It is the 40th anniversary of Woodstock on Saturday, Aug. 15. The arts and music festival in upstate New York became one of the nation's most notable events of the 60s. In celebrating live music and bringing a community together, as Woodstock did, the Wood River Valley's Sun Valley Center for the Arts celebrates music and arts, too.
The Center's summer concert series continues this week with nationally known recording artist Donavon Frankenreiter and up-and-coming reggae talent Mishka at Atkinson Park in Ketchum at 6 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Tickets for the show are $30 general admission and $10 for kids 12 and under. To purchase tickets, visit sunvalleycenter.org, call 726-9491, ext. 10, or stop by The Center in Ketchum.
"Our best shows are when we get to turn music on to all ages," Frankenreiter said. "It's fun to see families together."
Frankenreiter has been on tour all the summer with his band. Besides missing his wife and sons, Hendrix and Ozzy, at their home in Kauai, Hawaii, he said it's been a great summer. The tour has allowed him to check out the surf on the East Coast, among other things, he said.
"We have a mobile studio on the bus and the recording is great," Frankenreiter said. "I started playing as a solo performer and moved up a little more, added band members and now I have a full band."
At the age of 13, he was a sponsored surfer with Billabong surfwear. On his travels surfing, he rented a room from musician Jack Johnson's parents on Oahu and their friendship evolved from surfing to making music. After days of surfing as 14-year-olds, they would play music and make up songs.
Frankenreiter's first album was released on Johnson's Brushfire Records. Since then, Frankenreiter has released two more albums. His last and most recent album, "Pass It Around," was released on Lost Highway Records.
Mishka will play as the opening act for Frankenreiter. He enjoys the surf as much as Frankenreiter but prefers a sailboat or windsurfer to a surfboard. He was born in Bermuda and raised on a 40-foot sailing vessel built by his parents. After attending school in Canada and representing Bermuda in the world windsurfing championships, Mishka focused on making music professionally.
During a performance one evening in the Caribbean, actor Matthew McConaughey heard Mishka's music from where he was staying and the next day set out to find who had been performing the night before. Mishka soon became the first artist signed to McConaughey's label, j.k. livin. Mishka's soulful roots-reggae sound will kick off this night of music with a full-length performance.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
Donavon Frankenreiter, left, and Mishka will perform at Atkinson Park in Ketchum on Saturday, Aug 15.
