almost home

     This leg of the "Glow" tour is slowly coming to an end. We are in Pittsburg today. It's hard to keep track sometimes. The popular bus term is "ground hog day." Every day we are in a different city playing a different venue befreinding people as we move along. I really enjoy my job don't get me wrong. but most fans are out for a party night assuming we all are ready to throw down. While every show is different, It's hard to do it up every night. I guess that's why Keith Richards undergoes blood transfushions. Luckily we are saved by early bus calls with 12 - 15 hour drives.  It does not give us time to meander too far from our rolling cottage. It is entertaining to watch as we call them randoms roam around the bus as the venue closes. We turn out all the lights as the spectacle unfolds. You have to love one way glass!

     The last two weeks seem to go by quickly. John Oates from "Hall & Oates" was out with us for a week. John is a very nice guy as well as a seasoned musician. We played shows in Chicago, Pontiac, Cleveland and Nashville.  John has a new album coming out next spring so we played some of his new songs as well as a cool version of "I can't go for that." He has not been on a tour bus in 20 years. I don't think he knew what was he was about to experience. He was a great sport to endure smell socks and scary bathroom.  After a week with no hotels and only a few showers, his camping trip was over and off he was to his Aspen paradise. It was great hearing his stories and past experiences. Oh what it was to be a star in eighties.    

     We went to a few new spots on this tour. I made it a point to get out and check out what some of these cities had to offer. We took a posse to the Arch in St. Louis. It was quite an experience. I would not recommend this adventure for anyone who experiences claustrophobia. You travel to the top in these small pods with 5 people. The inside is the size of a Yugo. It's a beautiful view from the top. The view spans for miles. It's worth the 10 bucks. When we returned to our hotel,  we were cruising by a wedding reception taking place in the ballroom. We stopped to hear the band when the bartender approached us and told us it was the Temptations. So random. One of the member's daughter was getting hitched. Now that is a wedding band! 

   It was nice to see a good number of friends as we passed through the Midwest. Definitely one of the advantages of traveling the same routes once every year or so. I have met a lot of nice people over the past 5 years and established some lifelong friendships.  Plus they all have washers and clean bathrooms. It's always nice to get away from the rolling germ factory. 

     We are off to the big city now. Woo hoo! Three days off in NYC. My beautiful wife is flying out for some much needed R&R. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and until next time. 

our Sweet ride

Day 9

     Its day nine, We just pulled to Salt Lake City. It's 30 degrees with light snow following. A great change from LA one week ago with 113 degree readings. We have been burning the roads up over the past week or so. From San Diego to Vancouver passing through LA, Santa Barbera, San Fransisco, Portland, Reno and Seattle. Bus life is going fine just crowded.At one point we had 10 people plus Donavon's two grommets living on this rolling road show. It was very tight. Matt our bass player who is a very large man who can easily pass for a Northwest trapper would fold himself up into his "sanctuary" An 8 foot long 2 foot wide bunk and read for hours to escape the madness. We are nine people deep now. Poor Xemena our opener is stuck on this contraption with all these guys whom she had just meet. She is a trooper. The bus seems a touch cleaner that the last tour. Usually there are clothes, rotten fruit, guitars, banjos, uke Donavon's dirty socks everywhere. Now there are only Donavon's dirty socks everywhere. 
     The shows have been great. Xemana is a star! She sounds amazing. The band has put together a great new show incorporating several new songs and new versions of some older ones. It's always nice to have a fresh approach to old material. The fans have been very responsive to the new songs. "Glow" continues to climb the charts and is being added at new stations every day. The only way to win the game these days are to pound the pavement. But that is our job. Bring the music to the people. The days of being a recording giant are over thanks to the Internet. 
     We are canceling two shows next due to the untimely passing of surfing star Andy Irons. Donavon and Andy were very close friends, neighbors as well as brand mates. Andy will be greatly missed. I had the privilege of hanging with Andy at Teahapoo a couple of years ago. Cat and I also rented his house for our honeymoon. He was a nice fella and an amazing surfer.  There will be a giant paddle out for Andy on Kauai next week. Donavon is flying home for the ceremony. My thoughts and prayers go out to Lindi and Andy's family. 
   That's all I have for now thanks for tuning in....

Fall tour schedule

DONAVON'S  SHOWS

NOVEMBER 07, 2010

The Venue - VANCOUVER, BC
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 08, 2010

Crocodile Cafe - SEATTLE, WA
8:00pm

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

The Depot - SALT LAKE CITY, UT
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 11, 2010

Fox Theatre - BOULDER, CO
8:30pm

NOVEMBER 12, 2010

Bottleneck - LAWRENCE, KS
8:00pm

NOVEMBER 13, 2010

Blueberry Hill - ST. LOUIS, MO
8:00pm

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

The Vogue Theatre - INDIANAPOLIS, IN
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Majestic Theatre - MADISON, WI
7:30pm

NOVEMBER 16, 2010

Varsity Theater - MINNEAPOLIS, MN
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Double Door w/ special guest John Oates - CHICAGO, IL
8:00pm

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

Crofoot Ballroom w/ special guest John Oates - PONTIAC, MI
8:00pm

NOVEMBER 20, 2010

Beachland Ballroom w/ special guest John Oates - CLEVELAND, OH
7:30pm

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

3rd and Lindsley w/ special guest John Oates - NASHVILLE, TN
6:00pm

NOVEMBER 22, 2010

Bijou Theatre - KNOXVILLE, TN
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 23, 2010

The Orange Peel - ASHEVILLE, NC
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 24, 2010

Variety Playhouse - ATLANTA, GA
7:30pm

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

9:30 Club - WASHINGTON, D.C.
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 26, 2010

World Cafe Live - PHILADELPHIA, PA
7:00pm

NOVEMBER 27, 2010

Mr. Small's Theatre - PITTSBURGH, PA
8:00pm

DECEMBER 01, 2010

Webster Hall - NEW YORK, NY
8:00pm

DECEMBER 03, 2010

Paradise Rock Club - BOSTON, MA
8:00pm

DECEMBER 04, 2010

Higher Ground - BURLINGTON, VT
7:30pm

Mustache Manifestos are back

Donavon has teamed up with Contour hd camsto provide cameras for this tours daily updates. They are amazing video cams. Here's a link to the first manifesto. Much props to our video/web/drummer for putting this videos together


http://contour.com/stories/mustache-manifesto-glow-week-1

tour transportation

Life on the bus

      Our days of "slumming it" at the Ritz are over. No more $6 coffees and $18 burgers. With that said, consequently  means no more showers or cozy beds. It's a blessing and a curse. We had a great show in Laguna Beach at the 10th annual Cosmic Creek Surf Event. The folks at Billabong always treat us all so well. This year's event was a costume contest with some great prizes for the best costumes or lack of costume. Some things should be covered up. A loin cloth is not a costume! Cordoba was kind enough to send some guitars and ukes for prizes as well as Doc from Surf Prescriptions gave away a great board.

       We spent our Halloween on our newly wrapped rolling home in which 9 of us will be calling home until December 5th. Our first show of the actual "Glow" tour was in Solana Beach at the Belly Up.  The venue is right across from the ocean which allowed for some much needed surf time. The Belly Up is always a fun show. So many people who support Donny and the band live in that area so it becomes a large backstage party. Thanks to our friend Bonner, who brought us 2 cases of Gentleman Jack and Herradura Tequila, our bus if fully stocked and our livers will be leather by December. All of our sponsors were around for the show. Billabong, Coors Light, Sanuk, Verizon and Cordoba. They are all so nice to us. 

     If any of you get a chance check out Ximena Saranana. She is our opener for the tour. What an amazing voice! Ximena has a new song out with Jason Mraz which is spiking the charts in Mexico. She is the real deal. I hope she's up for a bus load of stinky men. Well that's all folks! Life on the road continues. Speaking of I think the bus just broke down... 

Here we go again,,,

     The last week and a half has been a busy one for all of in Frankenreiter camp. We started off last week with a Fuel TV performance for a show called the Daily Habit. I have mixed feelings about tv. It is always a little nerve racking. Despite the performance itself, there is a lot of security, paperwork and hectic scheduling. It takes hours to prepare everything for the 3 minutes of fury for the actual show. It's always fun to be on those movie lots and pass by sets being constructed and deconstructed. We saw the set of "Chicago" being built.  Tuesday we performed on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. That was a blast! Everyone including my wife and Jimmy Kimmel were wearing stick on mustaches. It cracks me up to see all those silly staches out there in audience.

    We were spoiled for the rest of the week with swanky hotels in Hollywood. Donavon was kind enough to put Catherine and myself in the Graffton on Sunset Boulevard. Our room came complete with blood stained sheets. Strange! The latter part of the week we spent at the "W" Hotel on Hollywood and Vine. In leu of the $300/bottle table service for Jack Daniels, We opted for the Irish Pub across the street. $3/beer that's what I'm talking about!

     I have mixed feelings about Hollyweird. Everyone looks like a movie star except the stars themselves. Cat and I did spot Chef Gordon Ramsey and LL Cool J while we were out. By Friday we were glad to head down to Orange County. Next stop, The Ritz Charlton for three days. Fun, sun and surfing in beautiful Southern California and home of The Cosmic Creek Surf contest. Woo hoo!

Almost home

    Here we are in lovely Salt Lake City, Utah. The weather is beautiful from the inside of my hotel room. It must be 110 degrees outside. My fingernails are sweating. We are playing a show for the Outdoor Retailer's Convention and Unified Bouldering Contest. The guys and gals are climbing up some crazy looking wall monstrousity for the title of best rock climber of the year. It looks like a whole lot of work. I gave it a go but could not even get off the ground. I guess that's why I play music and don't climb mountains. I have a hard enough time crawling in and out of my bus bunk. 
     Craig, Pete and I embarked on a whirlwind trip out here to Utah via Tokyo. We were actually home for 3 days after the last tour ended. Our Japan trip started bright and early Friday morning with a 6 a.m. flight to Chicago connecting to San Francisco then on to Tokyo. Well United once again dropped the ball and cancelled our San Fran flight leaving us scrambling to make it to Japan for the show. Long story short we made it on a direct flight to Tokyo. Unfortunately our luggage and gear did not leaving us without any clean undies for the  gig. That was a bummer. But the show must go on! Fuji Rock is held in Nigata, Japan on the top of a mountain at a famous ski resort. We played the main stage in front of 40,000 plus fans. It was quite an experience. It made up of for the 30 hours of flight time and 9 hours of bus travel. 
     We are back on the plane in the morning. 5:30 a.m. lobby call! Finally home for a whole week. Time to teach some lessons and play with my hommies and hang with my honey. So until next time stay tuned for more life on the road!

Fuji Rock Nigata, Japan

some random tour photos

day 27

     Well here we are in Martha's Vineyard for the last show of this leg of the tour. Tomorrow we are homeward bound! On Friday, We were in Portland, Maine. What a great town. The downtown area is laden with great boutiques and amazing brew pubs. We had a great show considering we were all running on very little sleep following the jaunt from Nantucket. The whole Nantucket experience was a debacle since our bus was not able to make the ferry due to engine problems on the freighter ferry. After 8 hours in the ferry parking lot, we were told that we had to walk on to the ferry with our gear. So that's what we did dragging clothes, gear and our sanity. To make a long story short, we had a great couple of days at the old Chicken Box. We stayed in the "band house" which is glorified camping but more unsanitary due to the nature of what has happened in those beds before we arrived.  At least there was a shower and laundry. Donavon, Tito and I grabbed a few waves a Fat Lady Beach next to the distillery. The band sweated out two nights of sold out shows.

      Last night we were in Ridgefield. We played at the Playhouse with Marc Cohn. The show was great and the crowd was super excited. It's a great venue with a very  hospitable staff. The Jax crew ran into some old Sun Dog friends and had some laughs about the "old days" at the Dog. 

Daily updates

Here's a link to our daily video shorts from the road. They're hilarious!

http://www.donavonf.com/video.html

Also checkout Jay's new painting  at jayalders.com

Day 20 The Beachcomber

Today we are in Wellfleet, Mass. playing at the Beachcomber. It's rainy and miserable. We have two shows here until we are off to the Chicken Box. We had two amazing days in Montauk,NY which is at the end of the road so to speak on Long Island. We caught some really fun surf both days at the "ditch." I found out later as we left that Montauk is the largest breeding ground for Great Whites due to the large trash dump off shore from NYC. That may be the last time I surf there. If you ever get a chance to explore the Cape Cod coastal regions, Take your time and enjoy the coastal roads. It is beautiful place during the Summer months. The locals say winter is very depressing and long.  Bring your wallet and save your pennies. It is very pricey in the Hamptons but the seafood is great. Lobster rolls every where. I love those ocean bugs!  
     Bus life is slowly getting to us all. Wellfleet is very small and we are out on a cliff overlooking the ocean in the middle of nowhere. Which is great for those of us who the outdoor types. The only shower is outside and uncovered in the rain. And there is only one toilet with no stall door. My poor wife has been on this rolling locker room with a bunch of overgrown children that can't seem to lift the seat. There is no surf, no Starbucks, no cell service and no privacy. There is a distinct odor coming from Donavon's bunk area. I can't quite place it. It's somewhere in between death and real dirty laundry. Everyone plays the bus shuffle game in order to move around on this contraption. One person goes right as the other goes left. Anna from our management office came out for a few days and hitched a ride on the bus to experience tour life. I don't think she knew what she was in for. But Donavon put her on a surfboard so she left with a new love of surfing and a really bad sunburn. Poor Anna. 
     The Montauk show was great. 1500 people in a 500 capacity venue. The cops came and the fire marshall too. I think they came out just to check out all the super models and their bling. There had to be at least a million dollars worth of sun glasses in the joint. I saw paparazzi everywhere as the Surf Lodge is the place to be in Long Island. The executive chef is a winner from Top Chef and cooked us up some tasty grub. Donavon traded Chef Sam some surf lessons for some cooking tips. Bring in those fish tacos. That's all for now tune in later for a new daily update from our film crew (Craig) for more daily updates and shenanigans from D.F. and the crew. PEACE!      

Day 17

We are off to Amagansett NY today. Last night we were in Salisbury Ma. playing at the Blue Ocean Music Hall. The show was great and the people are amazing. Donavon, Mishka and I scored some really fun surf with our friend Skip. He was kind enough to shuttle us around. The water was freezing. 60 degrees. It's  not Florida! I'm not sure how I feel about being in a wet suit in mid-July. On Wednesday, we were in Asbury Park at the Stone Pony. Our good friend Jay Alders had his art on display. Please check his stuff out he's truly gifted.  jayalders.com The show was sold out and a good time was had by all. We are in the Hamptons for the next few shows. It's time for some lobster! Tonight will be 17 shows in a row. Keep 'em coming. We only have 9 more days out and then back to Jacksonville. remember check out donavonf.com for more daily video updates of the tour.

day 14

Well here we are in Wantagh, Ny. It's raining and dreary today. We are parked on the side street with traffic racing by. Someone said the holding tank is full and there's no water on the bus. Woo hoo! Half of the crew seem to have the crud. Just so you all know we live in a Petrie dish. We are constantly passing germs back and forth between one another. I refuse to get sick. Last night we had a great show in Dewey Beach, Delaware. We went took an afternoon field trip to the Dogfish Brew Pub. After a two mile hike we were treated to some tasty beverages. If you never tried 90 minute Dog Fish Head with it filter thru fresh hops you're missing out. But beware they are super strong. Needless to say our stroll back seemed way shorter. Tomorrow we are off to Asbury Park, NJ to play at the Stone Pony and an art show by our close friend Jay Alders. Check out his site. jayalders.com. He's amazing and he has laundry!  Jay said the surf is pumping. I'm excited to get some much needed surf!

Townson Maryland

We were in Towson, Maryland last night playing at the Recher Theater. The show was great. I saw lots of familiar faces. I love the backstage area at the Recher. It's laced with a pool table and most important not one but two showers. Today we are in sunny Virginia Beach. This is day 12 of tour. We have played 11 shows in a row. One more week until we have the only day off on the 18th. Donavon has arranged some jet skis for some play time today at sand spit. Tonight we are playing at the Jewish Mother aka "Jew Mom" I hear it is a tiny place so it will be intimate.

The mustache manifesto

Craig and Donavon have been compiling some video shorts from the tour. I thought I would pass on the link to everyone. Check out my mad skills. :) This is the video from The Wind  Jammer in The Isle of Palms....
http://www.donavonf.com/185/video/Mustache-Manifesto-Isle-of-Palms-SC/

Day 10 I think?

Howdy Ya'll... Today, We are in Wilmington North Carolina at the Soapbox Laundry and Lounge. We had two great nights at The Windjammer in The Isle of Palms, South Carolina. The crew went surfing out in front of the club both days. It's nice to get in the water and keep the noodles moving. I needed to work off some of the calories that I racked up from those tasty fried pickles. My wife Kitty Cat scored some good ones. Donavon and I shot some epic video in the water on Tuesday evening after sound check. It was about 6-10.... inches that is. I'll post some footage up later when I figure out how. Pardon my lack of technical skills. I think I have the fellas hooked on boiled peanuts. It was pretty funny watching their expression and lack of proper peanut extraction. If you have never indulged in this Southern culinary delight you have been missing out. I love 'em! Well off to do laundry and sound check. There's no shower today but at least I gots me some clean undies!

The Peptobus....

Ahhhh thank God. No more smelly clothes. I love this venue!

The wheels of the bus go round and round

Well here we are day 3 of tour and the bus is smelling fabulous already. We had our first show of tour last night in Fort Lauderdale at Culture Club. The show went well considering we have not played or rehearsed since April. We revisited some of Donavon's first record in the middle of the set with a Hawaiian flavor. I had my ukulele debut. It was a good laugh for us all. We were hoping to get a surf in at some point but Old King Neptune has not blessed us with any waves yet. So far everything is moving right along. We were blessed by some friends last night with showers and normal sleeping accommodations. I have met some really cool people over the last few years of touring who are so nice to open their homes up to some smelly musician types. It's so nice to be able to have a shower and normal toilet that's not moving from side to side with every pot hole. We have one more show in Lauderdale tonight then a 5 a.m. bus call and off to St. Pete. Maybe we can do some oil slick skim boarding on the bay side. :( I hope you all can make it out to one of the shows this month the band sounds great. I am truly blessed to have a job that I really enjoy and perform with some of my closest friends even if there is the lack of showers and private space.

So I had another brilliant idea today as if I've e ever had one. For all fellow friends who are fighting the dreaded disease of alopecia, you know who you are myself included and for those aren't familiar with this disorder. It is yes the incurable balding, thinning, disappearance of one cranial top skin protector otherwise known as hair. We must come together and tame the beast. It's time to lose that skullet. My idea is to have a shaving day of all parties young and old who like me are holding on and fighting the battle. Sorry fellas no back, buttock or nether region hair applies. We can collect it all and drive to the panhandle sop up some oil. Box it up and mail it to BP's corporate office with an attached thank you card for curing our dreaded disease and ruining our coast line. Ain't life grand.

first day jitters

This is my attempt to document what happens when you put eleven people on a tour bus for a month. We are embarking on a Summer tour with Donavon. This leg takes us from Miami to Maine. Once again we have 20 plus shows scheduled in as many days. That's how we roll. My job besides the whole music thing is to make sure we have enough wave riding vehicles for our morning sessions. Last year we toured the exact reverse route from Maine to Miami. We were blessed to have a decent amount of surf days. Let's hope this year holds true. The tour starts next week and my anxiety is already kicking in. Does my gear still work? How does that song go again? How long can I go with out doing laundry? How much coffee and Jack Daniels will I drink over the next 4 weeks? How many dings will Donavon put in my boards? Will my wife still love me after dragging her around on a bus full of dudes? (by the way she signed up for that one but don't tell her I wrote that) The list goes on and on. I'm really excited to get back on the road and play some music while grabbing a surf here and there. Plus I'll get to catch up with lots of friends along the way. So here it goes, tune in and I'll post some vids and pics of the real behind the scenes of the stinky rock and roll surf bus life. Now I am off to learn the uke in 7 short days before the tour starts. Maybe I'll just fake it on stage. Maybe Donavon won't notice.