He still surfs, drives a biodiesel car that also runs on recycled vegetable oil, has solar panels on his home and studio and says that his latest CD was recorded with 100 percent solar power.
Welcome to Hawaii-born Jack Johnson’s world. The singer-songwriter, who performs tonight at The Gorge, was the son of a well-known surfer and made his own mark in competition.
Depending on your source, a layoff after an accident at a professional surfing competition gave him time with a guitar and his life was changed; or, according to a Rolling Stone story this year, he had decided a week before the accident that the competition had gotten out of hand and that writing songs was a better outlet.
He graduated with a film degree and has found a successful niche as a singer-songwriter with a soft-rock emphasis.
Jones’ latest, “Sleep through the Static,” has topped the charts in the U.S. and four other countries.
Melissa Etheridge: The Etheridge moment for millions was her powerful performance of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” at the 2005 Grammy Awards show. The breast cancer survivor adds personal experience to her ability to create an emotional high. The two-time Grammy winner with the raspy Janis Joplin-Rod Stewart voice also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “I Need to Wake Up,” the theme song to the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Edwin McCain: The folk, alt-rock, Southern-soul singer-songwriter is touring with music from his new recording, “Nobody’s Fault but Mine.” McCain’s tours used to be punctuated with marathons, but he’s slowed down now while still keeping running in his life. McCain’s songs are like entries in a dairy, keeping pace with changes in his life and those around him, a collection of a-ha! moments. In “Nobody’s Fault,” however, he focuses on R&B and soul covers.
Mike Gordon: The former Phish bassist and vocalist has had many projects since the band’s 2004 demise, including his latest, “The Green Sparrow.” The bass-playing vocalist mixes a free-form rock approach with pop and funk in his typical inventive fashion.
Freddie Aguilar: The Filipino version of Woody Guthrie debuts in Seattle with an all-ages show. He’s often used his music to inspire others, including a hit single by adding a verse calling for peaceful democratic change to the 1933 “Bayan Ko.” It was the theme song of the Revolution of 1986 that pulled down the Marcos regime.
Willie Nelson: The iconic country singer-songwriter, actor and activist was the star of outlaw country music in the 1970s. Nelson won 36 major awards (Grammy, CMA, American Music, ACM, TNN/Music City) from 1975-2008. Now Nelson is like our favorite pot-smoking, braid-wearing hippie great-uncle who this year just happened to have released a new album, “Moment of Forever,” and made the cover of High Times magazine.
Out and about: Although one of the longest-running pop/rock bands in U.S. history, Chicago just released a new CD, “Stone of Sisyphus,” which was first recorded in 1993 but shelved (Saturday-Sunday, Chateau Ste. Michelle) … The Roma musicians Gipsy Kings deliver a pop-oriented version of traditional flamenco music (tonight, Chateau Ste. Michelle) … Dee Dee Daniels (tonight) and Karla Bonhoff (Saturday) make appearances at Triple Door …
STS9’s new album, “Peaceblaster,” has charted on Billboard and iTunes; they’ll perform with Blackalicious (Saturday, moved to Showbox Market) … KISW Pain in the Grass 2008 features Queensryche with the Empire Orchestra (a first), Seether, Shinedown, Sevendust and more (Saturday, White River Amphitheater) … The Lone Star state’s rockin’ Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King blues band celebrates the release of “Blood Brothers” (Sunday, Highway 99 Blues Club) …
Grammy-winning guitarist Lee Ritenour and friends deliver contemporary jazz (Tuesday through Aug. 31, Jazz Alley) … The Waifs have ironed out the schedule challenges and will appear Saturday at Neumo’s … English rock band Oasis, with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals and their new record, “Easy Tiger,” play at WaMu (Tuesday) … Hard-touring Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down performs with Staind and Hinder (Wednesday, WaMu).
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