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Dave Lawrence

Local Host, All Things Considered

Dave Lawrence has been on the radio since 1990. He’s hosted All Things Considered on Hawaiʻi Public Radio since 2009 and has hosted afternoon radio in the islands since 2002. He is also known for HPR's Road Stories and Stargazer.

Previously, he was music director and afternoon host for 105.9 KPOI, Honolulu. Following five years there, he worked on-camera with Hawaiʻi comedian/TV personality Andy Bumatai as a segment host on The Andy Bumatai Show. Prior to his time in the islands, Dave spent nearly a decade at CBS/Infinity Broadcasting’s WBCN and WZLX, in Boston as a member of the air-staff as well as producer for both afternoons with Mark Parenteau and AM Drive for The Big Mattress with Charles Laquidara.

He graduated from Emerson College, where he produced the communication school’s first music CD/compact disc of material recorded live at the radio station, WERS Presents... Live On Gyroscope. The release won the NACB Creative Project Award in 1993.

Throughout his radio career, Dave has developed his skills as an interviewer, speaking with a wide range of diverse musicians and artists. Ozzy Osbourne, B.B. King, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Simon, George Clinton, Burt Bacharach, Carlos Santana, Pete Townshend, Dionne Warwick, Pat Metheny, James Brown, Glen Campbell, Smokey Robinson, Brian Wilson, Ronnie James Dio, Buddy Guy and John McLaughlin are among some of the hundreds of seminal artists he has interviewed. Dave has hosted a number of critically acclaimed artists in HPR's own Atherton Performing Arts Studio, including Stanley Jordan, Ben Vereen, Journey's Neal Schon, Ziggy Marley, Booker T. Jones, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hot Tuna, Godsmack, Third World, The Average White Band, Taj Mahal and many others. In addition to the music features, Dave also hosts a weekly segment, “Stargazer”, that gives listeners an idea what to look for in dark skies, and provides updates on astronomy stories from around the world. Dave has also focused on vulnerable people and animals, both with “Helping Hand”, an extended interview segment Dave did for six years, and through stories giving exposure to those that fight for people with disabilities and others facing special needs, endangered animals like rhinos, elephants and pangolins facing extinction due to relentless poaching and stories about other at risk populations. 

Dave's exposure to radio, music and assisting those in need is part of his family background; his mother Isobel worked in the radio industry, as well as being a disability design consultant and a strong supporter of disabled U.S. veterans. She also introduced him to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Santana and numerous other rock acts, and attended many concerts with him, including the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Allman Brothers Band, The Who, Yes and many others he'd go on to interview and work with professionally.

  • Today on Stargazer, HPR’s Dave Lawrence and astronomer Christopher Phillips go over exciting new research suggesting the potential for life-supporting ingredients in a distant location within our solar system!
  • It's day two on Road Stories, as HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence continues with return guest Stephen Marley — second eldest son of Bob Marley — hearing stories connecting to Old Soul, his new album, and stories about some of the songs on it. Today, we get into the connections between his father and guest on the record, Eric Clapton, who famously covered one of his dad's songs. We will also hear about the truly fascinating connection between the Marley family and Wilmington, Delaware, location of our guest's birth. As if that wasn't enough, he'll sing a little of the Ray Charles classic he covers on the new album!
  • For Road Stories, HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence welcomes back guest Stephen Marley — second eldest son of Bob Marley — to hear about Old Soul, his new album, and stories about some of the songs on it, including from artists like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, as well as stories about his relationship with one of the album guest stars, Eric Clapton!
  • HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence welcomes back Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann in a new Road Stories interview! We learn about a pair of shows Bill is doing on Kauaʻi to support someone in the community there, and also hear a little about one of the most interesting aspects of Grateful Dead history — their camping scene that once was a part of their concert tours from the late 1970s through the summer of 1989.
  • Today on Stargazer, HPR’s Dave Lawrence and astronomer Christopher Phillips talk about the value of amateur astronomers and the contributions of one in the Asia-Pacific!
  • Join HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence for a conversation with local artist Jack Johnson about his upcoming concert Monday night and new "Songs for Maui" album of a 2012 Maui performance, both featuring Paula Fuga and John Cruz, with proceeds supporting Maui relief efforts after the fires in Lāhainā and Upcountry.
  • Today on Stargazer, HPR’s Dave Lawrence and astronomer Christopher Phillips discuss an extremely unusual explosion detected in space.
  • HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence continues two days with Black Sabbath bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler, for a Road Stories two-part episode filled with stories from Geezer's new autobiography, Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond. Just six months after he welcomed Ozzy Osbourne for their first chat in 22 years, Dave and Geezer discussed the band's humble roots, his vegetarianism, depression, select lyrics like those in War Pigs, and stories about The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Today, we learn about a wild range of connections: Led Zeppelin, Chuck Berry, Fleetwood Mac, The Ramones and Bruce Springsteen among them! Plus Geezer shares the story of the remarkable 1978 meeting of his wife.
  • Just six months after he welcomed Ozzy Osbourne for their first chat in 22 years, HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence welcomes his partner in Black Sabbath, bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler, for a Road Stories two-part episode filled with stories from Geezer's new autobiography, Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond. Today, the band's humble roots, his early journey into vegetarianism, channeling depression into Sabbath's groundbreaking lyrics, how U.S. soldiers encountered at a gig in Europe influenced two Sabbath epics, and fun stories about The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
  • Today on Stargazer, HPR’s Dave Lawrence and astronomer Christopher Phillips discuss research into the largest known volcano in the solar system!