It's no secret Jack Johnson likes us Kiwis - when he tours here next month to promote his new album In Between Dreams it will be his third visit. What is a secret is where the Hawaii-bred singer-songwriter/surf film-maker likes to hang ten when he's here.
"I don't think thelocal surfers would be too happy with me if I said but I'm planning on hitting a couple of those places when I come back," he said on the phone from LA. "I try to tour during the summer because that's when the waves are flat in Hawaii. New Zealand has a similar lifestyle, the people are pretty laidback. I like it a lot. All the people I've met there remind me of the people back home."
In between waves, Johnson plays the St James, Auckland, Thursday April 7, Town Hall, Wellington, Saturday April 9 and Town Hall, Christchurch, April 11 with support by G. Love & Special Sauce, Xavier Rudd and NZ's own DJ Stinky Jim.
Also on her way is the one and only pop diva Lulu, the only British female solo artist to appear in the charts for five straight decades. In 1964, at age 15, she released her first hit, Shout, and three years later went to No 1 in the US with To Sir with Love, the theme to the film of the same name.
Lulu has since worked with David Bowie, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Sting, Atomic Kitten, Ronan Keating and Westlife, married and divorced Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, and written enough solid material for a Greatest Hits album. She plays at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna on Friday, April 29.
For something a little sooner, DJ T-Rock, voted one of the top five DJs in the world by djlist.com, plays Fu Bar on March 11. Listeners may be familiar with his single, Mama Said Wear You Out from his new album, Rock and Squash Techniques. DJ Shadow recently invited the acclaimed scratch DJ to work with him on an album.
