Dave Lawrence

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.