks. It gives you clarity.”

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