Frendly Gathering has become a fan-favorite music festival in the Northeast, with the event returning this year to Sugarbush Resort in Waitsfield, Vermont, from June 28th to 30th. This year, the long-running festival will host the return of Vermont’s own Twiddle, in addition to performances by Greensky Bluegrass, The Devil Makes Three, Nahko and Medicine For The People, Kamasi Washington, Trevor Hall, Emancipator, Kat Wright, Spafford, and many, many more. (For more information and tickets, head to Frendly Gathering’s website here.)

Founded by decorated pro-snowboarders Jack Mitrani and Danny Davis, in addition to being a premier music festival, the multi-day event serves as a family gathering for Mitrani and Davis’ crew of snowboarder friends, dubbed the Frends Crew. In addition to founding Frendly Gathering, Mitrani also serves as a television host and face of X Games and has previously competed in major snowboarding events around the world, such as US Open Snowboarding Championships, X Games EXTRA, Dew Tour, and the Transworld Riders Poll Awards.

We got a chance to chat with Jack Mitrani about Frendly Gathering in the lead-up to the event. Read on to check out Live For Live Music’s extensive conversation with Jack Mitrani about Frendly Gathering, including the festival’s long-standing “frendship” with Twiddle, magical performances by Charles Bradley, and much more.

Ming Lee Newcomb: Would you mind talking a little bit about how you and Danny Davis met, and what your day-to-day involvement is in Frendly Gathering?

Jack Mitrani: Definitely. Danny [Davis] and I met at a snowboard contest probably ten to fifteen years ago, and we’re both competitive snowboarders. At first, I thought he was kind of a kook because he had these crocheted ear flaps with his headphones in them, and he was a snowboarder from Michigan and we were East Coast kids. Sure enough, years go by, and he got onto the Burton team. I got to know him a little bit more, and he was just the most energetic, positive, enthusiastic kid out there. So we hit it off and just became best friends from then on out.

As far as the day-to-day goes, I kind of handle most of everything, and Danny kind of comes in at the end, because he’s so busy snowboarding. He helps a lot with the construction stuff, the building. He’s always running around in his Carhartt overalls with a hammer and nails—that kind of stuff.

MLN: When Frendly Gathering started in 2010, it wasn’t even a festival; like the name says, it was more of a gathering of friends. Can you talk a little bit about what brought you guys together? I know it was after a rough time in the snowboarding community.

JM: Yeah, definitely. In 2010, we had this crew of professional snowboarders—best friends called the Frends Crew. That’s where the “No I in Frends” comes from. That year was an Olympic qualifier. One of the members of the crew, Kevin Pearce, suffered a traumatic brain injury, and then Danny Davis fell off of a four-wheeler and broke his back, so he had to forfeit his spot on the Olympic team. It was just one of the most traumatic years of our entire lives. Frendly Gathering was birthed as a way to kind of reset, to bring all our friends and fans and family together in June—six months after everything went down—just to get back on a positive track.

MLN: Nice. How was the vibe of that first year?

JM: It was the reason we’re still going, I would say. Everyone was just so happy. We pulled up to the campsite with just an RV, with really no plans whatsoever. There was this red car, and there were these fans from Texas. They drove all the way from Texas to California—they beat us there. So right then and there, we hit it off, and everyone just showed up, and there was really like no stress, no logistics, no nothing. It was just this celebration of life, and afterward, we were like, “Okay. We need to do this again. And we need to do it bigger.”

MLN: Twiddle has played the festival a lot over the years, and they even have a song that quotes the Frends Crew’s mantra, “There ain’t no I in Frends.” Clearly, you guys are close. How did you first link up with them?

JM: The first Frendly Gathering we did in Vermont, one of my friends was like, “Hey, if you’re going to do anything music related, you have to get Twiddle. They’re blowing up. Everybody in Vermont loves them.” And so, we booked them. We had them for one night, and it was crazy to see how many people showed up, and we were like, “Can you guys play again tomorrow night?” And that was pretty much it. We didn’t really have a huge relationship off the first year. It was more just like, wow.

This band is one of the reasons we were able to continue this thing, to keep growing because of their fan base. Then, we brought them out to Colorado to a snowboarding event when we were filming this TV show pilot. We brought them to Colorado, and that’s where Mihali [Savoulidis] and I really hit it off. We ended up getting a Frends tattoo on that trip, and we recorded some music. From there, it was just like we were blood brothers. We were like, “Let’s take this thing on together.” We compliment each other in so many ways. So it was really cool. He embodies the whole Frends thing, you know, the whole generation. It’s really cool. He’s an inspiration for sure.

Twiddle – “Doinkinbonk” – Frendly Gathering 2016

[Video:Mike Kane]

MLN: To some people, the idea of pro-snowboarders throwing a music festival might be unexpected or out of left field. Do you have any anecdotes or stories about bumps you’ve encountered along the way that you’d like to share?

JM: Definitely. I’ve got so many stories. I don’t even know which one to pick first. One is the first time I ever tried to book a big band—I won’t even say who it was—but pretty much, I called their agent and tried to be like the man, like, “Oh, yeah. I’ve got this festival, blah blah blah.” And she just schooled me. I wanted to spend like five grand, and I ended up spending 20 grand on that phone call. I was like, “Okay. I don’t want to do this anymore.” [laughs]

Then, I booked another band, and I won’t mention their name, and I realized how intense they are about where they sit on the poster. I got a call from their agent like, “Hey, if you don’t move this to the top, we’re pulling out. We’re not playing.” And I’m just like a snowboard kid, heart in my stomach, calling them back, trying to reason with them. It all worked out, but those calls were the scariest. Dealing with the music agents, they’re tough, you know?

Also, outside of the booking side of things, we like to do these unique performances. We were driving Twiddle and all of their gear up this mountain, and the whole band is on this UHV, which is basically a high-speed golf cart. We take a turn, and the whole entire thing flips over. Ryan Dempsey’s keyboard goes flying into the mud. We almost, like, pretty much killed Twiddle. [laughs]

MLN: I feel like there is the stereotype that all pro-athletes are really competitive and cut-throat, but it’s clear you guys don’t really fall in line with that. How have you guys maintained the mindset of “there is no I in Frends”?

JM: Well, that’s where it all started. We were all snowboarders in this individual sport, but we really weren’t so competitive. That wasn’t what it was all about. It was about traveling the world and having fun and knowing we were all going through really dangerous experiences, so at the end of the day, we want each other to do well. And then, also, by working together and coming together, we got so much more love and attention.

Right then and there, we were like, “This is what we want to do. We want to promote this philosophy. There’s no I in Frends. Sticking together, you can go further.” So that’s just been ingrained in my soul ever since the snowboarding days. It’s all about getting rid of the ego and working together. You can just do so much more, and it’s just way more fun. You don’t want to be the guy who wins and has nobody to celebrate with.

MLN: Going off that, Frendly Gathering has these 10 Anchors of Frendship. Can you talk a little bit about those and how those manifest in Frendly Gathering itself?

JM: Definitely, yeah. We just sat down one day, and we were trying to think about a little bit more about what the Frends Crew is and what Frendly Gathering and Frendship mean. We came up with these ten words—everything from collaboration, revelry, honesty, integrity, inclusivity, respect, mutual accountability, so on and so forth. We’ve just been marketing our values so people can go a little deeper when they hear the word Frendly, so there are these positive words attached to it. At the festival, at the entrance, those words are printed out. Good words to live by, really.

MLN: Can you talk a little bit about what are some of your all-time favorite moments during the festival?

JM: All-time favorite moments? Oh, boy. Okay, let’s see. I really enjoyed the whole pond sets. We used to have Twiddle play by this pond, and the first time we did that, it was just really special because you could just see everyone— Actually, let me take it back to year one. We had these maple-syrup-and-whiskey shots. We had Twiddle playing halfway up the mountain, and on the hike up, my little brother, Kevin Pearce, and a few friends were just serving people maple-syrup-and-whiskey shots, and it was just so much fun. That was when it was small enough we could do those things for everybody. It’s a little too big now, but that was definitely an all-time high.

Let’s see. There’s so many. Another all-time high was watching Twiddle play in the DJ Nest, which is like four platforms in the trees. Each member of Twiddle was on a platform. Afterward, knowing that they didn’t fall, that was a pretty great feeling. Oh, and last one! Charles Bradley. That was an all-time high last year. It was honestly survival camp last year. It rained so hard for three days straight, and then Charles Bradley takes the stage and honestly, the skies just opened up and this giant rainbow popped out. And everybody that’s been through the three days of just surviving in the rain was so happy. It was an energy like no other. It was really special.

Twiddle – “Polluted Beauty” – Frendly Gathering 2013 (Pond Stage)

[Video: Frendly Presents]

MLN: When you met Twiddle, you weren’t necessarily familiar with them. How would you describe your musical taste personally?

JM: I love classic rock. I love bluegrass. I love old school stuff. I love surf rock now, like Mac DeMarco, Kevin Morby. I like trap music now, because I have younger snowboard friends, and that’s all they play. Somehow I got into it, even though I was such a hater at first. Then, I love the feel-good music, too, like Trevor Hall, Nahko, and obviously Twiddle. They kind of opened me up into the whole jam scene, like Grateful Dead and Greensky Bluegrass. Danny Davis also has incredible taste in music and got me hooked on soul. It’s just a big combination.

MLN: What are your hopes for Frendly Gathering in the future?

JM: Instead of growing Frendly into this one giant festival, my hope is that Frendly becomes a brand that stands for bringing people together for uplifting experiences, rooted in sustainability. Ultimately, Frendly is more like a movement of positivity, especially in today’s world. I watched John Lennon’s peace videos growing up, so I’m just a positive peacenik kid. Anything I can do to turn Frendly into this vehicle that drives positivity and peace.

I’d definitely like to expand it to more events, but maybe ones that are smaller and more intentional. I think Frendly Gathering will be the marquee event, obviously, because it’s got so many roots here. But yeah, as snowboarders, we’ve made communities all over North America and the world, so it would be really nice to bring Frendly to those communities in Colorado, California, maybe Japan? I love Japan.

MLN: You’ve talked about Charles Bradley and Twiddle. What are some other past acts that you’ve been excited to book?

JM: Let’s see, and pull up the history book here. Delta Spirit, Deer Tick, Dr. Dog, my little brother, Luke Mitrani. Railroad Earth, that was insane. Big Gigantic, that was fun. We got a lot of hate leading up to the event for some reason and then after the event, everyone was like, “We loved Big Gigantic.” There’s also Moon Hooch—always been a big one. But, yeah, I feel like each and every one of the bands I’m excited for. It’s great booking with Higher Ground because we meet new bands. Also, so many fans reach out, so I watch all the music that comes our way, and we throw in some of our favorites.

Big Gigantic with Mihali Savoulidis – Frendly Gathering 2016

[Video: Frendly Presents]

MLN: Looking to the future, do you have any acts you’re like, “Ah, I wish we could get them someday,” or that you’ve been eyeing?

JM: Tame Impala. Definitely. We saw Mac DeMarco and Tame Impala at Red Rocks. It was the sickest show I’ve ever seen in my life. Hm, Tame Impala, Alabama Shakes, Leon Bridges. We always wanted to get Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Who else is out there? Yeah, those are kind of the main ones, for sure.

MLN: What are some of your sets that you’re most looking forward to this year?

JM: Let’s see. I’m definitely most excited to see the little brother, Luke [Mitrani]. I don’t know if you heard, but my little brother was going to the Olympics, broke his neck, then spent the last couple of years finding his path. Now, he’s finally found that path, and its music. His new album sounds great, and it’s blowing up on Spotify. He played a little set last year, but I’m excited to see how far he’s come in a year. That’s all he’s been doing. I’m definitely most excited to see him.

I’m also excited to see Mihali and Nahko [Bear] do the special set that they’re working on. I just love the sets that you don’t see everywhere else, you know? Mihali and Nahko are working on it, and I don’t even know what they’re doing, but I’m excited to see what they come up with. Oh, and The Devil Makes Three, obviously. We’ve been trying to get The Devil Makes Three since year one. I’m not even kidding you. It’s been the longest-fought battle with any talent buyer, but we finally got ’em.

MLN: Do you have any advice for people who are coming to the festival or any final thoughts you’d like to share?

JM: Not really. I think it’s pretty simple: Just show up and the rest is history. Bring your tent and your camping supplies. Bring a water bottle. Come in with an open mind, and leave no trace.

Frendly Gathering will return to Sugar Bush (Mt. Ellen) in Waitsfield, Vermont, this summer from June 28th to 30th. The long-running, fan-favorite festival will host the return of Twiddle, in addition to performances by Greensky Bluegrass, The Devil Makes Three, Nahko & Medicine For The People, Kamasi Washington, Trevor Hall, Emancipator, Kat Wright, Spafford, and many, many more. For more information and tickets, head to Frendly Gathering’s website here.