When Jack Johnson came off a tour with tales about life on the road, his father wasn’t interested in hearing about the celebrities he’d met or the fancy rock-star perks.
Instead, he’d ask about the sights Johnson saw in Paris, or how the waves were in Australia.
"All he ever wanted to hear about was the days off or if we went on a hike or something like that," recalled Johnson. "He was more interested in seeing me do adventures that had nothing to do with being in front of people."
The 35-year-old Johnson — already known as perhaps the most laid-back, mellow rocker on Earth — is less interested in the pop world’s pomp and circumstance since the death of his father, Jeff, last summer and the birth of his third child.
"We’ve accomplished a lot with music and the sharing of the music, so I think the inspiration from him (is) there’s still a lot to be done as far as seeing the world — but from a different angle than this let’s you do it," the soft-spoken musician said in a recent interview.
His new album, "To the Sea," was recorded after his 65-year-old father, who was a surfer like Jack, died of cancer. Johnson’s daughter was born a month later. (Her name, like those of his sons, hasn’t been revealed to the media.)
Grappling with life’s transitions became a focal point.
"The title track (is) a story about a father leading his son to the sea, so that is both my dad and me looking down at my kids," he said.
"I guess I’m at a turning point here. I’m having to find the father in myself now, and the album has a lot to do with that, trying to understand yourself, trying to lead your children to understand themselves. At a time when I’m still learning the way of the world to try and be teaching that to the kids."
His friend and manager, Emmett Malloy, expected Johnson to take a break.
"I just thought it was feeling like a year that he was just gonna want to be with his family and take a year or more off to figure out what he wanted to do," Malloy said. "Instead I think he took all these life-changing events and really got inspired."
"To the Sea" isn’t morose; there’s still that signature beach feel, with the acoustic guitar strumming and Johnson’s low-key vocal delivery paired with cheerful-sounding melodies. But a closer listen reveals his heart. The most obvious song is "My Little Girl," about his daughter.
"Hey little girl, look what you’ve done, you’ve gone and stole my heart," he sings tenderly.
On first listen, "Turn Your Love" sounds like it could be about a fleeting lover. But the lyrics suggest something more serious: "Why should I be sad when I’m just you?" he asks.
Johnson said the song puts his father’s death in perspective.
"We’re all part of him, and to explain that to the kids and to be able to show them, here’s your new little sister and she’s a part of grandpa as well, and to explain how life carries on through family, was a way that was a lot easier for me to understand it all, feel OK about it," he said.
"To the Sea," on his Brushfire Records, is the fifth studio album for Johnson, the Hawaii native, surfer and filmmaker. His last album, "Sleep Through the Static," sold about 1.7 million, but his biggest-selling record is "In Between Dreams," which sold 3 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
There are big hopes for "To the Sea," but Johnson sees any radio play as a gift, saying he already had his moment with "In Between Dreams."
"But it’s a good thing. I never expected it to grow half this big. I never expected it to grow 1/16th this big," he said.
"The slow downhill is nice, to be able to keep going off playing my music to crowds," he joked. "At least you didn’t fall off a cliff."
And it’s not as if Johnson is at the bottom, either. He kicks off a summer tour in Hartford, Conn., on July 10. He’ll donate 100 percent of the profits to the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation that he set up with his wife, Kim. The foundation supports environmental efforts, art and music education.
It’s the second year he’s given away his tour earnings.
"We make a decent living, and it seemed that there was more than I needed there. When you bring people together, it just seems to be a real natural thing to have that be a fundraiser for something else," he said. "It just felt like the right thing to do. We just like supporting local nonprofit groups in every town that we went through."
Malloy said the gesture underscores what makes Johnson unique.
"The biggest thing to note about Jack is he’s a very simple individual … I don’t think Jack ever really cared to be famous or popular in any way, and that has never really changed," he said. "I think he’s having fun with it … he’s not going to let success or failures be the thing that’s allowing him to make good music."
