2008 Woodie Awards
From surfing to strumming, Johnson holds No. 1
Timothy Spath
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: A & E
Close your eyes. Picture paradise perfectly etched into your imagination. Warm waves are crashing past the ankles of someone playing guitar out of your sight. Palm trees and cocktails send your mind into an illusion of relaxation.
As the music of your dream-state gets louder, the relaxing, chilled-out harmonies playing from your radio are interrupted by horns honking. Your eyes open to traffic on the Merritt and a snow-covered landscape, and you think, at least I have Jack Johnson.
For the past two weeks the melodic combination of acoustic guitar, bongos, and the easing voice of singer/songwriter Jack Johnson has topped the Billboard charts at number one.
Johnson's new album Sleep Through the Static was released Feb. 6 and has held its number one spot since then.
"It's bittersweet to see Jack making it big and diving into the mainstream music world," said junior Allison Feeley.
"While he is becoming more well known, spreading his amazing music throughout the world, and selling thousands of albums, I can remember when I first started listening to him six or seven years ago when it was just him and his guitar."
The artist went from playing in front of a small surfing community on the Hawaiian island of Kanai, to huge Woodstock-influenced events like the "Everything's Better on Grass" tour. The music's fine vibe mixes the good vibrations of the Beach Boys with bluesy-reggae of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
According to Billboard.com, Johnson's fifth full-length album sold over 200 thousand copies in its first week on shelves. This is Johnson's fourth album to be within three positions of number one on the charts since his debut album became commercialized.
In 2001 Johnson introduced his debut album Brushfire Fairytales, later giving the name to his newfound music label "Brushfire Records," through which his last four albums have been created.
With the entrancing, laid-back inflections, the artist's first album sparked a forest fire, spreading the mellow sound throughout the surf culture, and recently resonating off radios around the world.
As the music of your dream-state gets louder, the relaxing, chilled-out harmonies playing from your radio are interrupted by horns honking. Your eyes open to traffic on the Merritt and a snow-covered landscape, and you think, at least I have Jack Johnson.
For the past two weeks the melodic combination of acoustic guitar, bongos, and the easing voice of singer/songwriter Jack Johnson has topped the Billboard charts at number one.
Johnson's new album Sleep Through the Static was released Feb. 6 and has held its number one spot since then.
"It's bittersweet to see Jack making it big and diving into the mainstream music world," said junior Allison Feeley.
"While he is becoming more well known, spreading his amazing music throughout the world, and selling thousands of albums, I can remember when I first started listening to him six or seven years ago when it was just him and his guitar."
The artist went from playing in front of a small surfing community on the Hawaiian island of Kanai, to huge Woodstock-influenced events like the "Everything's Better on Grass" tour. The music's fine vibe mixes the good vibrations of the Beach Boys with bluesy-reggae of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
According to Billboard.com, Johnson's fifth full-length album sold over 200 thousand copies in its first week on shelves. This is Johnson's fourth album to be within three positions of number one on the charts since his debut album became commercialized.
In 2001 Johnson introduced his debut album Brushfire Fairytales, later giving the name to his newfound music label "Brushfire Records," through which his last four albums have been created.
With the entrancing, laid-back inflections, the artist's first album sparked a forest fire, spreading the mellow sound throughout the surf culture, and recently resonating off radios around the world.
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