Thursday 16th February 2006
Hawaiian singer-songwriter Jack Johnson has three passions in his life: music, surfing and his family, though not necessarily in that order. As music lovers everywhere have fallen head over heels for his unique, acoustic sound, it's heartening to know that Jack's music is a pure distillation of his own character. Modest, warm-hearted and serene, Jack Johnson has found global success on his own terms, without hype or compromise.
Already a big name in the States, Johnson made his UK breakthrough in 2005 with 'In Between Dreams' and its attendant singles 'Good People', 'Breakdown', 'Better Together' and 'Sitting, Waiting, Wishing'. A gloriously uplifting album full of soulful melodies, playful lyrics and genuine emotion, 'In Between Dreams' has spread word of Johnson's music around the world.
Britain has taken to Jack in a big way. When he first ventured over the water in May 2005, it was as if he had lit the blue touch paper and run. The low-key shows in Shepherd's Bush and Cornwall sold out in nine minutes, and the public and media reaction was incredible. When Jack returns to the UK in February 2006, he'll be playing sold-out arena shows and performing at the BRITs - his UK TV debut - alongside Gorillaz, Coldplay and Kanye West.
Jack's inexorable rise to fame is reflected in a massive 650,000 sales of 'In Between Dreams' here in the UK. Jack's earlier albums, 'Brushfire Fairytales' and 'On And On', have each sold in excess of 130,000 with no promotion at all. But Jack isn't the sort to let his phenomenal success go to his head. "Music is just a hobby for me," he says. "It's key for me to keep it secondary in my life because that's what makes the music work. If I was to take it too seriously, I'd lose what makes it special."
For Jack, life is all about balance, and as something that threatens to upset his equilibrium, fame is something that Jack manages very carefully. He's selective about interviews, keeps a healthy distance from his legions of adoring fans, cancels TV appearances if he feels his face is getting too well known and retires to Hawaii for much of the year. In this age of celebrity mania, it's refreshing that Jack's only concession to fame is in using it to support his favourite good causes. In 2004, he and his wife set up the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, a NPO aimed at promoting environmental awareness, which is a recurring theme in the singer's lyrics.
Alongside Jack's regular appearances in Hawaiian schools, the foundation organises Hawaii's Kokua festival, which features stalls run by environmental organisations and performances by like-minded acts. Performers joining Johnson at the third annual festival, which takes place on Oahu and Maui in April 2006, include Willie Nelson and the Planetary Bandits, Ben Harper and ALO.
A proud member of 1% For The Planet, the organisation whose members donate at least one percent of their annual revenues to environmental organisations worldwide, Jack's commitment to the environment is something he extends to his tours too. Despite the scale of his recent outings, Johnson ensures his tours are as kind to the environment as possible. Among other measures, the lorries run on biodiesel, fans are offered reusable water bottles and the tour t-shirts are made from organic cotton. Jack's efforts on his 2005 US tour reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 89 tons, earning him a Climate Cool certification from the Climate Neutral Network. A taster of Jack's life on the road, which is done with his family and friends in tow, can be seen on the double DVD 'A Weekend At The Greek/Live In Japan'.
Alongside his environmental work, Johnson also runs a record label, Brushfire Records, with his manager Emmett Malloy. Operating from Johnson's Hawaiian home, it's an outlet for his own music, a home for some of his favourite artists, and, he says, a way of showing his toddler son that he's not a lazy musician type. "It's a way of starting our friends out right, not a means to make money," says Johnson, who has recently added Beastie Boys keyboardist Money Mark to a roster that includes G Love, Matt Costa and ALO. Costa and ALO are particularly close to Johnson's heart, as they regularly perform with him and act as support artists on his tours. Both acts have been confirmed for the singer's 2006 European tour.
As Jack's star continues to rise, his latest move has been typically unpredictable. Johnson has given voice to kids' favourite Curious George, the star of a forthcoming cartoon movie. Johnson's songs speak for the inquisitive animated monkey, giving the dad-of-one a chance to make something for children and parents alike. The album, 'Sing Alongs And Lullabies For The Film Curious George', also features Animal Liberation Orchestra's Zach Gill alongside duets with G Love, Ben Harper and Matt Costa.
The 'Curious George' soundtrack isn't Johnson's first foray into film. Jack's musical success can be traced back to his soundtrack for the surf movie 'Thicker Than Water', which alerted the global surfing community to the singer's talents. From his days as a competitive surfer to success as a filmmaker and recording artist, Johnson's numerous accomplishments have been achieved with talent, grace and a little help from his friends.
Jack spent his formative years on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, which remains his home to this day. Like his two elder brothers, his father and most of his friends, Jack was a surfing nut, riding the waves whenever he had the chance. When he wasn't in the water, he was playing in local punk bands. Inspired by Fugazi and Minor Threat (one of the few acts who would regularly travel to Hawaii to play) Johnson and friends made a hardcore racket that was a world away from Johnson's true voice.
Jack got his big break in surfing aged 17, when he made the finals of Hawaii's Pipeline Trials. His victory brought a strange kind of fame: he wiped out on a patch of coral a week later, causing major facial damage and scars that are still visible today. Jack emerged from the water with a broken nose, a piece of coral embedded in his skull, three teeth missing and a severed lip. The surfing mags lined up to photograph him and the girls at school clamoured to date him, but it wasn't all good news - he was instructed to stay out of the water for as long as took for his wounds to heal. Johnson spent two months on dry land during prime surfing season, picking at his acoustic guitar to pass the time. This time, it was the records in his parents' collection - Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Bob Marley - that inspired him.
A year later, Johnson left Hawaii - and any thoughts of being a pro surfer - for the University Of California at Santa Barbara, where he majored in filmmaking, producing profiles of local punk bands. After graduating, he honed his chops shooting stock film footage for a stills photographer. Some of his handiwork would later be seen on a herpes medicine commercial.
Johnson was given the opportunity to put his freshly honed skills to better use when buddies Chris and Emmett Malloy invited him to join them on a yearlong project shooting a 16mm surf movie. The result, 'Thicker Than Water', showcased the talents of many of Johnson's childhood friends, by now some of the best surfers in the world. To keep the budget low, Johnson supplied the music, penning laid back, tuneful songs that would be the blueprint of his distinctive style. The artsy, purist film caused a stir in the surfing community, eventually becoming Surfer Magazine's film of the year, but the ripples from Johnson's songs would be felt even further - a bootleg of the score began circulating around the surf community before the film had even been released.
Around the same time, Johnson met another musical surfer, Garrett 'G Love' Dutton. After striking up a friendship, G Love recorded Johnson's 'Rodeo Clowns' for 1999's Philadelphonic album. Instead of sticking around to field the offers that began trickling in, Johnson followed his heart and travelled to the South Pacific to film 'The September Sessions', the ESPN award-winning sequel to 'Thicker Than Water'.
By the time Johnson returned, his demo was causing a huge buzz in the surf community. One of his bootlegs landed with JP Plunier, Ben Harper's manager and producer. Plunier took Johnson and band (drummer Adam Topol and bassist Merlo Podlewski) into the studio to record 'Brushfire Fairytales', his 2001 debut. Impressed by Jack's sound - an irresistible hybrid of blues and folk with barely-there reggae and hip hop influences, Harper invited him on a two-month tour of the States. "It started going uphill pretty exponentially after that," says the singer.
As 'Brushfire Fairytales' sailed past the 100,000 mark in the US, Johnson began working with Beastie Boys producer Mario Caldato Jr. The resulting album, 2003's 'On And On', was the first release on Brushfire Records. The seed was sewn: 'In Between Dreams' followed, and the rest is history-in-the-making.
As for the official follow-up to 'In Between Dreams', Jack intends to take some time out first, to surf, strum, and spend time with his family. But then, he's not one to make any great plans. "The future kind of chooses me in a way," he says.
Click here to buy 'Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams'
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
