The John Butler Trio, a rootsy, rocky, bluesy, jazzy outfit out of Australia, makes its Island debut Wednesday at Pipeline Cafe.

Fronted by John Butler, the trio is a little of everything and then some, plus a little more. Reluctant to actually try to describe his music, Butler, on the phone from his hotel room in Tokyo where he's touring, talked about what motivates him to make such eclectic music and why he'll never be the guy who plays the same stuff all the time.

Between laughing at himself and worrying about the state of the world, Butler comes off as grounded and aware, everyone's favorite combination for a guy with a guitar.

Q. Have you ever played Hawai'i before?

A. No. I'm really looking forward to it.

Q. You'll be a big hit here — you're exactly our style. We're kind of laid back and partial to the guitar. Did you know that when you agreed to stop in?

A. No. It just kind of came together. I don't know how laid back we are! We're kind of intense, actually. I hope people won't be disappointed!

Q. Your music has been described as eclectic roots rock. Is that an accurate description?

A. It's very eclectic, yes. It's influenced a lot by reggae and hip-hop and folk rock. It's all mashed up.

Q. Is your latest album, "Grand National," even more of a mash-up than your previous work?

A. Yeah. And it seems to be getting even more mashy. My influences keep on broadening, and I keep adding more things to the recipe. I'm not one of these artists who thinks that you have to have one style. I think I have my own style, but I don't think I have to provide one plate for the whole album. I like someone to take me on a lot of different roads, and that's definitely what we do.

Q. You're obviously influenced by all kinds of music, but do you have one single strong influence?

A. I think my strongest influence might be equality and justice. The music that really resonates with me, whether it be Bob Marley, Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, Tracy Chapman or Bob Dylan, is music that strives for truth and justice. And so rather than picking a favorite artist, which is impossible, I'll go for the things that seem to inspire me the most.

Q. Can your music be described as message music? Or does that term make you cringe?

A. Oh! ( Butler laughs and audibly cringes.) That sounds pretty condescending — not coming from you, but if I was to say, 'Hey I got a message, listen up everybody. Come and learn something' ... That's a really fine line. You can speak your truth, and if you do it well enough, you can speak a universal truth, but it's a fine line. I write about the things I write about because they move me. I tend to be moved by injustice and the lack of common sense in this world, but I'm also very much moved by my wife, and how beautiful and funky she is, and my children, and how adorable they are. I think I'm just really inspired by life.

Q. What do you want your music to do for its listeners? Do you care how it's interpreted or do you just leave that up to the listener?

A. I want it to change their lives. If I had one chance to do something with my music, I would want it to make people feel amazing and make them feel like they're a changed person for the better. I don't go out there thinking I'm going to change anyone, but if I could let my art do that, that would be a pretty good thing to leave with people.

Q. On the opening track of "Grand National" you say, "Life's not about what's better than ... " What is John Butler's life about? Does it get any better?

A. When I think about it, I don't know if it can get much better. I'm sure it could — just like things could always get worse — but I'm pretty happy. Life is pretty good. I'm pretty stoked.

Q. You've been compared to Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Ben Harper. Would you compare yourself to those guys?

A. If I wasn't me, perhaps I would. If I had to look at me as an outsider, then yeah, I would. The thing about us is we're all mashing stuff up, but we're all doing it our own way.

Q. Your touring schedule for this year is super intense. How do you recuperate while you're on the road doing back-to-back shows? Is there even time for that?

A. Funny enough, I expend more energy. I've been running a lot lately, and I'm really enjoying that. I'm not a huge drug addict, so that kind of helps. When I'm not on the road, I hang out with my family, play, eat food. Simple things.

Q. What's next for the John Butler Trio?

A. I think distillation. I feel like distilling things a little bit. Making the music really simple and more powerful.