Jack Johnson • singer-songwriter, jam
Surfing and Rocking
It was a pop culture collision that was inevitable. The result is a dreamlike, Endless Summer quality of music that Jack Johnson plays as archetype. There are no tropes here. Johnson is the latest iteration of the divine surfer symbol—ever so slightly skewed to the dark side by rocanrol music but still hardy, kind and filled with wonder at their interaction with the world. Johnson does more than inhabit that identity. He is it. He grew up surfing in Hawaii; dude was surfing big events on Oahu's north shore at the age of 17, while soundtracked by The Beatles and A Tribe Called Quest. A gig writing a tune for G Love and Special Sauce led to the type of exposure local musicians dream about. A gifted multi-instrumentalist, Johnson's brand of tuneage varies from surf-rock to folk rock, but it's all informed, meticulously composed and joyously relayed to audiences. And like the waves of late summer, those audiences tend toward the huge: Johnson's got a gig at Isleta Amphitheater this Labor Day weekend, Sunday, Sept. 2 at 7:30pm. Admission ranges from $26 to $80 and it'll be a perfect all-ages opportunity to dance while watching the skies and dreaming of pacific waves. (August March)
