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Steamboat Springs — Donavon Frankenreiter sings the kind of songs meant to make everything feel better.

An ear for pop music, an attitude for living easy and a knack for soul-steeped melody have driven Frankenreiter’s success since longtime friend and musician Jack Johnson helped him put out his first record in 2004.

The professional-surfer-turned-musician plays a free concert at 3 p.m. Sunday in Gondola Square at the base of Steamboat Ski Area. Frankenreiter’s show is the last of the 11th annual Bud Light Rocks the Boat free concert series and is part of the ski area’s Springalicious season-ending celebration.

Frankenreiter answered a few questions in an e-mail interview:

Steamboat Pilot & Today: What can people expect from your concert Sunday?

Donavon Frankenreiter: Hopefully, some great music and perfect weather. Also, we have a very special guest coming up to play with us that I am very excited about.

SP&T: How would you describe what you do musically? Who are your influences? How do you approach songwriting, and how do you approach performing?

DF: That’s all done with feel. I have never been taught and/or trained in any of it, so it’s all off of feel. How we will be feeling — and also the audience that day — is how the performance will turn out. Songwriting just comes and goes — that is something that is never planned. Some days, you feel like writing, and others, you just feel like going surfing. I am influenced by many, but I really love Bob Dylan, (Jimi) Hendrix, Bob Marley and Elvis.

SP&T: How has your music grown or changed or evolved since you got started? What have you learned, and how does that apply to what you’re doing now?

DF: When I started, I never sang or wrote my own songs, so I guess you can say it’s come a long way. I started when I was 16, and I am 37 now, so just for the last 10 years, I have been singing and writing. It’s been a very fun and incredible journey with my music. It can take you to places that nothing else in this world can do.

SP&T: Many of your songs have a positive bent to them. Is that intentional? What do you hope people are walking away with when they listen to you? Where do your song subjects come from?

DF: My songs are about living in the moment, having fun with your friends and family, and just enjoying what’s going on around you, ’cause it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye. I hope everyone walks away with a smile on their face saying, “That was a wonderful Sunday afternoon.”

Today’s events

❱❱ 30th annual Cardboard Classic — Base of the Steamboat Ski Area, 11 a.m.

Teams showcase their creativity in this event featuring crafts made from cardboard, string, glue, tape and paint. Check-in is from 9 to 10:30 a.m.; racing starts at 11 a.m. Registration closed Friday. The event is free to watch.

❱❱ Dave Harlan — Gondola Pub & Grill, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

A local musician plays favorites from various styles of music. FREE. Call 879-4448. Gondola Square.

❱❱ Jesse Christensen and friends — Ghost Ranch Saloon, 5:30 p.m.

A local musician performs live. FREE. Call 879-9898. 56 Seventh St.

❱❱ Cosmic Night and free karaoke — Snow Bowl, 7 p.m.

FREE admission. Call 879-9840. 2090 Snow Bowl Plaza, off U.S. Highway 40 in west Steamboat.

❱❱ Cornbread — The Mugshot, 7 p.m.

Local bluegrass band Cornbread plays traditional songs and original music in a roots style. Listen to the group at www.myspace.com/cornbreadbluegrass. Admission is $3. Call 736-8491. The Mugshot coffee shop is at 116 W. Main St. in Oak Creek.

❱❱ Pirate Theatre presents “Elementary School Musical” — The Steamboat Grand, 8 p.m.

No local, national or international issue is off-limits in this original comedy put on by spoof group Pirate Theatre. Tickets are $20 and are available in advance at All That Jazz. Call 879-4422. 2300 Mount Werner Circle.

❱❱ “Pimp N’ Ho Dress to Impress” party — Amante Coffee, 8 p.m.

Steamboat Springs-based Cadillac Promotions presents an end-of-season dance party. Costumes are encouraged. DJ Nakhia and DJ Tony perform. FREE. Call 871-8999. 685 Marketplace Plaza.

❱❱ Ghetdown Network — Ghost Ranch Saloon, 9 p.m.

Local DJs join guest musicians for an end-of-season party. Call 879-9898 or go to www.ghetdown.net. 56 Seventh St.

❱❱ Teen night — Shorty’s, 9 to 11:30 p.m.

Shorty’s hosts a night for teenagers, with free movies, games, karaoke and more. Call 736-2686. 107 Moffat Ave. in Oak Creek.

The Hillbenders, "Another Day, Another Dollar"

❱❱ The Hillbenders — Old Town Pub, 10 p.m.

Winners of the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Festival band contest, acoustic quintet The Hillbenders take bluegrass instrumentation and themes and add high-energy updates and occasional, diverse covers. Learn more at www.myspace.com/hillbenders. FREE. Call 879-2101. 600 Lincoln Ave.

❱❱ One Time — The Tugboat Grill & Pub, 10 p.m.

Colorado rock band One Time plays jammed-out music with an American roots background and a hefty serving of covers. Listen to the band at www.myspace.com/wponetime. Pay $5. Call 879-7070. 1860 Ski Time Square Drive.

Sunday’s events

❱❱ Paul Geppert — Steaming Bean Coffee, 9 to 11 a.m.

Paul Geppert is a local folk, bluegrass and acoustic musician who performs regularly with the groups Cornbread and 3Wire. FREE. Call 879-3393. 635 Lincoln Ave.

❱❱ Third annual Splashdown Pond Skim — Base of Steamboat Ski Area, 1 p.m.

Competitors sport costumes and attempt to cross an icy pond on skis or a snowboard. Check-in for registered skimmers is from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Registration for the event closes today. Go to www.steamboat.com/spring, call 871-5472 or stop by the ski area information center. There is a $10 fee to enter; the event is free to watch.

Donavon Frankenreiter, "Life, Love & Laughter"

❱❱ Donavon Frankenreiter — Gondola Square, 3 p.m.

Singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter shares his honest-minded and soul-steeped original songs. Learn more at www.myspace.com/donavonfrankenreiter. FREE.

❱❱ End-of-season bash — T Bar, 3:05 to 6:05 p.m.

Local rock bands Trim, Lower Concentration and String Board Theory perform for this end-of-season party at the T Bar, off BC Ski Way. Call 871-4789.

❱❱ Music recital — United Methodist Church, 3:30 p.m.

Piano teacher Paul Potyen and his students welcome the public to a free music recital. United Methodist Church is at Eighth and Oak streets.

❱❱ Live trivia — Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, 6:30 p.m.

Test your nonessential knowledge. Call 871-6277. 628 Lincoln Ave.

❱❱ John Sant’Ambrogio talk and performance — Shorty’s, 7:45 p.m.

Cellist and author John Sant’Ambrogio shares stories and music at this informal performance after dinner at Shorty’s. Sant’Ambrogio’s new book, “The Day I Almost Destroyed the Boston Symphony and Other Stories,” is available at local bookstores. Call 736-2686. 107 Moffat Ave. in Oak Creek.

U-Melt, "Perfect World"

❱❱ U-Melt — Old Town Pub, 10 p.m.

Embracing 1970s-era progressive rock, New York’s U-Melt incorporates steady grooves into its experimental sound. Learn more at www.umelt.com. FREE. Call 879-2101. 600 Lincoln Ave.