Last summer when G. Love & Special Sauce performed at the Pier 6 Pavilion in Baltimore, it was very much against doctor’s orders.
“They wanted me to cancel my tour, but I just kind of plowed through and maybe that was stupid,” admits the band’s singer, guitarist and harmonica player, Garrett Dutton- better known as G. Love.
In 2008, the musician was diagnosed with an acute vocal hemorrhage.
“The injury that I had for a singer was equivalent to an NFL player having a torn ACL,” he explains by phone from his home in Boston. “When I wasn’t on stage, I was on complete vocal rest.”
Fifteen years of singing his signature growling blues had taken its toll, so last November the 36 year old musician underwent surgery to repair his torn vocal cords.
“I think I’m sounding better than ever,” he says.
Local fans can judge for themselves on Saturday when G. Love & Special Sauce plays the Merriweather Post Pavilion with singer/songwriter’s Jason Mraz and Eric Hutchinson.
G. Love & Special Sauce, which also includes bassist Timo Shanko, keyboardist Mark Boyce, and drummer Houseman, were one of the first acts to mix hip-hop with the blues. On their self-titled 1994 debut, the band managed to channel both the Beastie Boys and B.B. King. Their single “Cold Beverage,” became a staple on MTV and college radio.
“I call it the hip-hop blues,” G. Love says of the band’s sound. “That’s the cornerstone of what we do, but we also have rock and roll, reggae, and even country. It’s basically a big soup of American and world music.”
Over the course of ten albums, G. Love & Special Sauce has found new ways to enliven that formula. From the horn laden hooks of “City Livin” to the acoustic sweetness of “Crumble,” the band seems invigorated on their newest release, “Superhero Brother.”
“I write all different kinds of songs,” G. Love says. “They are heavy and light and funny and sad and everything in between.”
Still, the musician will admit that it’s the band’s upbeat tunes that fans respond to best. “People like the fun party vibe songs,” he acknowledges. “When people come to a G.Love & Special Sauce show they want to have a funky good time.”
If their mantra is to give the people what they want then “Superhero Brother” delivers, but the band has not always been so successful.
After releasing 1999’s critically acclaimed “Philadelphonic” CD, G. Love & Special Sauce saw their profile diminish. Their next album was met with tepid response and the band was dropped by their record label.
Ironically, the group’s decline coincided with the rapid ascension of Jack Johnson, a singer/songwriter first introduced to the music world by G. Love & Special Sauce.
“I met Jack when he was this surfer kid fresh out of college,” G. Love explains. “He played me his demo and I thought it was really good.”
The band covered Johnson’s “Rodeo Clowns” on the “Philadelphonic” release, and invited the younger musician to share vocals on the track. The song became a hit, and Jack Johnson soon released his own album, the platinum selling “Brushfire Fairytales.”
“It’s been really awesome to see him blow up,” G. Love remarks.
Still, it couldn’t have been easy to watch his younger pal eclipse him.
“It was interesting to say the least,” G. Love says with a laugh.
He can afford to find the situation amusing now. When Jack Johnson formed his own record label, G. Love was one of the first artists signed, and in 2004 Brushfire Records released his first solo album, “The Hustle.” “Lemonade” followed, and in 2008 the full band was back with “Superhero Brother.” They might not be platinum sellers, but G. Love says the band is happy to make their living as working musicians.
“Sure everyone would love to sell a million records but the fact is that it’s harder and harder to do that now,” he says of the current state of the music business.
With so many ways to access free music, artists today can’t rely on album sales alone to expand their fan base. Getting people to fill the seats is what’s most important in the new paradigm. Fortunately, performing live has always been the band’s strong suit.
“Every night before a show we come together for a hug and take a minute to let the rest of the day go so we can go there and give it to the people,” G. Love says. “We put everything we have into the music. I can honestly say that I never take it for granted.”
“They wanted me to cancel my tour, but I just kind of plowed through and maybe that was stupid,” admits the band’s singer, guitarist and harmonica player, Garrett Dutton- better known as G. Love.
In 2008, the musician was diagnosed with an acute vocal hemorrhage.
“The injury that I had for a singer was equivalent to an NFL player having a torn ACL,” he explains by phone from his home in Boston. “When I wasn’t on stage, I was on complete vocal rest.”
Fifteen years of singing his signature growling blues had taken its toll, so last November the 36 year old musician underwent surgery to repair his torn vocal cords.
“I think I’m sounding better than ever,” he says.
Local fans can judge for themselves on Saturday when G. Love & Special Sauce plays the Merriweather Post Pavilion with singer/songwriter’s Jason Mraz and Eric Hutchinson.
G. Love & Special Sauce, which also includes bassist Timo Shanko, keyboardist Mark Boyce, and drummer Houseman, were one of the first acts to mix hip-hop with the blues. On their self-titled 1994 debut, the band managed to channel both the Beastie Boys and B.B. King. Their single “Cold Beverage,” became a staple on MTV and college radio.
“I call it the hip-hop blues,” G. Love says of the band’s sound. “That’s the cornerstone of what we do, but we also have rock and roll, reggae, and even country. It’s basically a big soup of American and world music.”
Over the course of ten albums, G. Love & Special Sauce has found new ways to enliven that formula. From the horn laden hooks of “City Livin” to the acoustic sweetness of “Crumble,” the band seems invigorated on their newest release, “Superhero Brother.”
“I write all different kinds of songs,” G. Love says. “They are heavy and light and funny and sad and everything in between.”
Still, the musician will admit that it’s the band’s upbeat tunes that fans respond to best. “People like the fun party vibe songs,” he acknowledges. “When people come to a G.Love & Special Sauce show they want to have a funky good time.”
If their mantra is to give the people what they want then “Superhero Brother” delivers, but the band has not always been so successful.
After releasing 1999’s critically acclaimed “Philadelphonic” CD, G. Love & Special Sauce saw their profile diminish. Their next album was met with tepid response and the band was dropped by their record label.
Ironically, the group’s decline coincided with the rapid ascension of Jack Johnson, a singer/songwriter first introduced to the music world by G. Love & Special Sauce.
“I met Jack when he was this surfer kid fresh out of college,” G. Love explains. “He played me his demo and I thought it was really good.”
The band covered Johnson’s “Rodeo Clowns” on the “Philadelphonic” release, and invited the younger musician to share vocals on the track. The song became a hit, and Jack Johnson soon released his own album, the platinum selling “Brushfire Fairytales.”
“It’s been really awesome to see him blow up,” G. Love remarks.
Still, it couldn’t have been easy to watch his younger pal eclipse him.
“It was interesting to say the least,” G. Love says with a laugh.
He can afford to find the situation amusing now. When Jack Johnson formed his own record label, G. Love was one of the first artists signed, and in 2004 Brushfire Records released his first solo album, “The Hustle.” “Lemonade” followed, and in 2008 the full band was back with “Superhero Brother.” They might not be platinum sellers, but G. Love says the band is happy to make their living as working musicians.
“Sure everyone would love to sell a million records but the fact is that it’s harder and harder to do that now,” he says of the current state of the music business.
With so many ways to access free music, artists today can’t rely on album sales alone to expand their fan base. Getting people to fill the seats is what’s most important in the new paradigm. Fortunately, performing live has always been the band’s strong suit.
