Hawaiian-born folk rocker and avid philanthropist Jack Johnson, enjoys a laid-back life in Oahu. MiNDFOOD discovers the musician’s sustainable side and takes a look at what’s served up at his beach party feast.
For Hawaiian-born musician Jack Johnson, the perfect day starts with an early morning surf before getting the kids ready for school, followed by an afternoon swim at the local beach and a backyard jam session. In between catching waves, selling more than 15 million albums worldwide and performing sell-out tours, Johnson – an Oahu native who began surfing with his dad at the age of five – enjoys applying his green thumb to his home garden.
When he’s not songwriting, surfing or attending to his vege patch at the home he shares with wife Kim and their three children, Johnson works with environmental and philanthropic aid organisations, including the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which he created with Kim in 2003.
In 2008, he famously gave 100 per cent of his tour profits to local non-profit organisations through his newly established Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation. “I’m passionate about teaching kids stewardship,” says the 38-year-old artist, who has just released his sixth album, From Here To Now To You. “Supporting environmental education in the schools so that kids can be stewards of the island. About 80 to 90 per cent of our food gets shipped into Hawaii, which is crazy considering we could be growing it here.” Sustainability and agriculture are subjects close to his heart – in particular, the threat of genetic modification to Hawaii’s locally grown produce such as papayas, corn and soy. In fact, Johnson’s lifestyle is about as far from the usual rock star trajectory as you can get without throwing the Cole Clark guitar into the ocean altogether.
While he’s quick to quell “pro surfer” labels about himself, (though many friends, including Mark Healey, pictured above, are pro surfers) it’s no secret that Johnson made his entrance on the global stage in the surfing arena.
Quizzed on his top surfing spots around the world, Johnson names Bells Beach on Victoria’s coast and Wollongong on the New South Wales south coast in Australia as some of his favourite breaks, alongside Byron Bay, where the artist has been no stranger to the local Bluesfest lineup. “Basically, I can find a good beach no matter where I’m touring,” says Johnson.
From Here To Now To You is out now through Universal Music. To listen to the first five tracks from the album, click here.