Making waves of sound

Q: What sort of name is Donavon Frankenreiter?

A: I think Frankenreiter is German and Donavon is an Irish name. From what I know, "Franken" is a town in Germany and "reiter" is somebody who rides on a horse. So I'm sort of a horse-rider called Franken.

Q: Have you had much of a chance to ride the New Zealand waves since you've been here?

A: I've surfed Raglan and Piha and that's it. I would love to spend a couple of weeks down here, a month maybe. I think there's a lot of areas around here that may be unsurfed. I'd love to cruise around with a seaplane and just land in the water and check out spots.

Q: You wrote Free while on a boat trip - do you ever write music while you're surfing?

A: I do a lot of writing on surf trips but not when I'm actually in the water. Once I get out of the water and I kick back, I'm in such a good mood I could sit there for hours at a time and play guitar. Those are the moments when it really comes together.

Q: What a stink life. Does anything ever get you down?

A: I just really enjoy the moment. I don't really think about the future. I'm never that guy who's really stressed out saying, "I want to be here six months from now". Where I want to be is exactly where I'm at, in the moment that I'm there, because you never know how long it's going to last.

Q: How are the music and surfing cultures different?

A: In surfing, I've met tons and tons of people but you don't really get to sit in a small, enclosed area and share moments. You're out there by yourself and it's more meditative. I really love hanging out with people and talking to them and hearing what they have to say. That's what really inspires me to write music - communicating with others.

Q: What's your pre-gig routine? Something tells me you're not the type to get nervous.

A: We usually soundcheck then have a couple of glasses of wine and just relax and get up and play. It's all about having a good time on stage. I don't try to force the music down people's throats. Last night was really great playing with Jack [Johnson] and Xavier Rudd and G-Love in Melbourne, with like 18,000 people. It's such a big vibe, the energy is so huge.

Q: Um, the Studio is a bit smaller.

A: It'll be great. I love playing small, intimate places because you can really interact. You can hear when they say something in the crowd to you. You really feel involved in them as much as they feel involved in you.

Q: Your album has been compared a lot to Jack's. How has that influenced your song-writing?

A: I'm not going to change the next record because I have to but because I want to. I was very, very fortunate to make a record with Brushfire and, in doing that, Jack introduced me to all his fans. But I recorded the album in Jack's studio where he makes most of his records. We used a lot of the same instruments, the same producer. I think the writing in general and the vibe is different from Jack's last two records. I come from quite a different background. I grew up playing electric guitar and I like to rock a little bit, turn up the amps and have fun.

Q: What's with the moustache?

A: When I met my wife 4 1/2 years ago I had a goatee but I never could grow a proper beard. It always grew in the area where the moustache is so I just ended up shaving everything else off. I've had it for years. But everyone always comments on it. They either think it's real funny or real weird.

Performance

*Who: Donavon Frankenreiter
*What: Singer-songwriter signed to Jack Johnson's Brushfire label; pro-surfer sponsored by Billabong
*Where and when: Studio, K Rd, tomorrow night and Saturday