Eddie Vedder is headlining three sold-out shows over the next week, two at the Hawai'i Theatre and one Monday on Maui.

You probably already knew that. But what you may not know is who the opening act is.

And he is good.

Singer songwriter Liam Finn (yes, his father is the legendary Neil Finn, of Crowded House and Split Enz) makes music that sort of defies description, but we'll try anyway.

If you were to take Elliot Smith, minus his personal hangups (i.e., serious depression), plus the unrestrained lilt of folk rock, you might get Finn. But even that equation leaves plenty of room for variables.

But what's certain is this: Finn, who is on the road with Vedder for the third time in two years, has a reputation for being unstoppable once he hits the stage. Rumor has it that he once played all night at the demand of a burly motorcycle gang that just couldn't get enough.

Finn spoke to TGIF on the phone from Nashville, Tenn.

TGIF: First, let's get this straight: Are you an Aussie or a Kiwi?

I consider myself a Kiwi. But I was born in Australia, but all my family is from New Zealand and I spent the majority of my life there.

TGIF: Did you also tour with Eddie Vedder last year?

Yeah, we did two tours with him last year, which was kind of a nice juxtaposition to our own shows. We were touring and playing in little dingy clubs, then we got to go on Eddie's tour and play in these high-end beautiful theaters. It worked out for us well.

TGIF: And that tour was kind of your coming-out tour in America, right?

Yeah, and it was great. We were kind of going between England, the rest of Europe and America, so it was exhausting, but amazing. We booked 187 shows last year.

TGIF: So you weren't home much, I take it.

I don't even really have a home anymore. I've been living in England for the last two years, and I've moved out of my place because I've been touring so much.

TGIF: Of all the countries you've visited while on tour, which one has the best audiences?

England sucks. It's terrible. But Europe and America and Canada are all really great. But there's always a special kind of energy at the shows at home in New Zealand.

TGIF: How did you get hooked up with Vedder?

He's kind of an old family friend. He came to New Zealand with Pearl Jam about 10 — maybe more — years ago, and he was a fan of my dad's work (musician Neil Finn) and got in touch with us to see if we wanted to go to the shows. I was a big Pearl Jam fan, so I we went and ended up meeting the band and hanging out with them, and we became friends.

TGIF: OK. Enough about Eddie. Let's talk about your music. So you're pretty much a one-man band. You play all the instruments on "I'll be Lightning." Did you ever consider forming a band, or did you always know you'd be doing it all?

I had a band for years before that, and I think the album was a kind of emancipation. I really loved playing with them, and I still do, but I think we'd all gotten to the point where we were going in different directions, so it was a good cathartic thing to break away from each other.

TGIF: Are you planning on continuing the DIY thing on any subsequent albums?

I really love recording music, and doing everything myself, but that doesn't I'm going to restrict things to just one person or two people or five people. I like the idea of just using what you've got around you, and not relying on producers. But that's not to say I won't do it one day.

TGIF: Which instrument are you most comfortable playing?

I suppose guitar is my main instrument, but the drums are the most fun to play.

TGIF: You come from pretty strong musical stock: Your dad, Neil Finn, is the frontman for Crowded House, and the former frontman for Split Enz. Growing up with that kind of influence, was it a challenge to develop your own musical style ... to sort of create your own identity?

I think it's definitely been a factor in my coming of age, but it's never been a problem. I don't feel embarrassed about who my dad is.

It's been as much of a fortunate thing as it has been a frustration at times, but it ultimately comes down to being passionate about and true to what you're trying to do.

I've learned over the years that you can't push away what you actually sound like, and there are some things that have really rubbed off on me from my father, and that's not a bad thing. It's just learning how to be comfortable with it.

TGIF: How do you describe your music?

I don't know. That's something I get asked all the time, and I guess I would describe it as avant-garde pop music.

TGIF: What was the last album you bought or downloaded?

I downloaded Siouxsie and the Banshees record for a song called "Spellbound," but I'm not actually sure what record its on.

Note: "Spellbound" is on Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1981 album "Juju."