Donavon Frankenreiter – Heading Home

2010 Juli 2

tags: albumtips, donavon frankenreiter, hawaii

by alohastone

Wie pervers geil ist das denn bitte?

Donavon Frankenreiter ist vor kurzem nach Kauai umgezogen, um da mit seinen Surfer-Homeboys abhängen zu können, und hat sich in den hawaiianischen Sound verliebt.

Kurzerhand hat er sein Debütalbum dann nochmal neu aufgenommen, und diesmal traditionelle hawaiianische Instrumente wie die Ukulele benutzt.

Da das erste Album sowieso das beste war, und hawaiianische Instrumente mal sowas von rocken – äh chillen – musste ich mich doch direkt mal auf mein Surfbrett schwingen, und den iTunes Store ansteuern. Denn wenn man nicht gerade einen Surfshop oder Indie-Plattenladen um die Ecke hat, ist das wohl der einzige Dealer der diesen guten Stoff am Start hat.

Aptly titled, Donavon’s “Revisited” is not just a re-recording of his 2004 self-titled debut; it’s a complete reinterpretation…with a Hawaiian twist. After moving to the island of Kauai to be closer to his beloved surf scene, Donavon felt inspired to pour his newfound love for the Hawaiian sound and laid back island vibe into a creative medium. Teaming up with longtime band mate Matt Grundy (bass/vocals), local musician Kirk Smart (guitars) and percussionist David Leach, Donavon set out to re-record his debut album (originally released on Brushfire Records) using traditional Hawaiian instruments including the ukulele, lap steel guitar and a Mauna Loa slack key tuned guitar. The result is a fresh new take on the original that allows Donavon’s envied lifestyle to ooze sweetly through the speakers, giving a completely new sound to favorites like “It Don’t Matter” and “Free”.

Donavon had this to say about it:

“After moving to Hawaii two years ago, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the Hawaiian music was that I kept hearing everywhere. I wanted to try and make something with the same instruments that I was hearing on all those great tracks. I called a friend of mine, Kirk Smart, and asked if he could help me out. We headed into the studio in Kauai to revisit my first album and picked 10 songs off of that record. Kirk brought life to all those instruments that I was hearing in my head: the uke, lap steel, slack key guitar and others. It was so much fun to go and revisit an album I had done in Hawaii six years earlier but with a much different feel.”

“Revisited” is currently available in Billabong stores throughout Hawaii. Look for it in Indie record shops on the mainland US on Tuesday June 15th.