Johnson band mate plays on after tour ends

Zach Gill hits the road with his original band, known as ALO

SAN FRANCISCO » Zach Gill has been playing with Jack Johnson, in the studio and on the road, for three years. Their friendship dates back much further, to their college years at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where they met on the film and music scene.

But to be part of the Jack Johnson Experience this year - their first time headlining large venues and festivals throughout the world - has been a heady time for all concerned.

"We've been fortunate to grow into all of this at a reasonable pace," Gill said before Sunday's performance at the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in Golden Gate Park. "Our small audiences have gradually grown, where this year it seems like everyone has come out to see Jack."

Gill said Johnson has weathered fame's inevitable backlash, brushing off sometimes nasty attacks that his music's overall mellowness shows that it is without substance.

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"Yeah, there was a lot of negative chatter about Jack, especially in the blogs surrounding Jack's headlining at the alternative Southern California rock fest Coachella," Gill said. "But, to tell you the truth, it looked like everyone was stoked from where I sat onstage, looking out into the crowd. And after a day of edgy music, I think we provided a nice change of pace, playing under the stars."

Johnson was performing with Marlo Podlewski and Adam Topol when he asked Gill to sign on as his keyboardist. "Before I accepted Jack's invitation to join his band, I knew that the trio format was good for Jack - all that space to play in. But I guess what got me into the road band was that I came in to do some studio work for Jack's 'In Between Dreams,' playing accordion and keyboards on songs like 'Banana Pancakes.'"

Gill still spends time with his original jam band, the Animal Liberation Orchestra (better known by its initials ALO), which played an afternoon set earlier Sunday on a festival side stage.

Audiences at Johnson' Kokua Festivals have grown used to a relatively low-key show, but it was inevitable that as Johnson played larger venues elsewhere, a visual element had to be introduced.

The "Sleep Through the Static" tour has included six large LED screens suspended above the stage, showing both selected stage shots and abstract and nature pictures provided by Johnson's filmmaking and photographer friends.

It's all part of a process that Gill welcomes.

"We now try to keep our shows tight, but despite the bigger venues we've been playing in, there are still some impromptu moments, like when Jack recently told me during a gig to expand on some of that 'psychedelic polka' I was doing on the accordion at that time."

When Johnson's tour ends Sunday, Gill will continue touring behind his solo album - just released, not surprisingly, on Johnson's Brushfire Records label. It's an easygoing affair simply called "Zach Gill's Stuff."

It was recorded at Johnson's solar-powered and eco-friendly recording studio in Los Angeles, and Gill said he enjoyed the immediate feedback and collaboration of the process. All of the guys sat in on the sessions, with Johnson even laying down some drums on the album's jaunty lead cut, "Family."

Gill said that Johnson is taking an indefinite hiatus starting next week to spend some quality family time with his wife and kids. He might not even appear onstage until next year's Kokua Festival.

But whatever happens, Gill will be there for his friend.

"I'll always be a musician," he said, "and I'll always share my talents with Jack, regardless of the level of success."