Jack Johnson Launches New Album and Summer Tour with Beach Clean-Up Concert

Image via Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson is kicking off the release of his new album, To the Sea, and subsequent summer tour in a fitting way for a singer-songwriter with surfer roots and an ocean-themed album title: with a beach clean-up!

On Saturday, May 22, Johnson and Heal the Bay will host a two-hour beach clean-up at Santa Monica Bay. For doing their part to keep California beaches garbage-free, Johnson will treat participants to a free concert at the pier on May 24.

With tickets for the show limited to the first 2,000 participants, you can imagine that it didn’t take long before they were all snatched up.

But don’t despair if you missed out! You can still win tickets by following @jackjohnson and @brushfire on Twitter. They’re giving away a pair of tickets to Twitter followers each day through May 23. Local radio stations KROQ, 98.7, KCRW, and MYFM will also feature ticket giveaways.

Recorded at Johnson’s two solar-powered studios – The Mango Tree in Hawaii and the Solar Powered Plastic Plant in Los Angeles – To The Sea is already on the fast track to success. The first single, “You and Your Heart,” sold 148,000 digital downloads since its release on iTunes in April.

Here’s a preview:

Following in the green footsteps of his 2008 tour, Johnson will again donate 100% of the 2010 tour’s proceeds to charity.

That’s not a typo – Jackson won’t make a dime off the tour.

As part of Johnson’s All At Once campaign, all funds generated from the tour will support over 150 nonprofit organizations working on sustainable local food systems and plastic waste reduction projects. Considering the 2008 tour raised $900,000 for charity, Johnson’s generosity can make a big difference on these issues.

And you can bet Johnson’s got some green touring tricks up his sleeve too. Biodiesel-fueled vehicles, eco-friendly merchandise, and ride share programs are just a few of the green actions planned. They’ll also encourage both venues and fans to reduce waste, recycle, use water refill stations, and offset carbon emissions.

After a handful of European dates in June, Jack Johnson embarks on a U.S. coast-to-coast tour, starring in Hartford, Connecticut on October 14 and ending in Santa Barbara for a two-night finale July 8-9. To see if Jack is coming to a city near you, visit the tour schedule. To the Sea will be released on June 1.

via Treehugger