Surf Waves With Jack Johnson

Lately I've been listening to some pretty cool music by some beach bum named Jack Johnson. The tunes he plays really touch a chord within me. They are just so honest and selfless, like stories being told by a wise old palm tree that has endured countless days of peaceful monotony, and yet have also experienced the rare tropical storm with gale force winds. I decided to have a look for his website, as I have come to know that humans have written about just about anything of interest on the Internet.

I found out some interesting things about this soft, rhythmic flowing voice and guitarist on his official site, http://www.jackjohnsonmusic.com. The guy is hardly a beach bum; he's been a pro surfer, is a popular surfing film producer, and the weirdest tidbit of knowledge is the fact that he didn't really want to be a famous musician at all! He'd rather surf some waves, and maybe that's why his music is so natural and unforced-he hasn't let his popularity affect his priorities.

The site has got all your average categories: Photos, biography, news, show dates, forum, and music/film releases. The part that grabbed me the most was found in the Photos section, a small link entitled Articles. Here there were postings of actual news releases about Johnson from tiny local papers to big magazines. After recording one song that he usually just played for fun on surf video trips with band G-Love, that one track became the single hit track from their album. After turning down million dollar record deals to keep his already enjoyable surfing, filmmaking lifestyle, he recorded his first album with a tiny record label.

Look, I won't go on and on about his story, you can check it out yourself, or better yet get his album called 'On and on'. I just reckon it's cool how you can add dimensions to your views of reality by surfing the waves of the Internet. To find out a little about the true identities of people you admire for their achievements is just one small aspect of the Internet. Surf's up man! It's time to ride the big, hard to get to waves of our minds.

Jesse S. Somer
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a peaceful soul who has surfed the occasional downhill road as well as virtual tidal wave.

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

Just 3 Chords? No Way!
A student wrote me an email about the lesson "Ocean Dreams." Here it is:"Dear Edward, I can't believe that you're using just 3 chords for this piece.

Acclaimed Songwriter and Performer Michael Alan Releases New CD: Searching for the Heartland:
New York born singer songwriter Michael Alan, who records with the Indie-label Global Fish Records in Seattle, is an artist who creates without a prescribed musical formula. His approach to writing is purely straight from his heart, lyrically poetic and honest, and void of any sound-alike comparisons.

How To Write A Song
Did you ever wish that it was your song playing on the radio? It could be. It is not that hard once you know the formula.

Zen and the Art of New Age Piano
We all want to be in the moment. That's where real transformation takes place.

Review: Audioslave - Out of Exile
Every once in a while a band comes along that really changes the way you perceive music, for me one of these bands was Rage Against the Machine. I'll be the first to admit that I, like most angsty teenagers was lured into Rage's music by their anti-authoritarian songs, and honestly dude, they said "fuck" a whole lot.

12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano
All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why you should start learning how to play the piano. Immediately.

Living Life Loud
Change is good. Just ask the millions of unsigned artists worldwide trying to get their music heard.

The Various Countries - A Rant About Country Music
It is no secret that over the past couple decades country music has struggled with it's identity far more than any other genre in the industry. At this point nobody can really claim to be a country music fan without being questioned what kind of country fan? The answers being seemingly endless, I've broken them down into a few main categories (but really, there could be so many more).

Bono: From Music To Fashion To Helping The Poor
U2s lead singer Bono isn't content with being part of a top band. Fashion and Music - well I'm sure they can mix! Bono was born Paul David Hewson in 1960 in Dublin Ireland.

Guitar Practicing or Guitar Playing?
Just because you're holding your guitar doesn't mean that you're playing it, and just because you're playing your guitar doesn't mean that you're practicing. There is a real difference and it needs to be acknowledged if you want to improve your level of playing skill.

Top 50 Music Quotations
Discover the phenomenonal complexity of music and reflect on the way it can positively influence your life with this sound collection of riveting quotes..

Ibanez SR400 Bass Guitar
The Ibanez SR400 bass guitar is very comfortable to play. The neck is thin up at the headstock, you can move your hand along it well because of the necks finish.

When Does Practice Make Perfect? Not Much Of The Time Unless All The Pieces Fit First
Often people receive a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar or some other musical instrument as a birthday, Christmas or special occasion gift. There's glee and joy everywhere.

Paint Your Own Musical Landscapes!
I don't know why, but I find the idea of interpreting nature musically to be very appealing. Maybe it's because I'm attracted to nature's beauty, but the notion of communicating that beauty musically has always intrigued me.

The Acoustic Guitar
The steel-stringed acoustic guitar is usually credited with being developed by C.F.

Bagpipe Lessons In Your Own Home !
Bringing Bagpipe Tuition to Everyone, Everywhere.I have been teaching music for many years and always thought that there must be a better way of reaching more people who have a desire to learn a musical instrument but who have no idea of how to go about it.

Painting with Sound
Whenever I go to a Borders bookstore here in San Diego, I make it a point to look at the art instruction books. I'm not a visual artist, but I've always enjoyed the step-by-step approach authors of the better books take to teach students how to create a finished painting.

Green Day: Punk Rock Masters Taming Mainstream Radio Their Way
Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool were merely three extraordinary hopefuls hoping and looking for their big break. The trio has no formal training and got their 'practice' from playing for free at punk clubs on Gilman Street in Berkeley, California.

Performance and Gigs
"For optimum amp tone onstage, plug your amp into your own AC outlet..

How Has Eminem Risen to the Top?
How is it that a little white boy from Kansas City has become the most well known rapper in the world? Starting from nothing and eventually moving up to a multi-millionaire, Eminem over the past seven years has been in the eye of the public everywhere you look. He has essentially entered a black man's business and gone to the top over the course of a few years, but how?On October 17, 1972 Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St.