Del Norte Triplicate
Published March 24, 2004:
By, Jocelyn Robinson
Triplicate Staff Writer
Zack Freiwald is coming home this weekend and he's bringing his guitar with him. Freiwald, a singer/songwriter, will perform in Crescent City on his way north to the Alaska Folk Festival in Juneau. Freiwald grew up in Crescent City, but left town a few years ago to join the Army. Freiwald, who has been living in North Carolina, is moving to Juneau to work as a wildland firefighter. Performing is something Freiwald has always done part-time, but now he's gone from performing once or twice a month to once or twice a week. Freiwald, who is in the middle of recording an album, said he focuses on his music about six months out of the year, while focusing on his job the other six months. "I don't like the whole limits and boundaries thing", Freiwald said when asked what type of music he performs, adding that he generally asks other people how they would classify his music. Freiwald said Americana/roots is the term most often used to describe his music, which he described as "kind of tied to the blues, tied to country." He said people of all ages respond to his music, from kids to elderly people who say his music reminds them of what they used to listen to on the radio. "I've hit more than just a targeted age group," Freiwald said. Freiwald said he always planned on being the lead singer in a band so he wouldn't have to play an instrument, but that changed when he realized he wasn't the type. "I finally gave in when I was 17 and learned the guitar," Freiwald said. "I was writing stuff right off the bat, taking all my poems from high school and putting them to music." Freiwald said he¹s looking forward to coming back to Crescent City and showing family and friends what he¹s doing. "I've already established myself in North Carolina and it's just kind of a nice thing to play for the hometown," Freiwald said. Freiwald's also looking forward to hiking and taking in the scenery of Del Norte County. "I've seen a lot of beautiful things, but nothing compared to the Northcoast," Freiwald said.