I'm Here to Convert You

My view from the front row!No really, I am. Not into a certain religious belief or anything like that, but into becoming a fan of Jack Johnson's (and those of you who know I went to his concert last night totally saw this post coming today). I'm always astonished by how many people still have no idea who the man is. I swear to you almost every time I make someone listen to his songs, they become instant fans. Admittedly, I still may be experiencing a bit of euphoria from last night's concert, but that's not the point. How can you not like him? He's the f'n mellow man (see video below).

To give you a better understanding of why I'm such a ginormous fan, here are some facts you may not know about Jack Johnson, and reasons why you should become a fan if you're not already:

With my big brother and sisterThe man's a total charity junkie. He's giving 100% of the proceeds from his All at Once tour to charity. You read that right, every last cent. The money will go to 75 different charities in the U.S. and Europe. Plus he matches donations to the non-profit vendors that tour with him. And he and his wife created the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, a non-profit public charity supporting environmental, art, and music education worldwide. They also founded the Kokua Hawai'i Foundation, which supports environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaii. He donated $50,000 to GlobalGiving's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, and another $50,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief. The guy has generated enough good karma to last him a thousand lifetimes.

He writes love songs "so his wife will fall in love with him all over again." Those are his exact words, people. He met his wife when they were just starting college, and they've been together 20 years. Just about every other song includes lyrics that have something to do with his marriage or his three children. As if he wasn't already swoon-worthy just by looking at him.

He actively helps to preserve our environment. He uses all bio-diesel for his tour buses (yes, he got the idea from Willie Nelson, but who cares?). He grows/raises most of the food his family eats in their backyard. On his tour, he educates people on plastic free initiatives, and sustainable local food projects. All the t-shirts on his website are 100% organic.

Not only does he live on the beautiful island of Oahu, but he's a surfer—a really, really good one. He was a pro until a bad accident at age 17 that caused him to lose teeth, have 150 stitches in his forehead. I once saw him say in an interview that he only tours a few months at a time because he gets uncomfortable being too far away from the ocean. He hangs out with Kelly Slater. He looks amazing in a pair of swim trunks. Need I say more?
Jack's funny, down to earth, and extremely easy-going. The video for his newest release I've Got You was filmed on location around Oahu with a buddy. His wife took the picture of him sitting by the ocean for the cover of his new album. At his concerts he wears t-shirts and flip-flops. I'm telling you, watch the video above. You can thank me later.

I could literally go on and on, but I'm totally exhausted after only a few hours of sleep, and need to go back to bed. Or drink a butt load of caffeine. Or both. Just listen to the man's albums, support his causes, and make your day a little brighter in the process. If we all had hearts as big as Jack Johnson's, world peace would've been realized by now.