As Greg Johnson prepares to return from his Los Angeles base to play a couple of shows in the south, the veteran New Zealand songwriter discusses parenthood, performing and paying the bills with Shane Gilchrist.
There are a couple of good reasons why Greg Johnson is taking a break from his Los Angeles lifestyle and heading to New Zealand for a couple of weeks this month.
The first excuse is new(ish): his parents have only seen his daughter, Ruby, once in the 18 months since she was born, so familial duties are overdue.
The second is an older theme, that of a quiet tipple: specifically, Johnson is attracted to the idea of performing at the Heartland Beer Festival in Queenstown next Saturday.
That said, Johnson is not drinking at the moment (''and I have to say it is amazing how much better you feel'').
''We thought we'd better do the family thing,'' Johnson says from his home in Santa Monica.
''But we have coincided that with a nice wee beer festival in Queenstown.
''I also thought it'd be a good opportunity to play in Dunedin again,'' he says in reference to a matinee performance at Chick's Hotel, Port Chalmers, next Sunday, February 9, when he will be supported by Lisa Crawley.
She will perform songs from recent album All In My Head, before Johnson and his band play a mix of singles and album tracks and, significantly, take requests from audience members.
In that regard, there is plenty of material from which to choose, given Johnson made his solo debut with 1989 album Watertable, a key step on a career that has boasted tunes such as 1997 APRA Silver Scroll Award-winning Liberty, Isabelle and Save Yourself.
''We've been trying to mix it up a bit, particularly in regards performing in the daytime,'' Johnson says.
''Let's face it, mate. My audience tends towards people more my own age [he is 45], though there are some younger. The daytime shows are more suited to their lives, especially if they have young kids ... and then we can go out for dinner afterwards.''
With the exception of a four-year gap between 2000 album Seabreeze Motel and its follow-up, Here Comes The Caviar, Johnson keeps, roughly, to a two-year cycle for his releases. Therefore the release in 2012 of his 10th studio effort, Exits, suggests another is imminent.
''Yes, I do try to put out an album regularly,'' Johnson confirms.
''I have stuck to making albums when I want, not when others tell me to, but I plan to record another album later this year, hopefully in an old-school fashion; that is, spend a couple of weeks with some guys and a couple of cases of wine.
''Some records I've done have involved recording drums here, something else there, and a lot of it has been done in my own studio, which has improved dramatically, even since Exits. I just feel like I want that vibe of hanging out with people and playing music with them.
''I've never been a particularly precious songwriter. Once a song has been written, it has a life of its own.
''And that's why you get other people in - because they are brilliant at what they do. The recording process can also be tiring, but that tension can create all sorts of interesting music.''
Since moving to Los Angeles in 2002, Johnson has put much effort into lifting his profile in the United States.
However, though the single Save Yourself (off 2004 album Here Comes The Caviar) was picked up by more than 60 radio stations in 2005, it hasn't quite translated into commercial success.
His last few albums, 2012 effort Exits, 2010's Secret Weapon and 2008's Seven Day Cure, have been put out on his own label, Johnson Music America, with the songwriter adopting a mix of approaches to get his music out there, including seeking pre-sales from fans via his website.
''The recession here has been pretty hard and I've had to pull a rabbit out of a hat a few times in order to pay the rent. So there are a lot of different things you have to do. The studio pretty much pays its own way; it's a matter of building that stuff up.
''At the same time, it has become much harder to get a song into a movie; commercials are almost impossible to get. So what a lot of people have done - and it's what I'm doing as well - is pick up a guitar and hit the road. It's going back to where it all started, playing live.
''I get the old trumpet out occasionally and play on other people's recordings. Sometimes I'll blow it with various bands around the neighbourhood,'' he says of the instrument he first picked up at the age of 11 and went on to play in various Auckland bands, including jazz outfit Bluespeak and pop group Car Crash Set.
''There are a lot of people with the same story in this town. I've got this guy who is about to come and work as an engineer in my studio; he was signed to a major label as a young kid in a band, but it didn't happen, so now he works on the other side of a mixing desk. That is very common.
''Most of my English friends are refugees from various bands. Then again, one of my wife's friends is a songwriter called MoZella and last year she co-wrote Wrecking Ball,'' he says, referring to the Miley Cyrus hit.
''Her world has changed a bit now; she's quite rich, really.''
Living in Santa Monica, married to a stuntwoman, Kelli Barksdale, rubbing shoulders with various musicians, self-employed, in short, running his own race ... it suggests Johnson is living the high life. However, the musician says his life is not unlike that of most parents.
''Like anyone who has a young kid, my day starts way earlier than I'd want it to and I stay up late trying to get work done.
''Life is pretty ordinary, although it can be interspersed with exciting events, like going to awards.
''We are both self-employed, so that adds an edge to life ... and they still send cheques here. My wife gets residual cheques, which can be substantial.
''There are occasions when we dance around the table. It used to be like that for me with royalty cheques for publishing, but I need to write a few more hits.''
Greg Johnson performs the following dates in the South.-
Heartland Beer Festival, Red Barn, Remarkables Park, Saturday, February 8 (general admission from noon).
Chick's Hotel, Port Chalmers, Sunday, February 9 (from 3pm), supported by Lisa Crawley.
